On Sept. 25, the community joined TechTown Detroit’s team members and ecosystem partners for Toast of the Town! 2024 has been a remarkable year for our organization, as it marked 20 years since opening our headquarters and serving entrepreneurs, tech founders and innovators. As Wayne State University’s entrepreneurship hub, we are committed to building equitable community wealth through entrepreneurship across Wayne County.
More than 800 guests attended this year’s annual celebration and benefit, which featured a stellar lineup of immersive experiences, tech startup demos, local retailers and Detroit-based dining from alumni businesses of TechTown and Hatch Detroit. During our ninth annual Salute Awards ceremony, we honored several individuals who embody the region’s entrepreneurial spirit and leverage the many resources found at TechTown and across Detroit’s small business community.
Below, we highlight some special moments from the event.
Photography by J. Lindsey Photography
Our photo timeline wall highlights nearly 20 years of memories at TechTown, from day-to-day fun at our facilities to major events and showcases. Attendees were encouraged to write their favorite memory at TechTown on a sticky note and place it by the year that moment took place.
Tati Amare, co-host and producer of WDIV Local 4’s weekly lifestyle show “Live in the D,” was the emcee for our ninth annual Salute Awards ceremony. Amare is passionate about sharing the inspiring stories of Detroiters, so it was only right to have her host this year’s ceremony.
During their opening remarks at the Salute Awards, TechTown’s President and CEO Ned Staebler (left) and Wayne State University President Kimberly Andrews Espy, Ph.D. reinforced TechTown’s position as Wayne State’s entrepreneurship hub and our 20th anniversary of serving Detroit’s founders, entrepreneurs and innovators.
This year’s Salute Award honorees are Brittni Abiolu, founder and managing director of VentureHue; James McKissic, owner of Mac Galleries; and Teresa Lopez and Jose Manuel Vargas, the Vargas Lopez Family, owners of La Jalisciense Supermercado and Taqueria. Alexa and Johnnie Turnage, co-founders of Black Tech Saturdays and EvenScore, are the 2024 Marlowe Stoudamire Small Business Champion recipients.
We had nearly 30 featured retail, food and tech businesses on-site at Toast of the Town, including online jewelry brand Serenityy the Brand. Founder Yasin Sugufara (middle) is an alum of our Retail Boot Camp: E-commerce & Home-based Edition program and has been a vendor at The SHOP, our monthly pop-up marketplace at TechTown.
Another one of our featured businesses was El Asador Steakhouse, a Southwest Detroit-based restaurant and an alum of our 313 STRONG program. El Asador draws regional inspiration for its menu from several places in Mexico, including Puebla, Hidalgo, Nuevo León and the coastal regions of Veracruz and Tamaulipas.
Several Hatch Detroit businesses showcased their products at Toast of the Town, including G.L.A.M. Body Scrubs by Amarra Products, the winner of the 2024 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest by TechTown. Founder Tiffany Cartwright (left) creates body scrubs that are free of parabens, sulfates, mineral oils and phthalates.
More than 800 guests attended this year’s Toast of the Town and celebrated the city’s entrepreneurial spirit. 2024 also marked our 10th year of hosting our annual celebration and benefit.
Every team member at TechTown, Wayne State’s Division of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development and Co.act extends a sincere thank you to everyone who attended, sponsored and supported Toast of the Town!
