Detroit’s StockX Gains Unicorn Status After $110M Series C Investment

Southeast Michigan is now home to another unicorn startup. Detroit-based e-commerce company StockX announced Wednesday that it has raised $110 million in a Series C funding round, increasing the company’s total value to more than $1 billion. The investment was led by DST Global, General Atlantic, and GGV Capital. In a statement announcing the funding … Continue reading “Detroit’s StockX Gains Unicorn Status After $110M Series C Investment”

Detroit Trends in 2018? More Traction, Diversity, and Collaboration

Editor’s note: This is part of a series of posts sharing thoughts from industry and technology leaders about 2018 trends. A few trends come to mind that continue to shape and define the startup ecosystem in Detroit: —Marketplaces continue to evolve and attract funding (initial and follow-on), and gain traction that has to be recognized and respected. … Continue reading “Detroit Trends in 2018? More Traction, Diversity, and Collaboration”

How 3 Detroit Founders Built Tech Startups Despite City’s Bankruptcy

On July 18th, 2013, the city of Detroit filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy, becoming the largest city in American history to do so. Just four years earlier, Chrysler and General Motors—automobile companies that were long a staple of the Detroit economy—had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. “You hear stories about the Great Depression in the … Continue reading “How 3 Detroit Founders Built Tech Startups Despite City’s Bankruptcy”

Detroit’s StockX Raises $44M Funding Round, Plans to Hire 1,000

StockX, the online “stock market of things” focused on sneakers and other high-demand, limited-edition products, has closed one of the largest investment rounds raised by a Detroit startup and announced yesterday that it now plans to go on a major hiring spree. The news came from StockX CEO Josh Luber during a keynote speech at the … Continue reading “Detroit’s StockX Raises $44M Funding Round, Plans to Hire 1,000”

Roundup: GreenLight Winners, Develop the Mitten, WaitTime & More

Here’s a look at innovation news from across Michigan: —Thanks in part to a $450,000 performance-based grant from the Michigan Strategic Fund, Huntington Bank announced it will invest $5.4 million in a downtown Flint expansion. The company plans to renovate its call center at the former regional headquarters of FirstMerit, which the bank acquired last year, and … Continue reading “Roundup: GreenLight Winners, Develop the Mitten, WaitTime & More”

Roundup: MI’s Bio Sector Ranked, Wayne State, StockX, and More

Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation hubs: —According to a report released at the BIO International convention earlier this month, Michigan’s biosciences sector experienced significant growth from 2012-2014. The TEConomy/BIO report measured several indicators, including the number of employees and companies, average wages, academic research expenditures, venture capital investments, and number of … Continue reading “Roundup: MI’s Bio Sector Ranked, Wayne State, StockX, and More”

Campless Morphs Into StockX, a “Stock Market” for Sneakers

In October, we brought you the news that Campless, a Philadelphia-based website calling itself the “Kelley Blue Book for sneakers,” had relocated to Detroit at the behest of investor Dan Gilbert. On Monday, Campless morphed into a new venture called StockX, which CEO Josh Luber described as the world’s first online “stock market of things,” … Continue reading “Campless Morphs Into StockX, a “Stock Market” for Sneakers”