Bizdom U Shares Business Ideas
On Tuesday, March 9th we welcomed members of the leadership team and entrepreneurs-in-training from Bizdom U. Launched by Dan Gilbert in 2007, the non-profit boot camp trains, mentors and finances young entrepreneurs and their start-up businesses in the city of Detroit. Bizdom U’s mission is to usher in a new, prosperous era of entrepreneurship by empowering entrepreneurs to launch innovative, growth-oriented, Detroit-based businesses.
Bizdom U’s Executive Director, Ross Sanders, explained that the organization provides 4-months of full-time education for entrepreneurs. The team seeks individuals with good entrepreneurial potential and strong business ideas and aids in the development of a plan for their Detroit-based business. Mentors and trainers with real-life experience guide the program, guaranteeing success. Bizdom U even funds the businesses – up to $100,000 – and takes part ownership.
Dan Izzo, Training Leader for the program, expressed that, with Dan Gilbert’s family of businesses supporting the organization, the entrepreneurs are trained in a culture of success. Bizdom U takes on a real world approach ensuring that their entrepreneurs can sell their ideas and launch their businesses.
Tamiko Ogburn presented her idea for a business called Accredisure. With so many requirements and regulations for career schools and training centers, accredidation is often a time consuming and expensive process. Tamiko’s business will smooth and lessen the expense of accredidation by providing an online system. Having spent years working with various institutions and accreditors, Tamiko recognizes that Accedisure can facilitate the process, cut costs, and make accreditation possible.
Alex Linebrink, Munaf Assaf, and Brandon Darling introduced an idea that will simplify business expense reporting to just one-click. Core Expense works with an individual’s business credit card to provide electronic receipts on their mobile device. Once the expense information is validated, accounting staff can easily process it. The team has interviewed potential users and providers, and plans to license Core Expense to banks directly. With much interest already garnered, competition and feasibility evaluated, Core Expense plans to launch in the near future.