Business Incubator Series: Ross Sanders, Bizdom U – Detroit, Michigan and Cleveland, Ohio (Part 9)

By guest authors Irina Patterson and Praveen Karoshi Ross: We set goals. We set a monthly goals for the number of phone calls that the entrepreneurs have to make, which then translates into a number of meetings they are able to set, and a number of proposals, and a number of contracts that they need

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Business Incubator Series: Ross Sanders, Bizdom U – Detroit, Michigan and Cleveland, Ohio (Part 7)

By guest authors Irina Patterson and Praveen Karoshi Ross: Dave Bing was in here [at Bizdom U]. He is now the mayor of Detroit, but he is a very successful businessman, founder of Bing Steel [and a retired professional basketball player]. He came in and he talked to our entrepreneurs.

Business Incubator Series: Ross Sanders, Bizdom U – Detroit, Michigan and Cleveland, Ohio (Part 6)

By guest authors Irina Patterson and Praveen Karoshi Ross: Our selection is a rigorous process. We are trying to get the more serious people because we have invest a lot time and energy and resources into these folks, so we want to get in people who are really serious about it.

Business Incubator Series: Ross Sanders, Bizdom U – Detroit, Michigan and Cleveland, Ohio (Part 5)

By guest authors Irina Patterson and Praveen Karoshi Ross: Our entrepreneurs get access to resources and funding for their business. We think it is a huge opportunity. They get a stipend, as I mentioned, for the four months, while in the program. We provide laptops and BlackBerries; really everything connected with to program, so they

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Business Incubator Series: Ross Sanders, Bizdom U – Detroit, Michigan and Cleveland, Ohio (Part 4)

By guest authors Irina Patterson and Praveen Karoshi Irina: How many companies have you incubated to date? Ross: Right now we have 11 companies that we are working with. There are a few more that we have launched. They have not recorded funding yet, but we have 11 that have gotten funding.

Business Incubator Series: Ross Sanders, Bizdom U – Detroit, Michigan and Cleveland, Ohio (Part 3)

By guest authors Irina Patterson and Praveen Karoshi Irina: Could you describe an ideal company that would benefit from your program? Ross: Most people that we bring into our program do not have established businesses. They are people who are seeking out ideas. I can give you an example. There was a woman [Judy Davids]

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Business Incubator Series: Ross Sanders, Bizdom U – Detroit, Michigan and Cleveland, Ohio (Part 2)

By guest authors Irina Patterson and Praveen Karoshi Ross: [Since LLG is an online training platform for a pre-licensing exam for the insurance sales force], we can grow the company in Detroit, Michigan, but we can service the entire country and we don’t have to be in those different states in order to sell our

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Business Incubator Series: Ross Sanders, Bizdom U – Detroit, Michigan and Cleveland, Ohio (Part 1)

By guest authors Irina Patterson and Praveen Karoshi I am talking to Ross Sanders, executive director of Bizdom U, which is a not-for-profit business accelerator, that is in some ways similar to Y Combinator and yet different in others. The founder of Bizdom U is Dan Gilbert, a serial entrepreneur, chairman and founder of Quicken

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