Built by a Detroiter, for Detroiters.
D-Unit is the digital intelligence platform connecting Detroit's $1.78B life sciences and innovation network to the people who live here.
Michael Wimberley
Founder & Executive Director · Detroit, Michigan
Michael Wimberley founded D-Unit after watching the same pattern repeat across the city: billions of dollars announced, ribbon cuttings scheduled, and Detroit residents finding out about the jobs and contracts after the doors had already closed.
The network spanning Corktown, New Center, Midtown, and downtown Detroit is the largest coordinated investment the city has seen in generations — and downtown has become the region's fastest-growing tech hub, drawing startups, health-tech labs, and venture capital back into the city core. The institutions inside it are not hostile to Detroiters — they are simply hard to reach, hard to sequence, and hard to navigate without an insider.
D-Unit is that insider, made public. We index the institutions, publish the opportunities, run one intake for everybody, and stay with people until something actually happens.
Detroit Doesn't Wait.
How we operate.
Detroit first
Every metric we report is measured against Detroit residents and Detroit-headquartered firms, not the metro region.
Follow-up is the product
Referrals are cheap. We stay with a person through completion, award, or close.
Publish what we learn
Our network intelligence is free and public. Information asymmetry is the barrier we exist to remove.
No gatekeeping
No account required, no fee, no paywall. If you're from here, you're already qualified to ask.
Our Draft Plan for Accountability.
These are D-Unit's proposed Year 1 targets. They are not results yet. We will update them publicly every quarter as the work evolves, and we will say so when a number changes or a target is not met.
Draft · Subject to Change
Detroit residents navigated to life sciences career pathways
Counted when a resident completes a D-NAVIGATE intake session and is connected to a specific employer, training program, or next step.
MWBE businesses placed in vendor contracts
Counted when D-CONNECT facilitates a signed contract between a Detroit MWBE business and an ecosystem institution.
MWBE contract value facilitated
The total first-year contract value of all D-CONNECT placements — reported at 10x the D-CONNECT placement fee earned.
D-INTEL briefing subscribers
Measured monthly via Mailchimp. D-INTEL is free. Always will be.
Institutional briefings delivered
D-INTEL-style presentations delivered to decision-makers at universities, health systems, or economic development organizations.
Pilot community gatherings
Forums, listening sessions, or test pitch nights D-Unit pilots at or near the Gratiot life sciences corridor — with documented attendance and feedback.
"We publish every goal and every result. If we fall short, we will say why."
— Michael Wimberley, Founder
Built with Detroit-adjacent partners.
Electrovox
Digital Branding & Marketing
A digital branding, advertising, and marketing agency that builds identities and campaigns for modern companies.
Property held in the neighborhood we serve.
Listings are kept compact. Tap "View photos" on a property card to see images and details.
Commercial office space available along the Gratiot Innovation Corridor