Community Tech Workers

Choosing the Right POS System for your Business (+2 free resources)
September 25, 2023August 6, 2025

Choosing the right point of sale system (POS) for your business can be tricky and time consuming with so many options to choose from and oftentimes hidden fees. Over the summer, DNEP’s point of sale intern team created 2 resources to help business owners select the best point of sale system for them: 1) Point of Sale Cost Comparison Calculator and 2) One page overviews of the most frequently used POS systems and a comparison guide.
How to use the point of sale resources:
What to Consider When Choosing your POS System:
Sofia Wynn, one of DNEP’s point of sale interns, shares key …

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Jefferson East Inc., UM team up for tech program aimed at aiding small businesses
June 13, 2023June 13, 2024

Julie Hui and Lutalo Sanifu talk about the partnership between Jefferson East, Inc. and DNEP, and the Kauffman Foundation grant they received to fund the new Community Tech Worker program.

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Jefferson East Inc. helps businesses with technical assistance
May 25, 2023June 13, 2024

Learn about the Community Tech Worker program through this Detroit Free Press photo gallery of the CTWs at Jefferson East, Inc.

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Kauffman Entrepreneurship Forum: Interview with DNEP’s Julie Hui and JEI’s Lutalo Sanifu
October 17, 2022June 13, 2024

Julie Hui and Lutalo Sanifu interviewed with the Kauffman Foundation’s Kauffman Entrepreneurship Forum. Interview begins at 18:18 mark.

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Partner Profile: Jefferson East Inc. fosters growth in five neighborhoods
October 9, 2023June 13, 2024

Read about DNEP’s partnership with Jefferson East, Inc., including the Community Tech Worker program, in this interview with JEI’s CEO Joshua Elling.

Read More Partner Profile: Jefferson East Inc. fosters growth in five neighborhoods
Community Tech Worker Paper Wins Impact Award, Honorable Mention
October 29, 2023June 13, 2024

In October, lead author Prof. Julie Hui from the School of Information presented the first published research paper with key learnings from DNEP’s Community Tech Worker project with Jefferson East, Inc. at the 26th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing. The paper, Community Tech Workers: Scaffolding Digital Engagement Among Underserved Minority Businesses, describes how the Community Tech Worker program helps businesses determine where to start with technology use, offers support grounded in the day-to-day realities of running a business, and builds caring relationships with business owners to foster trust in technology support services. The paper won both …

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Clients wanted to work with interdisciplinary teams of U-M students this summer
April 28, 2022June 13, 2024

Beginning May 4, the University of Michigan’s Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project (DNEP) will offer free services to Detroit small businesses and non-profits through its DNEP +Impact Studio for Local Business 2022 (DNEP +ISLB) internship program. DNEP +ISLB is a pro bono implementation-focused program for Detroit neighborhood-based businesses that need talent and capacity to activate something challenging in their business. DNEP hires a team of 18 U-M undergraduate students, guided by business and design faculty and DNEP staff, to implement marketing and operations projects. Students work with businesses in intense bursts of 1-2 weeks from start to finish.
This year, students will …

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CFLP and School of Information lauded for Detroit Community Tech Worker project
June 14, 2022June 13, 2024

The Center on Finance, Law & Policy is partnering with U-M’s School of Information (SoI) to provide Detroit’s Jefferson East Inc. (JEI) neighborhood organization, in a tech program aimed at aiding small businesses. Crain’s Detroit Business quotes JEI Director of Neighborhood Resilience Lutalo Sanifu as saying that he hopes to involve 140 businesses in the year-long project. “Tech experience is important, but not nearly as important as people being able to work with small business owners in underserved communities,” he said.
“We’re hoping this is a sustainable model. We are trying to build on a ‘train the trainer’ idea where the …

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