NewCo Detroit will host its second annual festival on Sept. 18, which “turns a traditional event inside out” by encouraging attendees to join events at the locations of participating businesses, rather than bringing business leaders to one location to lead presentations.
“Detroit has always been the center for innovation and design,” says Kevin Turner, project manager of NewCo Detroit. “This festival spotlights those companies that make things and helps inspire and connect these creative and energetic people.”
Turner says that more than 1,000 attendees are expected for behind-the-scene tours and presentations at more than 50 innovative startups and high-growth companies, including the Heidelberg Project, Shinola Detroit, and Le Feria Spanish Tapas.
Event organizers will kick off the festival with a VIP Plenary on Sept. 17 at the Madison Building, 1555 Broadway St. David Farbman, CEO of HealthRise Solutions, founder and chairman of Carbon Media Group, and a principal in NAI Farbman, will serve as the event’s keynote speaker, talking about how he overcame challenges to create a successful media company.
Likewise, a panel of local entrepreneurs will discuss “How Detroit Entrepreneurs Are Transforming Neighborhoods.” Panel members include Rufus Bartell from Simply Casual; Alicia George from Motor City Java House; Hugh Yaro from Craft Work, Ronin Sushi, and Commonwealth; and Scott Rutterbush from Great Lakes Coffee.
Confirmed businesses for the one-day festival include Apigee, Ponyride, Heidelberg Project, Search for Her Existence, Skidmore Studio, Le Feria Spanish Tapas, Are You A Human, Techtown Detroit, Atomic Object, Team Detroit, Shinola Detroit, Team Detroit, Girl Develop IT, Detroit Pop Shop, D:hive, Bamboo Detroit, Focus: Hope, Grand Circus Detroit, Signal Return, Arts & Scraps, Detroit Denim, The Natural Market, Biz to Biz Match, and Nextek Power Systems.
“Anyone who knows Detroit knows that it’s different from almost any city on earth, it has an automotive heartbeat with entrepreneurial passion that keep the city buzzing,” says Nick Coccia, secretary of 313 Digital, an interactive marketing association in Detroit. “NewCo is a great opportunity for everyone to see the real spirit of Detroit.”
For more information or to register, visit det.newco.co.
