What the network is doing, in plain language.

Between Michigan Central in Corktown, the Henry Ford Health and MSU research campus in New Center, and the Wayne State research footprint in Midtown, Detroit now has a continuous innovation ecosystem running through the middle of the city.

The construction spend is visible. The hiring pipeline is not. Detroit residents hear about the buildings long before they hear about the roles, and by the time a job posting reaches a neighborhood, the pre-qualification window has usually closed.

D-Unit exists to close that lag. We index every institution, every intake door, and every certification requirement, then move residents and businesses through them with a human on the other end.

Most Detroit MWBE firms we work with are certified with at least one body — the City, MMSDC, or the State. Fewer than half have a current capability statement written for the buyer they're targeting.

Ecosystem buyers plan procurement 9 to 18 months out. If a firm first sees the opportunity on a public bid portal, it is already behind the firms that were in pre-bid conversations.

D-CONNECT works upstream: certification cleanup, capability statement review, and direct introductions to procurement leads before the solicitation is public.

Detroit At Work and DESC have built real capacity. The programs are free, credentialed, and connected to employers. Completion rates still lag because life gets in the way between week two and week six.

D-NAVIGATE assigns a human to every resident who comes through intake and checks in through completion and placement. That is the whole intervention. It is unglamorous and it works.