
If you are a Detroit business owner or entrepreneur, you can partner with the University of Michigan by signing up for assistance or applying for a semester-long project. For example, right now you can sign up for free assistance in the areas of accounting, website user experience, and legal information. You can also apply to work with a U-M team on a semester-long project in the areas of marketing, business strategy, advertising, law, and design. Typically, projects last four months, and are staffed by teams of four to six U-M students and a U-M faculty member(s). For more details on assistance areas, application deadlines, and how to apply, click on the “Types of Assistance” tab below.
Testimonials
"As an upcoming business what's most valuable is to have resources and support systems in place. U-M has been a part of our support system and continues to help our business grow in many functional areas." - Darryl Humes, Co-Founder, Mature
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"Working with the U-M DNEP is almost like having a SWAT Team of talented individuals with diverse skill sets coming together to help you address your biggest challenges and develop new strategies." - Kwaku Osei, CEO, Farmacy Food
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"It is great to work with U-M students. The team provided creative advice and they understood the latest trends in marketing." - Carla Quarm, Founder, Sweet Dreamz Creamery
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"The information and help that the legal students provided us was invaluable and we now have intellectual property protection for all of our products! And, we understand how to take care of this process for future growth." - Lee Gaddies, Founder, Gaddis Gaming
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"It has been a great experience working with DNEP and students. We are providing entrepreneur grit and experience, and in return the students are learning and contributing solutions beyond the textbook and their classroom and are strengthening Detroit businesses." - Tanya Saldivar-Ali, Co-Founder, AGI Construction
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"The students that I worked with in the Ross School of Business were very talented and they brought a fresh perspective to my business model that I did not even realize I needed. The students were very diligent about taking the time to first understand my business needs, and I really appreciated their thoroughness. At the end of the program I was blown away by the recommendations they gave for my business and I began to implement some of them immediately. I would recommend the University of Michigan's Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project to all businesses in Detroit no matter what stage they are in. This was a great experience, I learned a lot, and I look forward to working with the staff and students again in the future." - Fred Paul, Founder, Fahrenheit 313
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