Detroit Startups To Pitch Business Plan To Entrepreneur Richard Branson
By Edward Cardenas
DETROIT (CBS Detroit) - Up and coming business in metro Detroit will get an opportunity Friday to pitch to billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson.
Sir Richard, who is in the metro Detroit to commemorate the start of service by his Virgin Atlantic airline between London and Detroit, will headline a panel of business leaders at the Ain't too Proud to Pitch event Friday at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.
"Detroit is truly a city on the up, led by the entrepreneurial spirit of new start-ups, people young and old keen to revitalise their town, and a desire to make change for good," said Sir Richard Branson, in a release. "I'm thrilled that Virgin Atlantic is starting flights to Detroit this month, giving us the perfect opportunity to begin connecting with such talented and inspiring minds there. This event is just the beginning!"
The Floyd Leg, Original Stix, Merit and Ali Sandifer Studio are the four start-ups that will pitch their business ideas to a panel of speakers including Sir Richard; Dan Gilbert, Founder of Rockbridge Growth Equity, Detroit Venture Partners and Bizdom; Bridget Russo, Chief Marketing Officer, Shinola; and Adriel Thompson, ambassador of cultural goodwill for Detroit and Founder of Digital Laundre.
Each group will be given two minutes to share their business plan, and following their presentations, the panelists will give their advice to the pitchers.
During the event, there will also be a sampling of products from local companies Anthology Coffee, Sister Pie, The Red Hook Café and DROUGHT.
Virgin Atlantic began flying a daily service between London Heathrow and Detroit Metro Airport on June 1, with Sir Richard celebrating the only British airline to fly non-stop into Detroit on a flight Thursday.
On the flight, he welcomed three Virgin StartUp entrepreneurs to develop their business growth strategy in a mentoring session where he was joined by Rob Love, chairman and co-founder of Crowdfunder UK; Tom Wood, trading director of Rapha; and Julie Dean, founder of Cambridge Satchel Company.
The three British entrepenuers who were on the Virgin Atlantic flight included Charlotte Cramer, founder of Glow Away; George Edwards, founder of Gas Sense; and Sam Morgan, founder of Paria.
To follow the Virgin Atlantic events, search #HelloDetroit on Twitter.
