Our ProsperUS Detroit held its annual convening to celebrate the small businesses that the program helps to support and grow. About 400 people attended the event at Shed 3 at Eastern Market on May 2. Intuit generously sponsored the festive gathering.
At the convening, small business vendors presented their products and services. Attendees enjoyed a strolling dinner and then a “pitch competition” in which three entrepreneurs pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges to compete for prize money provided by Intuit. Mayra Planas, owner of Havanna on Wheels, won the the first place prize of $10K; Deirdre Crenshaw, owner of Yotique, got $5K for second; and Nezaa Bandele, owner of Paradise Natural Foods, got $3K for third.
Since it began in 2012, ProsperUS has trained almost 1,000 entrepreneurs, and nearly all have been individuals of color. ProsperUS has also provided loans to about 50 small businesses.
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