Mission
TechTown is Detroit’s entrepreneurship hub. We help tech startups and small businesses develop, launch and grow. By opening doors to opportunity, we strengthen our city, neighborhoods and economy.
Vision
We envision a meaningful and equitable revitalization of Detroit through the launch and sustainable growth of tech startups and small businesses that create new jobs, generate revenue, and strengthen neighborhoods.
Values
TechTown works for the betterment of the community by cultivating a stronger entrepreneurial spirit in our region and serve to inspire future aspirations. We are a human-centered organization focused on and dedicated to fostering an environment that builds community and provides equitable opportunities for our staff, tenants, clients, and alumni to thrive. We believe our core values of Inclusion, Humanity, Collaboration, Accessibility, Curiosity and Excellence best reflect and demonstrate TechTown’s commitment to being a best-in-class organization and entrepreneurial hub.
Values Overview
Inclusion – We have an uncompromising adherence to growing an inclusive organization that reflects the diversity of our community and embraces people of all cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities, and identities.
Humanity – We care about the overall well-being of individuals and treat team members, clients and community with respect and care.
Collaboration – We work together to achieve our common goals. We serve as convenors, facilitating collaboration, connections, and communication between ourselves and for our community.
Accessibility – We are a welcoming community. We provide all team members and clients with tools to assist their growth and ensure people have the support they need to lean into their exceptionalism.
Curiosity – We stay curious, consistently exploring new ideas and ways of thinking to continuously improve our work and be innovators in our field.
Excellence – We are committed to exceptional quality and service. We champion the practice of build, measure, learn to execute our best work for the organization, our clients, and our community.
History
TechTown was founded in 2000 by Wayne State University, Henry Ford Health System and General Motors. In 2004, TechTown incorporated as a nonprofit and established its headquarters in a landmark 1927 Albert Kahn building just north of the Wayne State campus.
Originally founded to support tech-based spinoffs from the university, we soon realized that our incubation and acceleration strategies for tech companies could help strengthen neighborhood small businesses and commercial corridors across Detroit. Today, we offer a full suite of entrepreneurial services for tech and neighborhood businesses, with satellite offices across the city.
Our five-story building serves as an entrepreneurial hub, housing the TechTown administrative offices, our coworking community, meeting and event space, and numerous businesses working across sectors to drive progress in Detroit. TechTown works in close partnership with Wayne State’s Office of Economic Development, the university’s hub for catalyzing business activity in Midtown and across the Detroit region.