U-M students meet with a client

Partnerships in focus: Learning and research collaborations that create better public policy

Lily Hamburger (MBA ’16) supports economic mobility for entrepreneurs as the senior director of the pandemic-born Detroit Means Business, a coalition housed at the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and guided by a group of small business owner advisors. She works in collaboration with nonprofits, financial programs, and corporate partners to provide financial and technical assistance to small businesses. In this role, she also serves as a sounding board for the Ford School’s Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Project (DNEP) and facilitates connections between businesses and student learning projects.

Course Spotlight: Michigan Ross Students Deliver Impactful Solutions and Strategic Recommendations to Minority-Owned Small Businesses

In MKT 313: Consumer Behavior, student teams work throughout the entire semester with real clients that are mostly from Detroit, many of whom are sourced by Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project. Student teams gather and analyze data to identify their clients’ target customer, what their customers value in their decision-making and why.  From this research, teams recommend marketing strategies for their clients to implement. The experience is designed to mimic an internship where students are enhancing many hard and soft skills like account management, research, communication, graphic design, and media planning. 

Two women sitting at a desk wearing headsets, recording for a radio program

DNEP featured on WJR 760 AM Radio

DNEP Managing Director Christie Baer was featured on WJR 760 AM Radio where she shared about DNEP and how we create value for both Detroit business owners and University of Michigan Students. This was part of WJR’s “College Tour” series where they highlight different higher education institutions, such as the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Listen to the interview here. 
See below for an interview transcript.
INTERVIEWER: “Once again we’re delighted to be here at the Ross School of Business where all week long we’ve been learning a lot of really inspiring and interesting things about the institutions of higher …

Photo of interns with Aaron Jackson and Chris Mueller during the 2022 Summer Internship at the ISLB

DNEP +Impact Studio summer internship kicks off in May with 15 interns

In just two weeks, the Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project’s +Impact Studio (DNEP+ISLB) summer internship will kickoff, bringing in 15 interns to consult for a select portfolio of Detroit small business owners. The internship will run from May 9th to July 14th, during which University of Michigan students partner with Detroit entrepreneurs to diagnose business problems and co-create solutions.
While it’s not unusual for universities to partner with local entrepreneurs, working on projects with students throughout the school year, the DNEP+ISLB program is unique in that it enables Detroit entrepreneurs to receive year-long support, beyond the constraints of the normal academic calendar. …

Headshot of Crystal Dowe, owner of Riley's Way

Client Spotlight: Riley’s Way, overcoming hair discrimination & embracing natural hair

Crystal Dowe is the owner of Riley’s Way, an apparel company that specializes in clothing and merchandise that encourages young girls to embrace their natural hair. 
Growing up, Crystal Dowe was teased for her natural hair and chemically straightened her hair for 30 years until she finally decided to embrace her natural hair in 2011. Now, Crystal is a proud grandmother to her granddaughter Riley who loves sporting her natural puffs. In honor of Riley, in 2017, Crystal founded Riley’s Way to help other girls accept themselves and feel just as empowered in their natural hair.  “I wanted other little girls …

Black Girl MATHgic

Client Spotlight: Black Girl MATHgic

Brittany is the owner of Black Girl MATHgic, a math subscription box company that aims to decrease math anxiety for girls and empower them to embrace their math abilities. Brittany founded Black Girl MATHgic in 2018 after witnessing math anxiety in her students firsthand as a math tutor. Since then, she’s shipped over 5,000 math subscription boxes, helping hundreds of children gain math confidence. 
Currently, Brittany is working with two DNEP student teams to take Black Girl MATHgic to the next level: (1) In MKT 313: Consumer Behavior, students are conducting market research and surveying current customers to get input about …