NextEnergy “works with innovators to accelerate smarter, cleaner, more accessible solutions for communities and cities.” This is a purposefully broad mission statement. In order to achieve its mission, the organization must take on a wide variety of projects, ranging from clean mobility initiatives to lighting and energy solutions and more. This summer, Maggie and I will work with NextEnergy to help develop its newest initiative, the MiNextCities project. Through this project, NextEnergy aims to help smaller cities (of less than 100,000 people) in Michigan gather the resources and funding to implement clean energy and clean mobility infrastructure. These cities are often interested in implementing this technology but are overlooked by most programs, which focus on large metropolitan areas.  
 
Our goal is to develop a report that provides insights into how the MiNextCities project can be most effectively implemented so that it can make as great an impact as possible on cities throughout Michigan. To do this, we will perform an analysis of competitor organizations, identify target cities, and connect with city leaders to ascertain community priorities, pain points, and limitations. Tim, our supervisor, believes that Maggie and I will bring a new perspective to this project, as we are “outsiders” to the organization and thus may have thoughts that have never occurred to others in the organization. This perspective will allow us to build on the existing framework of the project, as well as propose new ideas that are “outside the box.”
 
Our work this summer will focus mostly on smart mobility, including electric vehicle charging stations, bike-share programs, electric shuttle fleets, and more. We have compiled a comprehensive list of competitor organizations and potential partners throughout the country in the smart mobility space. A few organizations stuck out to us as potential partners or models, including Forth Mobility and DKS Associates. We are now identifying target cities through extensive data collection and analysis, mostly using Microsoft Excel.
 
Although we often take it for granted, mobility plays a monumental role in all of our lives, as it dictates how we get from Point A to Point B. Unfortunately, however, the mobility infrastructure in most cities is inefficient and unsustainable. Maggie and I were able to experience this first-hand as Tim took us downtown to explore Detroit’s mobility options. We rode MoGo bikes and found that Detroit’s roads were lacking in many aspects, including a deficiency of bike lanes on many streets as well as uneven roads. We also learned that Detroit’s bus system is inefficient, and most people depend on their personal carbon-emitting vehicles.
 
Smart mobility will be necessary in the near future, as it may be our only option if we wish to maintain a sustainable society. Although our work this summer is only initializing the research and planning for the MiNextCities project, I am confident that it will eventually help many cities throughout Michigan as they prepare for the future by getting a head start on smart mobility infrastructure.

​Innovation: Detroit’s Cure
 
Innovation and Entrepreneurship has always been engrained in the culture and DNA of Detroit. From the creation of novel, soulful Motown music to the conception of the automobile industry, innovation serves as a distinguishing factor and the unique label for Detroit. However, in 2013, the city of Detroit declared bankruptcy, converting this inventive city into one of despair, economic depression, increased unemployment, and dejection. Yet, despite facing this hardship, Detroiters have been motivated to persist and use their innovative DNA to foster initiatives that have the goal of reviving their beloved city. Today, Detroit exists as a flourishing and booming hub for innovative and entrepreneurial startups as they create revenue and job opportunities, slowly reviving the city. Thus, the key source of the change in narrative for Detroit, and the reason Detroit refuses to succumb to depression is innovation—Detroit’s cure.
 
TechTown and Innovation.
 
My role as a DukeEngage Detroit participant is to actively listen to the current models of innovative revitalization. One of the manners in which I have been approaching tackling some of Detroit’s current largest issues is by listening and aiding my work partner: TechTown Detroit, with Andy and Xin. Our overarching goal is to aid in this regeneration process by learning about the general principles of innovation and entrepreneurship and applying these to the context of Detroit, by thinking creatively regarding problem solving with TechTown to formulate innovative solutions, by gaining knowledge around the social sector, and by developing community-based solutions. More specifically as an organization, TechTown Detroit is a non-profit technology accelerator and incubator that provides with little means to launch and grow their businesses by providing event space, networking connections, workshops, mentorship programs, and coworking space. More importantly, TechTown serves as a building block for a robust community of mentors, investors, ideators, business and corporate partners. Fostering this community has catalyzed a chain reaction in Detroit’s ecosystem in which emerging businesses become established, creating employment opportunities for thousands of people, causing an influx in capitol and overall opportunity.
 
Three Tasks.
 
My job is to be the person TechTown needs in this moment, to do my best in providing the services they require, and to maintain the mentality that small incremental change leads to lasting, sizable social impact. Specifically, I will be working on three tasks.
 
Task One.
 
Currently there only exists a newsletter that is infrequently sent from TechTown to place-based alumni, providing little communication to these alumni and almost no communication to all other TechTown alumni. Moreover, neither additional events nor networking social groups are available post-program as resources specifically to alumni. This deficiency in alumni programming events may discourage continued involvement with TechTown and future partnerships. This creates a problem that we need to address: our first task. Andy, Xin, and I will examine the needs of past alumni from all TechTown programs, divided by tech startups and local (place-based) businesses through sending two sets of surveys for each respective group. Survey results will be examined to better provide resources for the alumni of TechTown and discover the meaning behind being a TechTown alum. In doing so, we will analyze the type of programming requested and general feedback to formulate programs that facilitate better engagement between TechTown and alumni, as well as among alumni.
 
Task Two.
 
TechTown currently lacks a system for effective customer relationship management (CRM), which acts as a medium for interaction among potential and current developers. By implementing a CRM, TechTown can ease the process of pairing software developers with local startups through increasing its efficiency and consistency, with the goal of having these developers potentially become Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) for their startup companies. This creates a second task for us. We will establish a foundation on which a CRM can be developed through interviews with relevant TechTown staff and exploratory research into the criteria that startup companies desire in developer candidates. Potential incentives can be provided to encourage participation within this network. We will also incorporate them into TechTown’s professional service network (PSN) and provide resources to ensure a smooth partnership between the developer and the startup. The matching process will be based on the characteristics that the developers demonstrate, ranging from programming language mastery to software development experience to relevant training in technology.
 
Task Three.
 
Our third task relates to the Wayne State University Innovation Studio, a partnership between Wayne State University and TechTown that is serving as a bridge between students interested in innovation and entrepreneurship with TechTown’s resources. The program aims to allow students to transform their business ideas or even side hustles into sustainable, marketable and robust businesses that they can pursue in the future. As students, we offer a unique perspective and are acting as consultants who can give genuine feedback from a student lens. We are recommending events, speakers, topics, and even spaces to catalyze engagement and overall are aiming to inspire students like ourselves to invest their time in innovation.

​Partnered with TechTown, I am working on three projects with my site partners, Becca and Xin. As an incubator and accelerator for local and tech-based startups, TechTown helps the Detroit entrepreneurial scene through services ranging from assisting with ideation to scaling established businesses.  TechTown has two areas of focus: the first is with local brick and mortar retail businesses, the second is with technology based startups. Our three projects span both of these areas. Our first project is with regard to alumni of TechTown programs (both tech-based and place-based). The second project is helping TechTown partner with Wayne State to create an innovation studio, much like Duke’s own Innovation and Entrepreneurship program. Lastly, we are expanding on TechTown’s current professional service network (PSN) to specifically accommodate developers, with the hope that these developers will eventually become chief technology officers of startups.

In terms of our alumni networking project, we are analyzing alumni survey data to see what programming TechTown can provide to keep alumni engaged. Currently, TechTown does not engage with the alumni besides sending out an infrequent newsletter, leaving little room for communication between TechTown and these alums. By analyzing two sets of data for place-based alumni and tech-based alumni, we are examining the preferences of these alumni and providing recommendations to TechTown on how to better engage with them. These programs will also serve as events for entrepreneurs to meet and better get to know each other, allowing for ideas to get shared.

For the Wayne State innovation studio, we are expanding on a current plan developed by Jenifer at TechTown. By researching into top entrepreneurial programs at colleges and universities around the nation (e.g. Arizona State, Michigan State, Duke), we developed several incentives and events meant to attract, engage, and train aspiring entrepreneurs at Wayne State.

Finally, we are developing a framework upon which to build a customer relationship management (CRM) tool that is designed to match developers with startups. This CRM will be an expansion on the standard from of TechTown’s current PSN. We are adding separate questions that will categorize developers based on educational background, development experience, and programming language mastery. Using these criteria, we are thinking of ways to pair them with startups who need a developer in their ranks. We also hope to be able to provide training to these developers to eventually become the CTO of their matched startups.

​Through these projects, we hope to help improve the status of Detroit’s economic landscape.

Saagar and I with our supervisor Tim going around downtown Detroit to explore the different forms of mobility and experience some of the city's issues within mobility ​

Siyi and I biking back from work! We love Cass Ave and its bike lanes.

The sick view of Downtown outside One Campus Martius, our office building.

One of 44 MoGo stations around Detroit; this one is at 23rd Street and Bagley in Mexicantown.

When asked what does social entrepreneurship mean to me, I would say it’s a mixture of things. Superficially speaking it means finding solutions to social problems but to my eyes, it means opening up opportunities for those whose hopes were shattered when realizing those opportunities were being gatekept. I would say social entrepreneurship is vastly important in our world because it is the first step towards everyone being on the same playing field. Once we start to realize the significance of social entrepreneurship that it has on the lives of many, we will all be invested in expanding social entrepreneurship.

If you were to ask me what social entrepreneurship was before applying and actually coming to Detroit, I would probably Google it and give an answer like “it’s a method to solving social problems in the world.” Turns out it is more than just that. Detroit is an amazing city filled with culture and hope, two of the most important characteristics I would say a city needs in order to prosper in the near future. Maybe this is why social entrepreneurship is widely popular in the city of Detroit, everyone has hope that one day Detroit can go back to how it was a couple of decades ago.

Detroit Food Academy’s mission startled my eyes when I first read about them on the DukeEngage Detroit website. DFA serves as being a resourceful tool for high school students who are into the culinary arts and also interested in learning about entrepreneurship. Students first learn the skills and tricks used in cooking and baking to then execute what they have learned in more advanced programs within DFA. However, DFA is not like any ordinary cooking school, it goes way beyond what one would expect from a non-profit.

From one on one conversations I’ve had with students, I could feel the love these students have for the program. One of the students mentioned how she appreciates the program a lot because it is not just cooking skills you learn but you get to work on yourself. After she mentioned that it helps her work on herself, she mentioned that “DFA has helped me open my eyes, helped me work with others, allowed me to be optimistic, and be more responsible.” It was a heartwarming experience to listen to what she had to say about DFA and confirming what I originally thought about this program being more than just learning to cook but a program where kids have a place to be themselves. Sometimes sports and video games aren’t for everyone, and it is amazing to see that Detroiters saw it wasn’t and made a program like this one to help and guide high school students with useful skills and knowledge.

​

When I first heard of social entrepreneurship, it is a very vague word. I do understand the “social” and “entrepreneurship” separately, but  I do not truly understand the concept of social entrepreneurship until I came to Detroit. During the first two weeks that I worked with MoGo, a social enterprise, I start to understand the true meaning of social entrepreneurship. In my opinion, is a business model that concerned more about making a positive impact on global issues than making money. Combining business with a do-gooder mentality, social entrepreneurship is an innovational approach for solving cultural and social issues such as alleviating hunger, improving education, protecting animals and improving equality. Similar to traditional entrepreneurship, the social enterprise also has business component that provides funding for its sustainable operation. But the main focus of social entrepreneurship is to solve, to benefit and to help, while entrepreneurship is more profit-centered. Although social entrepreneurship is not profit-driven, it can be non-profit or for-profit organizations. The mission is to use the innovational approach to solve existing social issues, through launching business or project. There are many social issues existing in the world; social entrepreneurship is a new approach, combining making money and doing good, to tackle those issues.
“Entrepreneurship is an equalizer that can and should be the pathway out of poverty.” I overhear Racheal Allen said this in Detroit SOUP, a microgranting dinner supporting social entrepreneurs. At the Detroit citywide SOUP, where four excellent social entrepreneurs pitched their ideas, ranging from art, urban agriculture, social justice, education technology and more, Racheal is one of the social entrepreneurs that day. She pitched her Motherhood Mentors mentorship program in Detroit SOUP. The program matches teenaged mothers with successful mentors who were also teenaged mothers. The mentors give guidance for mentees and help them to plan their life. The reason why Racheal launched such a program is that as a teen mom, she received guidance from her mentor that change her life and she hopes to give back to the community and to help teen mothers in Detroit. She is a great example of social entrepreneurship in Detroit. In fact, the community partner that I am working with is also a case in point. MoGo is a bike-share program that aims to provide accessible bike-hare service in Detroit. It aims to benefit Detroit residents to get around the city in a convenient and affordable way. To make MoGo accessible to everyone, MoGo has a “MoGo For All” program that provides $5 access pass for state benefit program members; it also has an Adaptive MoGo program that offers cycling options for riders of all abilities.
Detroit is a place where social entrepreneurship flourishes, which perfectly matches the Latin mottos Speramus Meliora and Resurget Cineribus in Detroit’s flag, meaning “We hope for better things” and "It will rise from the ashes". I believe social entrepreneurship is an effective approach that will bring Detroit rise from the ashes.
 
 

27 Dollars.
            After taking his economics class on a field trip to the poorest households in the village of Jobra, Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, social entrepreneur and Noble Prize recipient, made a profound discovery: it only requires 27 USD to lift a person out of poverty. After questioning locals as to why they did not acquire these small loans, he learned that banks were unwilling to provide minuscule loans to the poor for reasonable interest rates as the poor due to their perceived high risk. As such, Muhammed Yunus decided to act with the urge to eradicate poverty from the world; his faith in humanity compelled him to provide these $27 loans to 42 village women out of his own pocket as he believed that when given the opportunity, they would repay his loans. His revolutionary and radical idea disrupted the norms of credit: he did not require collateral. Unlike banks, Muhammed relied on mutual trust and allowed those with little financial means who are unable to qualify for minor bank loans to receive the money necessary to create their own profitable enterprises—microcredit. Due to the incredible success of his loans, Muhammad propelled his venture forward, founding the Grameen Bank—a bank that supports small businesses and entrepreneurs by providing microloans without requiring collateral. As of 2017, $20.92 billion USD in loans of which $19.02 billion USD has been repaid. Muhammed Yunus is exemplar model of a social entrepreneur: he discovered a pain and need in society, innovated a radical solution, and utilized his resources to catalyze large, positive social impact.

 Social Entrepreneurs.
            Social entrepreneurs and innovators share common DNA: they seek to create systematic change and create sustainable impact, hold themselves accountable to the constituencies served, constantly question the status quo, discover root causes for social issues, merge their personal experiences with social issues to create change, are unafraid to take calculated risks, are extremely creative, and utilize their resources to create positive social impact. The enterprises created are designed around innovations that can range from being disruptive—fundamentally different products or service that has a significant impact on an existing market and displace former markets, or even catalytic—a disruptive innovation that offers products and services that are more economically feasible and need underserved needs.
 
Responsibility.
             I sincerely believe that we all have the power to pursue opportunities in which we can aid the world and create social value. As Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben wisely stated, “with great power comes great responsibility;” with this power, comes the responsibility to not only discuss these social innovations, but to act. The amount of injustices in our world is ridiculously enumerable, and as Muhammed Yunus demonstrates, at times it can require as little as $27 dollars to save the future of a person’s life.  Whether it be changing one person’s life for the better or eventually changing hundreds of thousands of lives, we need to make a difference. The essential next question becomes what problem should we fix, and how would we go about doing this?

The process—demonstrated by Detroit.
            Detroit is a hub of entrepreneurship, a necessary adaptation following their economic crisis of declaring bankruptcy. A skill necessary to acquire in order to survive and make it through successful. From my time in Detroit, the myth behind the “social entrepreneur” has already been dispelled as I am now aware of the complex steps and process behind perusing innovative, sustainable solutions to address critical social problems. Most importantly, I am beginning to understand the importance of using business principles for the purpose of creating social value. This cyclical process can be summarized: Evaluate social needs and personal experiences, identify a social problem, educate yourself about the problem, generate an idea, create a Business Model (find investors, create a plan, consider scaling and replication), create a prototype, test and evaluate the impact, and then implement change. One thing to emphasize is that this process is nonlinear and with each step it is essential to revise and question the process and motivation behind each decision.

One of Detroit’s Answers.
            One such social enterprise that I have been fortunate enough to work with is TechTown Detroit, a non-profit technology accelerator and incubator that provides those with little financial means to launch and grow their businesses by providing event space, networking connections, workshops, mentorship programs, and coworking space. They have tackled the social need of the lack of low-cost mentorship and workspace, and have already successfully created social impact by serving more than 1900 companies and leveraging more than $130 million in start-up capital. What is especially interesting about TechTown is that they enhance and foster the growth of other social enterprises. For example, while shadowing our mentor Joanna, I was able to consult and aid a local company that TechTown was preparing for an upcoming pitch contest, Detroit Demo Day: Einstein by Design—a social enterprise that provides customized technology camps for younger children, inspiring future entrepreneurs. Not only does TechTown support fellow social entrepreneurs, but they also invest in the younger generation via their Innovation Studio program that is in partnership with Wayne State University. The program strives to inspire and close the confidence gap and encourage people to transform their abstract ideas into concrete products and services that can enter the business market. TechTown is only one of hundreds of social enterprises aiding in improving upon Detroit as a city.

My Turn.
             I hope to use these social enterprises as guides and resources, inspiration for the future, and as motivation to continue to provide positive social impact; to honor my responsibility to act.​