Carrot’s Cars Cut Down Mexico City Congestion
Carrot must have known it was doing something right when Mexico City’s Head of Government and Head of the Ministry of Environment helped it launch its carsharing service in 2012. The reason they were...
View ArticleCloverpop’s Pivot Helps Businesses Make Smarter Decisions
Helping people make better decisions was the original intention of Cloverpop’s eponymous software. Utilizing a combination of analytics and social storytelling (talking it out with others), Cloverpop...
View ArticleAccelerating Biotech at Startup Speed
IndieBio, a seed-stage biotech accelerator, believes we can reprogram life to solve “intractable problems.” It’s helping companies develop faster solutions to those problems with $200,000 in cash and...
View ArticleExploratorium Breaks the Laws of Science (Museums)
Experimental physicist and professor Frank Oppenheimer, long after he worked on the Manhattan Project, saw that the public had little understanding of science and technology. His solution was The...
View ArticleEarnest Lends Based on Potential, Not History
If the American banking system isn’t broken, there are definitely plenty of cracks. Earnest, a self-described “merit-based lender,” can identify those who slip through them. Traditional banks use...
View ArticleDetroit Bikes Redefines “Made in the Motor City”
Zak Pashak, a Canadian musician and venue owner, moved to Detroit in 2009 to start an “interesting business.” Three years later, he launched Detroit Bikes, offering simple, affordable bicycles designed...
View ArticleEmbrace’s Simple Solution Has Saved 150,000 Lives … So Far
At TEDIndia in 2009, Jane Chen, cofounder and CEO of Embrace Innovations, asked the audience to close their eyes and imagine what might fit in their hands — an apple, a wallet, something small. Next...
View ArticleDetroit Farm and Garden Helps Its City Grow
Urban farming has become a platform to promote education, sustainability, and community in Detroit. It’s also inspiring entrepreneurship and fostering a food scene. With more than 1,400 community...
View ArticleDetroit Venture Partners Has Already Committed $30M to Entrepreneurs
The capital of the Am›erican car industry is now attracting investors, entrepreneurs, and young professionals with the promise of cheap real estate and the opportunity to (re)build something great....
View ArticleBest Bees Conducts Research While Harvesting Honey
When Noah Wilson-Rich started graduate school at Tufts University in 2005, he wasn’t thinking about launching a small business, disrupting a scientific funding model, or becoming an advocate for bees....
View ArticlePonyride Transformed a Foreclosure Into a Community
Detroit-based Ponyride is a company – and a 30,000-square-foot warehouse. Founder Phil Cooley also calls it “a study to see how the foreclosure crisis can have a positive impact on a community.” The...
View ArticleFreight Farms Puts Agriculture in a Box
We want to know where our food comes from. The evidence is seen on foods labeled organic, in the rise of farmer’s markets, and even in Ikea products. Our shifting attitudes are reshaping the business...
View ArticleShinola Builds Brand and Jobs in Detroit
Shinola isn’t just a startup. It’s a Detroit-based startup. Like the city, Shinola is a bit of an underdog. As disposable, mass-produced goods from China flood the market, Shinola is betting on...
View ArticleGimlet’s Radical Transparency
The best podcasts are based on personal, highly vulnerable stories, and Gimlet Media, a bellwether podcasting company, has taken that insight to an extreme. As its grown to 45 employees in less than...
View ArticleOxfam America Takes Social Venture Approach
Oxfam America takes a long view. COO Jim Daniell says the non-government organization (NGO) offers solutions to poverty, hunger, and social injustice focused on empowerment – not solving problems....
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