IDInteract, a Detroit-based social marketing and brand interaction startup we profiled in March, is launching a new internship/retraining program today geared toward U.S. veterans interested in learning new IT skills. Called TechVets, it’s open to anyone honorably discharged from the military with a background in basic programming.
“We want them to have a little bit of a background in technology, and then we’ll train them,” says IDInteract’s founder and CEO Matt Standish.
After completing a two month internship, TechVets participants will be compensated with company stock. Think of it as retraining meets financial rewards, Standish explains. The ultimate goal is to fill full-time positions at IDInteract with TechVets participants if it’s the right fit. Standish says he hopes to have at least five TechVets interns in place by August.
The launch of TechVets caps a busy spring for IDInteract. The company has moved into office space in a downtown Detroit building and plans to take over an entire 10,000-square-foot floor by the end of the year. The big, open office features tables covered in graffiti by local artists and a Detroit Red Wings red-and-white color scheme. Standish is looking to fill 10 full-time positions immediately, and hopes TechVets might help with the challenge of finding good talent.
That’s not all the company has been up to. It signed a deal with Xbox to provide social media offers and promotions to VIP customers ahead of the Xbox One launch this fall. It has also inked deals with the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team, Best Buy, and Red Robin restaurants. In addition, IDInteract is working with Marketing Associates in Detroit to build relationships with automotive manufacturers.
“There’s a lot of momentum,” Standish says. “We’re really excited.”
