For years, Detroit’s IT presence was driven by the auto industry. Within the last five years, though, the tech scene has moved well beyond the Big Three due in large part to an explosive growth in mobile and cloud technologies. When I came to the city six years ago, Detroit’s tech scene was insignificant compared to what it has become now. Today downtown is thriving with young, passionate developers who want to be a part of the revitalization of Detroit through IT. Over the last few years thousands of new tech jobs have been created or have moved into the city.
Whether it’s creating a better user experience or revolutionizing the media industry, these Detroiters are busy building a community of technology-based startups that is helping solve the city’s larger economic problems, bringing economic diversity to the city and turning Detroit into a tech hub.
Over the past two years, this revolution has been driven by the start of Compuware Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners, and Detroit Labs. Other companies such as Galaxe Solutions, Quicken Loans, and Atomic Object have recently moved downtown further energizing the city’s tech community.