DETROIT — D:hive, a hub of resources to live, work, engage or start a business in Detroit, announced today that it is launching an open call for submissions for Pilot, its new retail pop-up project located inside D:hive, beginning June 6.
Pilot, presented in partnership with Opportunity Detroit, offers two-months of rent-free, interior white-box space within the D:hive welcome center along with a number of additional perks to emerging entrepreneurs and existing business owners. D:hive’s plan for Pilot is to empower entrepreneurs to take the next step in establishing their businesses in a permanent capacity in Detroit.
“Our intent is to let these entrepreneurs test their ideas and market themselves, so that eventually we can feed them out into the neighborhoods, shopping and retail districts in Detroit” April Boyle, D:hive’s director of small business initiatives, said.
D:hive aims to help foster the growing retail environment downtown by enabling entrepreneurs to explore their brick-and-mortar potential in a risk-free, temporary venue, with the ongoing support of D:hive and its partners throughout their stay.
Winners of the submission will receive approximately 375 square feet of rent-free space, marketing and graphic design assistance, mentorship from D:hive’s team of small business experts, and a modest space transformation grant. Pilot’s selection committee will place an emphasis on innovative business ideas with a strong public programming and community engagement component.
D:hive has been beta testing the pop-up concept since early May with the presence of pot & box. The June 6 call for submissions marks the program’s transition to the competitive proposal stage, in which a total of four pop-ups will be selected throughout the 2013-2014 year, with the first pop-up opening in early August.
Applications consist of a detailed proposal including a business plan, preliminary designs for the physical space, and a marketing and programming strategy. Applications can be accessed online starting June 6 at D:hive’s website, dhivedetroit.org/pilot/.
The launch of Pilot’s open call for submissions on June 6 also coincides with D:hive’s one-year anniversary. D:hive will celebrate this special milestone with a week-long program of events and a day of public programming hosted by D:hive on June 5.
