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DNEP Featured in Congressional Testimony before House Small Business Committee
Boodlebox Founder and CEO France Hoang testified before the U.S. House Committee on Small Business on July 14, 2026, sharing examples of how Detroit businesses are using AI to scale their businesses, and how the University of Michigan Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project is combining access to AI with human coaching to effectively teach AI skills.
Read the full text of Mr. Hoang’s written testimony. -
University of Michigan’s DNEP and BoodleBox Partner to Bring AI Tools to Detroit Small Businesses
UMich Students to help 120+ Detroit businesses scale their impact, supported by AI solutions.
Ann Arbor, MI [August 28, 2025] – The Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project (DNEP) at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and BoodleBox, a leading collaborative AI platform, are partnering to provide Detroit’s small businesses with free access to cutting-edge AI tools and training. Together, DNEP and BoodleBox are taking a significant step forward in democratizing access to resources that can help local entrepreneurs thrive.
The partnership will kick off in September with a series of customized workshops called “AI Show & Tell” that are open to … -
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DNEP’s Community Tech Worker Project Expands to Live6 with National Science Foundation Grant
The University of Michigan School of Information was awarded a $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to expand the Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project’s Community Tech Worker (CTW) program from the eastside to Detroit’s northwest side by partnering with Live6 Alliance.
Started in 2022 as a partnership between the University of Michigan and Jefferson East Inc. (JEI), the CTW program began with the dual mission of bridging the digital divide and providing access to good jobs for local community members. Detroit residents are trained on different business technologies (website platforms, social media, and point of sale systems) to become community tech …
Stephen M. Ross School of Business
