Detroit SOUP partnered with
Build Institute to present
Detroit Entrepreneur WeekSOUP. The evening consisted of a curated meal by
Peace Meal Kitchen and featured four Detroit small businesses:
Detroit Ento,
Detroit Sip,
Everything Detroit, and
Detroit Horse Power.
After hearing 4-minute presentations from each business, the diners voted. Each presenter went home with some funding due to
Comcast's generous sponsorship. The grand prize winner, Detroit Horse Power, received $2500 and the funds from ticket sales to put toward their project.
Detroit Horse Power uniquely addresses three persistent challenges in Detroit: the shortage of opportunities for youth, abundant vacant land, and the regional divide between the city and its suburbs. Their proposed urban riding center will transform the burden of a 20-acre parcel of land into a community asset, bringing needed attention and investment to hard-hit neighborhoods. Offering equestrian services will give regional horse lovers a new way to pursue their passion and make new connections with Detroit and its residents. The earned revenue from this social enterprise will create a base budget for their youth programs, which will be augmented by philanthropic support to develop social-emotional growth in participating youth to set them up for academic and career success.
Working with city government and neighborhood organizations, they are attempting to identify the best location for their permanent home. Having the support of local residents is essential to success and they will use the SOUP grant funding to pursue community engagement around the site they are most focused on, located in northwest Detroit. Their conversations with block club leaders and a local church have informed their decision to move forward with understanding how residents around this site feel about including horses as part of their community's future. Funds would be used for a community organizer's salary, printing materials to distribute door-to-door and in block club meetings, reserving space for town hall meetings, and providing refreshments to attendees. This is an essential step towards their goal of using the power of horses to impact the lives of kids, a community, and the city of Detroit.
Find photos from the evening here.
