Jun 20, 2024 - Business

Where Dan Gilbert hopes Detroit is headed in 10 years

Annalise Frank

The two men sit on chairs on a stage. — Detroit billionaire businessperson Dan Gilbert (left) with AOL founder and Revolution startup investment firm CEO Steve Case, speaking at the One Campus Martius building downtown. Photo: Annalise Frank/Axios

Dan Gilbert shared his top hopes for Detroit's next decade in a fireside chat with AOL founder and startup investor Steve Case.

The big picture: On Tuesday, Gilbert's Rocket Cos. hosted an event with Case's Revolution, an investment firm that launched its Rise of the Rest tour 10 years ago in Detroit to inject funding into startups outside major tech hub cities.

Rise of the Rest invested in local companies including StockX and Waymark, Crain's reported.

What they're saying: Addressing a tech ecosystem crowd at Rocket's One Campus Martius building, Case praised the changes he saw over the last decade in Detroit — then he asked Gilbert what his hopes are for progress over the next 10 years.

The local billionaire, real estate mogul and startup investor gave a three-point answer:

First: Gilbert hopes Michigan is keeping students in the state after they graduate from college — population retention is the "biggest issue as far as I'm concerned," he said. "We've got to keep our people here" before trying to draw in new residents.
Second: A Detroit-area regional transportation system — a cause Gilbert recently advocated for federal funding toward.
Third: More entrepreneur success stories and a business ecosystem that, while it's come far, is "light-years ahead of where it's at today."

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Where Dan Gilbert hopes Detroit is headed in 10 years

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