A coalition built
for Detroit's builders.
Venture 313 is what happens when three of Detroit's most established ecosystem builders stop working in parallel and start pulling in the same direction. TechTown Detroit, Invest Detroit Ventures, and the Detroit Development Fund — each formidable on their own — came together under a founding commitment from the Gilbert Family Foundation to build something Detroit had never had: a unified, stage-matched capital continuum, purpose-built for early-stage founders who are ready to build but have historically been underserved by traditional financing structures.
Since 2022, V313 has backed founders across 127 companies — and those founders have gone on to raise over $62M in follow-on investment. A close-to-ten-fold return that validates a simple thesis: Detroit's founders don't lack potential; they lack access. But the capital is only part of the story. What makes V313 genuinely catalytic is the ecosystem surrounding it — Start Studio at TechTown, fractional team support from Invest Detroit Ventures, and technical assistance from Detroit Development Fund. Coaching, connectivity, curriculum: the infrastructure that doesn't just fund founders, but develops them. For cities like Detroit — high density, high potential, chronically under-resourced — this model doesn't just work. The data proves it.
Three partners. One continuum.
TechTown Detroit is Detroit's leading tech entrepreneurship hub and Small Business Development Center host, providing early-stage founders with resources, programming, and community from first idea through product development. TechTown's programs focus on supporting founders through early product development — offering structured coaching, curriculum, product development resources, dedicated AI education, and connectivity to help founders validate their business before seeking outside capital. As the first stage of the Venture 313 capital continuum, TechTown deploys non-dilutive grant capital to founders at the idea and pre-product stage — pairing funding with hands-on support and a clear pathway to the next stage of the continuum.
Invest Detroit Ventures is a Detroit-based investment firm focused on backing early-stage technology companies in the region. IDV provides equity capital and investor-stage support to founders who have validated their product and are ready to build toward scale. As the second stage of the Venture 313 capital continuum, IDV bridges the gap between grant-stage support and institutional financing — connecting V313 founders with the equity capital and investor relationships they need to reach their first growth round without leaving Detroit to do it. IDV also leads fundraise-preparedness and scale programming for V313 founders, supporting companies that have moved beyond the idea phase and are truly building — with both capital and the strategic resources to help them thrive.
Detroit Development Fund is a Detroit-based community development financial institution providing flexible debt capital to businesses that traditional lending often overlooks. Beyond capital, DDF offers Technical Assistance to help companies strengthen their operations and financial position as they grow. As the third stage of the Venture 313 capital continuum, DDF provides loan capital to post-revenue V313 companies ready to accelerate growth — delivering patient, flexible, and founder-friendly financing to help Detroit tech founders survive early liquidity gaps during the most critical growth stages of business. DDF also supports founders as they prepare for debt financing with technical assistance, workshops, and convenings to ensure founders are supported holistically.
A founding commitment to
Detroit's economic future.
As the founding partner of Venture 313, the Gilbert Family Foundation's commitment to catalyzing entrepreneurship across the city of Detroit serves as the capital basis for the work of the Venture 313 managing partners. Their $500M investment in Detroit's neighborhoods reflects a belief that lasting economic growth must be built from within — through coaching, curriculum, and access to the resources founders need to build and sustain generational wealth.
Learn more about Gilbert Family Foundation →
