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In the wake of Michigan’s economic tornado, three young entrepreneurs are planning an evening to celebrate new Michigan-based technology businesses and the hopeful state’s transition into a knowledge-based economy.
On April 23, long-time friends Jordan Wolfe, 26, Mason Levy, 21, and Zach Lipson, 23, will host TechNow09, an inaugural event targeted at college students, young professionals and local business leaders.
They hope to draw 1,000 people.
Organizing TechNow09 has required long hours and lots of money.
The guys, all of West Bloomfield Township, began planning the event in December and so far have spent more than $15,000 of their savings.
“The growth of technology is great, and we want everybody to understand how it’s transforming the way we do business,” says Wolfe, owner of uwemp.com, a Web site that shares the experiences and success stories of its users.
Uwemp, Bablur L.L.C., leftos.com and shopfiber.com are four of the five Southeast Michigan-based technology start-ups that will talk about how businesses use technology to solve problems.
The fifth company will be revealed next month.
Levy owns Bablur, a mobile marketing firm in Livonia, which launched in January. He recently graduated from Bizdom U, a Detroit-based entrepreneurial academy.
Lipson owns leftos.com, a relationship advice Web site, set to launch next month. He’ll talk about how technology can bridge the communication gap between men and women.
Representatives from shopfiber.com, an online shopping tool, will discuss technology strategies for business growth.
Although the organizers are presenters, the event wasn’t designed to toot their own horns, Wolfe says.
“There’s no value for me in promoting the Web site,” he said. “We’re working to solve problems and discuss the needs in this marketplace. It’s about helping people learn how technology works in businesses.”
TechNow09 is a great way to showcase tech companies in Southeast Michigan, but events like this have to occur repeatedly to have a real impact, says Randal Charlton, executive director of TechTown, the technology incubator affiliated with Wayne State University.
It must also “be done on an enormous scale, showcasing hundreds of companies,” he added.
Charlton says that metro Detroit’s struggle to attract and retain young talent depresses entrepreneurship.
“We’ve got to grow and develop young entrepreneurs,” he says. “We’ve relied on the automotive industry for a while, but now we’re having to grow businesses in other areas like green technology, energy-related and water resources, advance engineering and biomedical advances.”
Losing the region’s potential home-grown innovators is a scary reality for the TechNow organizers.
“If young entrepreneurs don’t enact the change, then we won’t (change),” Wolfe says. “If our group of 20s moves to other cities … it’s going to get worse here. We all have to work together to retain our talent.”
Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee Results, a customer satisfaction company in Ann Arbor; and Chuck Newman, founder and CEO of ReCellular, a cell phone recycling company in Dexter, will lead a panel discussion on technology news and trends.
Additional panelists will be announced next month.
Korotkin Insurance Group, Telemus Capital Partners L.L.C., Progressive Insurance Resources and Bizdom U are event sponsors. The event, which will be held at the Royal Oak Music Theatre, will end with a cocktail hour and entertainment by Manolete, a local Latin-inspired rock band.
Tickets for TechNow09 are free with a suggested minimum donation of $1at the door. Proceeds will be donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Michigan chapter. The society was chosen because Wolfe’s father has lived with the illness for 30 years, and Wolfe volunteers for the organization.
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