The Gilbert Family Foundation in Detroit has announced an additional $6.4 million investment in Venture 313, which will strengthen the organization’s commitment to the city’s growing tech ecosystem.
The new investment includes grants to three entrepreneurial support organizations — TechTown Detroit, Invest Detroit, and Detroit Development Fund.
Originally launched in 2022 with a $10M commitment, Venture 313 helps remove barriers for Detroit-based tech founders by providing access to capital, coaching, technical support, and flexible financing tools. The program coordinates across its three partners to ensure founders receive the right support at every stage of growth.
“Detroit has long been a hub for creativity and innovation,” says Laura Grannemann, executive director of the Gilbert Family Foundation. “Venture 313 is about ensuring that our city’s tech entrepreneurs have the right resources to turn their ideas into thriving businesses.”
Since its launch, Venture 313 has supported more than 125 businesses, helping them tap into $62 million in additional capital and creating more than 50 jobs.
The Gilbert Family Foundation also has engaged in wide-ranging stakeholder feedback from founders, ecosystem partners, and community organizations to shape and strengthen the program.
The entrepreneurial support organizations include TechTown Detroit, which supports founders in the earliest stages of entrepreneurship by providing grants, hands-on coaching, and tailored resources that help entrepreneurs turn ideas into minimum viable products. TechTown Detroit also serves as the primary program administrator for Venture 313.
The Detroit Development Fund meets founders where traditional financing falls short, offering flexible loans and working capital for entrepreneurs who don’t fit the conventional venture capital mold. They also manage technical assistance support and host lunch and learn events for the founders. Invest Detroit sources high-growth startups ready to scale, pairing equity-like investments of up to $250,000 with ongoing coaching and programming
Invest Detroit was created in 2009 to enhance its overall mission to support the growth of entrepreneurial ventures. ID Ventures, Invest Detroit’s venture team, is one of the most active early-stage investors in the state and has invested in more than 250 Michigan-based companies across multiple sectors, including life sciences and health care, information technology, fintech, mobility, advanced manufacturing, and materials.
In one case, Venture 313 helped Isabel Sheiman, co-founder and CEO of Maka Kids, a streaming platform providing curated, expert-reviewed children’s content designed to create safer and more developmentally supportive screen time experiences for families.
Sheiman relocated Maka Kids to Detroit from New York with support from Venture 313 and Invest Detroit, including a $200,000 seed investment that helped the company establish its headquarters in the city and accelerate its growth. Since making the move, Maka Kids has raised more than $2 million to expand its platform.
“As newcomers who moved to Detroit to build our company Maka Kids here, Venture 313 has welcomed us in from day one,” says Sheiman. “They’ve opened doors we wouldn’t have had otherwise from sponsoring our presence at SXSW to spotlighting us across the ecosystem.”
Darren Riley and his company, JustAir, also benefited from Venture 313’s support. Detroit has one of the highest asthma rates in the nation and JustAir is working to change that through a platform that tracks and monitors air quality in Detroit and beyond.
The company has raised more than $1.5 million, expanded into 11 states, and earned national recognition as one of Fast Company’s 2025 Most Innovative Companies for Social Good.
“Our vision at JustAir is to build the trusted infrastructure for environmental health,” says Riley, CEO of JustAir. “Venture 313 and Gilbert Family Foundation provided a platform of resources, support, and guidance during a key growth phase that’s helping us get there.”
Detroit-based founders seeking capital, programming, or technical support can apply through Venture313.com. Applications are reviewed and routed to the partner organization best aligned with each founder’s stage of business.
For more information on the Gilbert Family Foundation, visit gilbertfamilyfoundation.org.
