Hatch Detroit is down to its four finalists, a small group of promising business that have designs for creating jobs across the Motor City.
The four finalists include
Detroit River Sports which plans to bring Kayak rentals to the city and offer tours through the canal districts around Belle Isle, downtown and elsewhere;
Detroit Vegan Soul Café which plans to open a storefront business selling vegan food with a soul twist in West Village;
La Feria which aims to open a Spanish tapas wine bar in Midtown and
Rock City Pies, which specializes in unique combinations such as Salty Apple Carmel Pie and Blueberry-Custard Pie.
"We're happy with the diversity of this
final four," says Ted Balowski, co-founder of
Hatch Detroit. "Not only the diversity of ideas ... but the geographic areas they want to open."
These four contestants are competing for $50,000 in seed capital to open a retail location for their business in Detroit. Balowski and Nick Gorga launched Hatch Detroit last year as a vehicle to champion, support and grow locally-owned retail businesses. The nonprofit accomplishes this through funding its $50,000 contest, education, exposure, and mentoring. The bottom line is providing a stimulus that helps revitalize the city and inspires others in the community to create change.
Source: Ted Balowski, co-founder of Hatch Detroit
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.