Kudos Denis- I was thinking something similar. Congrats to the finalists, but this could be such a great opportunity to support a more diverse business community in Detroit. (Though as a former Brooklynite- I’m confused by the Brooklyn reference. Way more diverse than Portland.)
Everything prepared at Little Dove Bakeshop are not only beautiful and delicious. They use the freshest and healthest ingrediants, purchased locally. Bethany wants to give back to the community. She plans to revitalize Detroit “one cupcake at a time”
I’m wondering which of these concepts has the most potential for delivering some social good as well as economic success. The flower and garment shops are the only ones that claim to utilize local resources and homegrown products. They could be hubs for new jobs beyond their own storefront!
Mark,
We will be growing some of our own veggies, also we will welcome other food entrepreneurs to show case their wares at the wine bar. Be it Corridor Sausage cooking for a day, a food truck pulling up in the alley or a local cheese maker all are welcomed.
How do you respond to irregularities in the voting? There’s many ways to cheat in wp polls by manipulating IPs. Why no login required? A $50K prize using a free casual polling app seems like an injustice to the voters.
Ben, we are monitoring the polling closely to insure that things are running as smooth as possible and we are limiting the potential for fraud as best we can. The reality is that It’s possible to cheat and manipulate any type of polling option online, whether it’s through a third party app or not, and whether you are using ip addresses, cookies, logins, etc. We feel confident that nothing has been compromised, but we continue to monitor and look at ways we can do it better in the future. We’ve had 20,000+ votes cast at this point.
I think it should be noted that not only does Little Dove use fresh local ingredients, it’s the only one with an emphasis on giving back to the community!!! They have done many things so far to help support people in need in Detroit, and I think that makes them the best choice here. I think all the entrants are great- the more local businesses, the better!! But I love nothing more than a business that gives back!!
just so you guys know, there is DEFINITELY cheating and manipulation going on with several of the current top semifinalists. it’s a real shame, and I hope you ARE monitoring this and planning to disqualify those behaving in an unethical manner.
we are monitoring everything closely, but if you have specific examples or proof that there is DEFINITELY cheating and manipulation going on, please email us directly at info@hatchdetroit.com.
Has anyone else noticed the discrepancies in voting? I find it a little strange that one entrant can jump 300 votes in the first 10 minutes of nearly every hour…
HatchDetroit, is the tabulation system protected against automatic scripts?
Brenna, we are watching the results closely, but if you have concrete examples and evidence that you are willing to share, please email us directly at info@hatchdetroit.com. We appreciate it.
“… at the core of a vibrant downtown neighborhood.” Being from Detroit, this contest is about finding a business that not only will prosper downtown, but one that will continue to promote the economic growth necessary to keep jobs from leaving the city – we want businesses downtown that represent and advance the urgency behind buying local goods, supporting products produced in our communities where the dollars we spend stay “In the D”… where it matters the most! ‘Hugh’ promotes many things, things that will hopefully be in Detroit’s future… but will only be if buying local and supporting those who support us happens first! #313
Quick question: will the finalists be required to provide a basic P&L statement? My concern is that some of the top vote-getters (not naming names ) have no indication of their expected break-even point, required investments, and what their future growth opportunities will be. We can’t just throw money at seemingly good ideas in Detroit; that’s exactly what got us in trouble in the first place. :\
That’s a great question Matt. Though we, Little Dove Bakeshop, are unlikely at this point to make it to the next round, we would love a chance to share our detailed and meticulously researched business plan, which, of course, includes our projected profit and loss with any interested parties once the contest has concluded. Thank You!
Matt, great question. We have received financial projections and statements from everyone. We haven’t shared them publicly yet. We absolutely agree that you can’t just throw money at good ideas. This contest is about the ideas, but it’s almost more importantly about the people behind the ideas. Thanks for your comments!
[...] publicity for the city & everyone can get excited about that!See all business ideas here: http://hatchdetroit.com/the-contest/semi-finalists/Vote here:http://hatchdetroit.com/the-contest/vote-here/Filed Under: BlogVeg Business Named Finalist [...]
Should $50,000 of start-up money really be left up to an online poll such as this? Is anyone really convinced the results represent an objective evaluation of each of the 10 contestants?
Also, on the ethics of vote recruiting… should contestants (hypothetically speaking of course… maybe) be allowed to have girls dress in spandex and recruit random (uninformed) votes at sporting events? Or votes from out of the Detroit area?
I have been watching this entire contest very closely, and have serious doubts as to both the legitimacy of the votes, as well as the efficacy of the contest to produce/stimulate the local Detroit business arena in general.
A lot of us were raised in the Detroit area, had families running small businesses for generations inside the city, and would love to see a vibrant middle class in the city again, so I’m not sure why voting should be restricted to a certain geography. A good idea should be supported far and wide in this digital age.
I have no dog in this fight, but having watched other cities evolve into vibrant urban centers over the past decade I can safely say the bagel shops, tea and coffee shops, and high-end nick-nack stores will come when the economy is ready for them. To me, it makes more sense to choose a business like the Workroom that, despite grammatical issues in their application, seems positioned to actually produce something (potentially the foothold to a new industry) that could naturally lead to demand for bagels, tea, etc… Let’s not get the cart before the horse.
Spandex? Really or maybe? Has Hatch set promotional guidelines for the contestants?
The concerns that have been expressed here are understandable. Nonetheless, I really hope Hatch can work out the apparent glitches in the process for next time.
Why should a fashion collective have the potential to spur new industry, but not the others. More so than clothing, a cultivation of artisan food has high potential to create a long-lasting, self-sustaining culinary industry in Detroit. Also, take into account the materials sourcing methods – I don’t think the fashion industry has a good track record on having transparent, responsible relationships with the producers at source (as is common in artisan food operations). Lastly, their voter recruiting methods tell me that outside their creative collective, they have a relatively small following, and most likely would not be a sustainable addition to Detroit’s business arena.
This (and the previous) post was not meant to denounce one contestant, but to offer one Detroiter’s opinion of the inefficacy of this contest. There are many good ideas put forth by all contestants involved – good ideas that get lost when all energies are put towards having the most people click a link.
At the end of the day, I suppose, this has still been some decent exposure for all involved… so they’ve got that going for them.
Chicago, for example, didn’t develop a strong culinary scene until after it had a robust and diverse white-collar economy to consume such foods. Focusing on culinary delights and coffee shops first is just not the natural progression of an economy in most situations. They always come in after there’s a more basic economy established.
Perhaps these fashion folks could be encouraged to be different in terms of dealing with source materials (local would be good), but given the state of Detroit over the past few decades I think there are higher priorities that need to get addressed. Just as one can’t tackle all of Maslow’s hierarchy in one swoop, an economy can’t skip steps in the progression. I’m not saying fashion is the only way, but it’s the closest of the finalists. Just my 2 cents having watched this process in other cities.
What happen? Voting goes down for 5 hours on the last night, comes up for the last 2 hours the result polls are gone then it ends?!? Its obvious some contestents where cheating someone actually got close to 1000 votes in like 30 minutes…. I have screen caps… If the people that where in the top 4 that got there with less then fair ways end up being finalist then this could have been a complete waste of a lot of people’s 2 weeks. On top of that 50K will be given to some lie’n, cheating individual & I will NEVER support there business.
Real Detroiters want jobs first. Sipping wine/tea or buying old man porno trinkets and cigar cutters made in China won’t last long in Detroit where there are thousands of people who have limited disposable income. And, it’s a known fact most eateries have hours scheduled around sporting events downtown anyway. This just sends a signal that they don’t care about real Detroiters, with hours that correlate to white suburbanites tailgating before games, or retail stores that sell smoking jackets made in china. At least the Workroom has a chance to succeed in short term, and expand in long term by providing jobs (not retail clerks and waiters) to residents and infuse more of the creative culture. The workroom could even provide uniforms for these other companies when Detroit is not so saturated with these types of business already, and some made in the USA smoking jackets for the chinese old man trinket store. So don’t discount what the workroom has potential to to. They are the only one who is a job creator.
[...] knocks for entrepreneurs as Wiley delves into two organizations: Tech Town and HATCH Detroit . Where opportunity knocks so does job growth and Wiley also shows us how an organization [...]
Doesn’t show anything
Hello..have you announced the semifinalists?
Hello I cannot find the semi finalist.
Detroit Institute of Bagels! Woot!
Congrats to all semi-finalists!!! Can’t wait to see Detroit evolve into a thriving community with such great ideas being established!
WORKROOM Detroit looks forward to a creative & fashionable future!
[...] Without further ado, the 10 semifinalists: [...]
I can’t seem to vote more than once. :/
Little Dove Bakeshop – The absolute best cupcakes ever. I am a little biased, I’m her dad.
you should be!!! she and her cupcakes are great!!
My husband and I cannot vote from our home. We have checked our router and tried several times….I think there is a problem with the voting link….
wish the finalist were more reflective of the Detroit community. Why are we trying to become Brooklyn or Portland?
Kudos Denis- I was thinking something similar. Congrats to the finalists, but this could be such a great opportunity to support a more diverse business community in Detroit. (Though as a former Brooklynite- I’m confused by the Brooklyn reference. Way more diverse than Portland.)
Denis,
Just trying to become fabulous Detroit, but can always learn/borrow from others.
Everything prepared at Little Dove Bakeshop are not only beautiful and delicious. They use the freshest and healthest ingrediants, purchased locally. Bethany wants to give back to the community. She plans to revitalize Detroit “one cupcake at a time”
[...] of my friends, Joe Posch and Lisa Waud are in the running for a $50,000 prize in a competition called Hatch Detroit. The [...]
I’m wondering which of these concepts has the most potential for delivering some social good as well as economic success. The flower and garment shops are the only ones that claim to utilize local resources and homegrown products. They could be hubs for new jobs beyond their own storefront!
Mark,
We will be growing some of our own veggies, also we will welcome other food entrepreneurs to show case their wares at the wine bar. Be it Corridor Sausage cooking for a day, a food truck pulling up in the alley or a local cheese maker all are welcomed.
Hey Mark, Woodbridge Gypsy Den will have a garden of our own and buy produce from local farmers. Up to 90% of our menu will be locally sourced!
Hi Mark, We at Little Dove Bakeshop use ONLY locally produced ingredients and products made in the metro area. Happy voting! xo
How do you respond to irregularities in the voting? There’s many ways to cheat in wp polls by manipulating IPs. Why no login required? A $50K prize using a free casual polling app seems like an injustice to the voters.
Ben, we are monitoring the polling closely to insure that things are running as smooth as possible and we are limiting the potential for fraud as best we can. The reality is that It’s possible to cheat and manipulate any type of polling option online, whether it’s through a third party app or not, and whether you are using ip addresses, cookies, logins, etc. We feel confident that nothing has been compromised, but we continue to monitor and look at ways we can do it better in the future. We’ve had 20,000+ votes cast at this point.
I think it should be noted that not only does Little Dove use fresh local ingredients, it’s the only one with an emphasis on giving back to the community!!! They have done many things so far to help support people in need in Detroit, and I think that makes them the best choice here. I think all the entrants are great- the more local businesses, the better!! But I love nothing more than a business that gives back!!
just so you guys know, there is DEFINITELY cheating and manipulation going on with several of the current top semifinalists. it’s a real shame, and I hope you ARE monitoring this and planning to disqualify those behaving in an unethical manner.
we are monitoring everything closely, but if you have specific examples or proof that there is DEFINITELY cheating and manipulation going on, please email us directly at info@hatchdetroit.com.
Thank you.
None of these businesses would last 18 months. Save your money and invest in something viable.
Has anyone else noticed the discrepancies in voting? I find it a little strange that one entrant can jump 300 votes in the first 10 minutes of nearly every hour…
HatchDetroit, is the tabulation system protected against automatic scripts?
Brenna, we are watching the results closely, but if you have concrete examples and evidence that you are willing to share, please email us directly at info@hatchdetroit.com. We appreciate it.
“… at the core of a vibrant downtown neighborhood.” Being from Detroit, this contest is about finding a business that not only will prosper downtown, but one that will continue to promote the economic growth necessary to keep jobs from leaving the city – we want businesses downtown that represent and advance the urgency behind buying local goods, supporting products produced in our communities where the dollars we spend stay “In the D”… where it matters the most! ‘Hugh’ promotes many things, things that will hopefully be in Detroit’s future… but will only be if buying local and supporting those who support us happens first! #313
Quick question: will the finalists be required to provide a basic P&L statement? My concern is that some of the top vote-getters (not naming names
) have no indication of their expected break-even point, required investments, and what their future growth opportunities will be. We can’t just throw money at seemingly good ideas in Detroit; that’s exactly what got us in trouble in the first place. :\
That’s a great question Matt. Though we, Little Dove Bakeshop, are unlikely at this point to make it to the next round, we would love a chance to share our detailed and meticulously researched business plan, which, of course, includes our projected profit and loss with any interested parties once the contest has concluded. Thank You!
Matt, great question. We have received financial projections and statements from everyone. We haven’t shared them publicly yet. We absolutely agree that you can’t just throw money at good ideas. This contest is about the ideas, but it’s almost more importantly about the people behind the ideas. Thanks for your comments!
[...] publicity for the city & everyone can get excited about that!See all business ideas here: http://hatchdetroit.com/the-contest/semi-finalists/Vote here:http://hatchdetroit.com/the-contest/vote-here/Filed Under: BlogVeg Business Named Finalist [...]
Should $50,000 of start-up money really be left up to an online poll such as this? Is anyone really convinced the results represent an objective evaluation of each of the 10 contestants?
Also, on the ethics of vote recruiting… should contestants (hypothetically speaking of course… maybe) be allowed to have girls dress in spandex and recruit random (uninformed) votes at sporting events? Or votes from out of the Detroit area?
I have been watching this entire contest very closely, and have serious doubts as to both the legitimacy of the votes, as well as the efficacy of the contest to produce/stimulate the local Detroit business arena in general.
- Concerned Downtown Detroiter
A lot of us were raised in the Detroit area, had families running small businesses for generations inside the city, and would love to see a vibrant middle class in the city again, so I’m not sure why voting should be restricted to a certain geography. A good idea should be supported far and wide in this digital age.
I have no dog in this fight, but having watched other cities evolve into vibrant urban centers over the past decade I can safely say the bagel shops, tea and coffee shops, and high-end nick-nack stores will come when the economy is ready for them. To me, it makes more sense to choose a business like the Workroom that, despite grammatical issues in their application, seems positioned to actually produce something (potentially the foothold to a new industry) that could naturally lead to demand for bagels, tea, etc… Let’s not get the cart before the horse.
Spandex? Really or maybe? Has Hatch set promotional guidelines for the contestants?
The concerns that have been expressed here are understandable. Nonetheless, I really hope Hatch can work out the apparent glitches in the process for next time.
Really. Check this out…
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=272826676081062&set=a.215105218519875.56891.210974512266279&type=1&theater
Also, in response to “expat” –
Why should a fashion collective have the potential to spur new industry, but not the others. More so than clothing, a cultivation of artisan food has high potential to create a long-lasting, self-sustaining culinary industry in Detroit. Also, take into account the materials sourcing methods – I don’t think the fashion industry has a good track record on having transparent, responsible relationships with the producers at source (as is common in artisan food operations). Lastly, their voter recruiting methods tell me that outside their creative collective, they have a relatively small following, and most likely would not be a sustainable addition to Detroit’s business arena.
This (and the previous) post was not meant to denounce one contestant, but to offer one Detroiter’s opinion of the inefficacy of this contest. There are many good ideas put forth by all contestants involved – good ideas that get lost when all energies are put towards having the most people click a link.
At the end of the day, I suppose, this has still been some decent exposure for all involved… so they’ve got that going for them.
Chicago, for example, didn’t develop a strong culinary scene until after it had a robust and diverse white-collar economy to consume such foods. Focusing on culinary delights and coffee shops first is just not the natural progression of an economy in most situations. They always come in after there’s a more basic economy established.
Perhaps these fashion folks could be encouraged to be different in terms of dealing with source materials (local would be good), but given the state of Detroit over the past few decades I think there are higher priorities that need to get addressed. Just as one can’t tackle all of Maslow’s hierarchy in one swoop, an economy can’t skip steps in the progression. I’m not saying fashion is the only way, but it’s the closest of the finalists. Just my 2 cents having watched this process in other cities.
I vote for wine alley. Thanks. What an awesome site.
C
What happen? Voting goes down for 5 hours on the last night, comes up for the last 2 hours the result polls are gone then it ends?!? Its obvious some contestents where cheating someone actually got close to 1000 votes in like 30 minutes…. I have screen caps… If the people that where in the top 4 that got there with less then fair ways end up being finalist then this could have been a complete waste of a lot of people’s 2 weeks. On top of that 50K will be given to some lie’n, cheating individual & I will NEVER support there business.
Francis, I bet your right…..I’d love to see screen caps.
Real Detroiters want jobs first. Sipping wine/tea or buying old man porno trinkets and cigar cutters made in China won’t last long in Detroit where there are thousands of people who have limited disposable income. And, it’s a known fact most eateries have hours scheduled around sporting events downtown anyway. This just sends a signal that they don’t care about real Detroiters, with hours that correlate to white suburbanites tailgating before games, or retail stores that sell smoking jackets made in china. At least the Workroom has a chance to succeed in short term, and expand in long term by providing jobs (not retail clerks and waiters) to residents and infuse more of the creative culture. The workroom could even provide uniforms for these other companies when Detroit is not so saturated with these types of business already, and some made in the USA smoking jackets for the chinese old man trinket store. So don’t discount what the workroom has potential to to. They are the only one who is a job creator.
[...] knocks for entrepreneurs as Wiley delves into two organizations: Tech Town and HATCH Detroit . Where opportunity knocks so does job growth and Wiley also shows us how an organization [...]