After Leah and I sent out the diversity survey, we reached out to two startups at TechTown to help with their businesses. The first business we worked with is the Detroit Art and Business Institute or DABI, and the second business we worked with is called CarePRN. When I think about social entrepreneurship, it really comes down to the social impact of a business. And both businesses are premier examples of how entrepreneurship can tackle an underlying problem in our society.
For DABI, Leah and I focused on the market segmentation for a new application intended to connect artists and businesses. Indeed, unemployment rates for art graduates ranges from 11.2 to 12.8%, a figure much greater than the national average of ~6% in 2014. The underlying problem this business tackles how artists can connect to viable monetary providers. Even more, even amateur artists can find to ways to create profit from their creativity. By connecting businesses with designers, both the business and the artists will be benefited. And often, social impact can be a pivoted from a traditional business model. While DABI is currently aimed at existing artists, perhaps in the future it could be tailored to artists in the under-served communities in Detroit. There are myriads of possibilities in where DABI can go, and we are excited to be a part of the project.
Alongside DABI, CarePRN is an application that allow busy people to locate and dispatch a caregiver for their loved ones. Leah and I are focused on promoting and marketing this application to a wider audience. The social impact of CarePRN will only expand with more people. Especially in areas where adults have multiple jobs and must care for family, this business might lead to an affordable caregiver option. Just like DABI, the potential social impact for CarePRN may be huge. In a more abstract sense, it is about people helping people in need. By creating a more efficient option to find caregivers, busy people could situate their own lives, while making sure their loved ones are in good care.
Overall, how Leah and I will impact Detroit may be very tiny. But coming into DukeEngage, I knew my job was not to create some large-scale impact on the city. Rather, it was always about providing whatever I can, because real impact starts out like a sprout. It will be hard to know whether the sprout will live, until you see the tree in front you many years later.
For DABI, Leah and I focused on the market segmentation for a new application intended to connect artists and businesses. Indeed, unemployment rates for art graduates ranges from 11.2 to 12.8%, a figure much greater than the national average of ~6% in 2014. The underlying problem this business tackles how artists can connect to viable monetary providers. Even more, even amateur artists can find to ways to create profit from their creativity. By connecting businesses with designers, both the business and the artists will be benefited. And often, social impact can be a pivoted from a traditional business model. While DABI is currently aimed at existing artists, perhaps in the future it could be tailored to artists in the under-served communities in Detroit. There are myriads of possibilities in where DABI can go, and we are excited to be a part of the project.
Alongside DABI, CarePRN is an application that allow busy people to locate and dispatch a caregiver for their loved ones. Leah and I are focused on promoting and marketing this application to a wider audience. The social impact of CarePRN will only expand with more people. Especially in areas where adults have multiple jobs and must care for family, this business might lead to an affordable caregiver option. Just like DABI, the potential social impact for CarePRN may be huge. In a more abstract sense, it is about people helping people in need. By creating a more efficient option to find caregivers, busy people could situate their own lives, while making sure their loved ones are in good care.
Overall, how Leah and I will impact Detroit may be very tiny. But coming into DukeEngage, I knew my job was not to create some large-scale impact on the city. Rather, it was always about providing whatever I can, because real impact starts out like a sprout. It will be hard to know whether the sprout will live, until you see the tree in front you many years later.