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Comment by rglover | Hacker News Reader

I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately. I live in Ann Arbor (about an hour west of Detroit) and the area does seem primed for a revolution. I think it will take a handful of well-known people to say "this is the next spot" for everything to explode. Hopefully this conf is the start of that.

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One, thanks for reading (and whoever posted, thank you). I agree with you, personally I think it's a combination of needing more local success stories, as well as recognition by the Nat'l Startup community that we have something to bring to the dance.

Folks like Steve Blank seem to be taking note of the region's efforts. We hosted him last month and his investment into the Michigan eLab (Venture Fund) in your neck of the woods (Ann Arbor) seems to be a strong indicator that something is here...

I've been trying to get Detroit recognized as a start-up success story [1] for a few months here on HN. For those living in Detroit, the turn-around might be hard to see. I live in West Michigan, and in the past decade I've noticed a huge change in the Detroit area. I only visit Detroit a couple times per year, but every time I come by there's something new that surprises me. In the last few years, I've even taken to parking and walking some streets that I wouldn't have previously.

I could even see myself taking employment in Detroit; maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but the city is getting there. Mitt Romney might have famously called to let Detroit go bankrupt, but all it really needed was some investors who cared enough to force a paradigm shift. Look at Detroit startups such as Neowin, Fathead, Stardock, etc.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3923825

"Mitt Romney might have famously called to let Detroit go bankrupt, but all it really needed was some investors who cared enough to force a paradigm shift."

Those two things are unrelated. Bankruptcy doesn't mean the city physically disappears or anything. The reason one declares bankruptcy is to clear debts (in a fairly drastic way), which opens capital up to do things other than service debt. It may yet be a necessary or desirable step.

You're right, Detroit hasn't avoided bankruptcy yet. Like you said, though, bankruptcy is drastic and has consequences. It could be possible to rebuild without suffering that blow and without a bailout.

Impressive. I wasn't aware of his visit, wish I could have made it out. What's a good way to get in touch with you? I'd love to have a more formal discussion about where you see the area going and if there's any way I can participate.

Would be great to chat over a coffee. alex@growdetroit.com Here's a nice highlight of the event (and a snapshot of Steve and I):

http://www.xconomy.com/detroit/2012/07/18/steve-blank-on-det...

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