Student Entrepreneurs Pitch Tech Ideas Today at DTX Launch Detroit Showcase

Twenty-one Michigan-based entrepreneurs representing eight colleges and universities will pitch their tech startup ideas at the DTX Launch Detroit Showcase today from 5-8 p.m. at TechTown Detroit. The teams developed their startup ideas during a 10-week DTX Launch Detroit summer accelerator.
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TechTown Detroit auditorium
The DTX Launch Detroit Showcase is taking place today at TechTown Detroit and will offer funding to startups. // Photo courtesy of TechTown Detroit

Twenty-one Michigan-based entrepreneurs representing eight colleges and universities will pitch their tech startup ideas at the DTX Launch Detroit Showcase today from 5-8 p.m. at TechTown Detroit. The teams developed their startup ideas during a 10-week DTX Launch Detroit summer accelerator.

DTX Launch Detroit teams, composed of undergraduate students, graduate students, and recent university graduates, submitted initial pitches for consideration and were selected through a competitive process. The teams spent the summer discovering, validating, and sometimes pivoting their value propositions and business models.

The resulting innovations range from a virtual reality-based music service, to a haptic device designed to help visually impaired people navigate unfamiliar surroundings, to an application that helps students plan and achieve their way to college.

At the showcase, each team will pitch its venture idea to a panel of representatives from Detroit’s business, tech, and investment communities. Winning teams will be awarded with business services, an incubation opportunity, and cash, including a grand prize of $15,000, courtesy of General Motors Co.

“To see the bright future of our city and region, just take a look at the teams participating in DTX Launch Detroit,” says Marlo Rencher, director of technology-based programs at TechTown Detroit. “These incredible students are using their talents to pursue innovations that will change people’s lives.”

Past DTX Launch Detroit businesses include CityInsight, an app that monitors Detroit residents’ water usage; MySwimPro, named Apple Watch 2016 App of the Year; HoneyCure, a revolutionary wound-care product for the veterinary market; and ToDoolie, an app that allows homeowners to hire friendly, reliable student helpers to assist with yard cleanup and more.

DTX Launch Detroit is a program of the Detroit Technology Exchange (DTX), a partnership between TechTown Detroit, Design Core Detroit, Grand Circus, Henry Ford Innovation Institute, Invest Detroit, and NextEnergy. It is supported by the New Economy Initiative, the William Davidson Foundation, and GM.

TechTown is Detroit’s entrepreneurship hub, with a full suite of programs for both tech and neighborhood small businesses. It works with businesses at all stages, helping startup, emerging, and established companies develop, launch, and grow.

For more information, visit techtowndetroit.org.