Eight emerging founders in Detroit’s ecosystem traveled with TechTown to Austin to attend the annual conference
Several TechTown Detroit team members brought tech founders and alumni of TechTown’s programming with them to the 2024 South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas in early March. Photograph courtesy of Amanda Benno
South by Southwest (SXSW) took place earlier this month in Austin, Texas, and TechTown team members and alumni left their mark! The annual event is a convergence of conferences and festivals that celebrate the interconnectivity of tech, film, music, education and culture. SXSW attendees attend sessions, music and comedy showcases, film and television screenings, exhibitions, tech competitions, networking opportunities and so much more.
Eight tech founders, all of whom have graduated from TechTown’s Tech-based programming, attended SXSW 2024: Shay Bailey of My Beauty Kit, Matthew Burnett of Embark.live, Steve Coy of ArtClvb, Jerret Johnson of I’M LIT Learning, Achsha Jones of TripSlip, Brittany McGee of OptimizeEV, David Medina of Livaq and Kevin Tolbert of ChargedUp 2 Go.
These founders were in good hands with several of our team members who attended SXSW: Christianne Malone, TechTown’s chief program officer and assistant vice president for economic development at Wayne State University; Danielle Manley, senior director of strategic partnerships for TechTown and Wayne State; Amanda Benno, interim senior program manager of TechTown’s Tech-based Programs, and Caleb Conley, program manager of TechTown’s Growth Capital program and Venture 313.
“As a member of Detroit’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, I view the opportunity to attend a gathering as prolific as SXSW as a lever to uplift the region’s significance as an innovative driver of solutions and ideas worthy of a national stage,” Manley says. “The founders who attended alongside the TechTown team showed up with the same enthusiasm — making connections, learning from peers across the country and stepping into their roles as leaders of our technology–forward future.”
Steve Coy (second from left), founder of ArtClvb, TechTown team member Caleb Conley (second from right) and Matthew Barnett (far right), founder of Embark.live, attend the Female Founders Brunch at the Midwest House during SXSW 2024. Photograph courtesy of Steve Coy
Starting off strong
Our team members and tech founders had numerous opportunities to participate in events and represent their Detroit/Michigan roots. During the second day of their trip, the group attended the Female Founders Brunch at Midwest House, an organization that connects the Midwest region to innovators and creatives from around the world during SXSW. Hosted in part by venture capital firm Union Heritage, one of TechTown’s ecosystem partners, the brunch featured Nia Linder Batts, managing director and chief operating officer of Union Heritage, and Sophia Bush, actress, investor and general partner of Union Heritage. Later that evening, the TechTown group gathered with all the Detroit founders to connect and encourage each other as they took on the rest of the conference.
“It was such a great experience to be around so many talented people from Detroit and elsewhere in Michigan,” says Coy, founder of ArtClvb and a recipient of our Tech Startup Fund and Business Accelerator Fund, offered through our Capital program. “The Midwest House provided an excellent opportunity to meet with friends and connect with new people. Our region is definitely innovating, and it was amazing for ArtClvb to be a part of the conversation.” Coy also says the steaks in Texas are delicious, which is a bonus!
On the third day, the TechTown group continued attending events by Midwest House, including the Midwest Madness Pitch Competition. During this competition, eight startups that were selected from hundreds of applicants presented live to a panel of judges for a chance to win $10,000. Lonna Hardin, Ed.D., CEO of Voiceblocks and Start Studio alum, was one of those presenting founders. That same day, Malone and Benno spoke at Finn Partners’ The Future of Health Summit about our partner organization, MedHealth, and its work to connect the medical innovation ecosystem in Michigan and Ontario.
Shay Bailey (left), founder of My Beauty Kit, and Jerret Johnson, founder of I’M LIT Learning, attend a panel discussion by Black Tech Saturdays. Black Tech Saturdays is a group created by TechTown alumni Johnnie & Alexa Turnage. Photograph courtesy of Jerret Johnson
The Mitten State is in the house!
The fourth day of the group’s SXSW experience focused on Michigan’s tech ecosystem. The Black & Brown Funders Brunch presented by Plain Sight featured a panel of Michigan natives, including Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist III and several TechTown alumni and clients: Dawn Batts, Ph.D., co-founder of Commune Angels and former TechTown team member; Ashton Keys of Athlytic; and Josh Tooker, TechTown entrepreneur-in-residence and senior vice president of research and portfolio management at Union Heritage.
Later that day, JustAir, an air quality monitoring business created by TechTown alum Darren Riley, premiered its documentary, “Sure As The Wind.” The Michigan Economic Development Corporation also hosted a fireside chat called “Tech(no) Talk: Innovations in Tech & Music Across Michigan” with DJ, producer and tech founder Dre Wallace and record producer and DJ Juan Atkins, who is considered “the original pioneer of Detroit techno.”
“It was an incredible, immersive experience with workshops, speaker panels and networking events at Midwest House, [which] inspired and energized me as a 51-year-old tech founder,” says Johnson, founder of I’M LIT Learning and Start Studio alum. “I had the chance to connect with some amazing founders, who shared inspiring stories about their entrepreneurial journeys. I feel rejuvenated and reignited to continue my own journey of launching my platform, I’M LIT Learning, ‘the hip-hop educator’s marketplace.’”
Brittany McGee (right), founder of OptimizeEv, at an event put on by Midwest House during SXSW 2024. Photograph courtesy of Brittany McGee
Making dreams a reality
The following day, Black Tech Saturdays, a group fostering Black tech founders and entrepreneurs in Detroit and Baltimore, hosted the panel, “Building America’s Premiere Black Tech Ecosystem,” which also featured Lt. Gov. Gilchrist. Founders Johnnie and Alexa Turnage are alumni of TechTown’s programming and attended SXSW with us in 2023.
Each year, we’re proud to give a variety of tech founders and alumni the opportunity to attend SXSW and create meaningful connections with innovators from not only around the country, but the world. We hope these interactions build lasting relationships and forge new opportunities for our founders’ ventures!
“Last year, I placed on my vision board that I would like to attend SXSW, and TechTown made that vision come true for me in 2024!” says McGee, founder of OptimizeEV and Start Studio alum. McGee is also one of 12 startups participating in the spring 2024 cohort of Techstars Detroit Powered by J.P Morgan. “From the moment I stepped foot in Austin, I hit the ground running! … It was so cool to hang out with fellow TechTown startup founders and build relationships with [venture capitalists] from all over. I appreciate TechTown, Venture 313 and Midwest House, for the opportunity to go somewhere new, learn and explore!”
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