Student entrepreneurs to pitch tech ideas at DTX Launch Detroit Showcase

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: August 7, 2019
Contact: Kimberly Palter
Phone: (313) 483-1326
Email: kimberlypalter@wayne.edu

Student entrepreneurs to pitch tech ideas at DTX Launch Detroit Showcase Aug. 8

Twenty-one Michigan-based entrepreneurs representing eight colleges and universities will pitch their tech startup ideas at the DTX Launch Detroit Showcase this Thursday 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.

“To see the bright future of our city and region, just take a look at the teams participating in DTX Launch Detroit,” said 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 programmatic 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, William Davidson Foundation and General Motors.

For more information, visit techtowndetroit.org/services/dtx-launch-detroit