So many times Detroiters have faced conflict when it comes to entrepreneurship. From discriminatory lending practices that shut out Black-owned businesses to fragmented support networks that left good ideas stranded, the struggle to launch and sustain has been constant. Even now, when Detroit is often celebrated as a hub for innovation, many founders say the path still feels like a maze with no clear map.
A new platform called Round Here, launched in August, is trying to rewrite that story. Built in Detroit and designed for Michigan’s entrepreneurial community, the platform consolidates the resources founders need into a single space. For Matthew Burnett, the Detroit native behind the project, the mission is personal.
“Starting a business is hard. Getting the right support shouldn’t be,” Burnett said. “We built Round Here to turn every coworking space, service provider, and expert into an open door—so no Michigan founder feels like they’re building alone.”
Burnett is no stranger to building networks. His previous venture, Maker’s Row, connected more than 300,000 businesses with manufacturers across the United States and drew investment from major players like Reddit’s Alexis Ohanian. With Round Here, he is applying that same model of connectivity to Michigan’s business ecosystem, where the challenges are less about ambition and more about access.
Michigan is home to over 902,000 small and midsize businesses, according to state data. Yet many of them struggle to survive beyond the early years. Founders cite the same issues repeatedly: lack of access to grants or investors, limited exposure to peers and mentors, and difficulty finding trusted legal or financial services. National reports have shown that Black entrepreneurs in particular are less likely to receive traditional bank loans or venture capital, creating an uneven playing field.
Round Here is designed to counter those gaps. The platform includes live workshops on everything from fundraising to marketing, searchable networks of accelerators and investors, and a statewide job board. Users can also connect with vetted freelancers and join a peer-to-peer community for referrals and advice. An AI-powered engine personalizes recommendations, helping founders identify what resources make sense based on where they are in their growth cycle.
Burnett says the platform is equally a bet on coworking spaces, which have multiplied across Detroit over the last decade but often lack sustainable programming. Round Here allows those spaces to host and livestream classes, archive content, and track results through built-in analytics. For operators, that means more tenants, new revenue through sponsorships, and stronger visibility for local coaches and experts.
“We’re helping coworking operators go from just renting desks to leading the entrepreneurial conversation,” Burnett said.
TechTown and Newlab, two of Detroit’s most prominent innovation hubs, are among the platform’s early partners. Their involvement is a sign that Round Here isn’t launching in isolation but tapping into existing anchors in the city’s entrepreneurial landscape.
The timing matters. Detroit’s business community has been reshaped in the decade since the city’s bankruptcy, with philanthropy, universities, and private capital all playing larger roles. Yet many entrepreneurs—especially in neighborhoods outside downtown and Midtown—say they still feel left behind. Round Here’s model, if it works, could bridge that divide by making resources as accessible to a founder in northwest Detroit as one pitching investors in Corktown.
The ambition goes beyond Michigan. Burnett and his team envision scaling the platform across the Midwest and eventually into a national network serving the country’s 33 million small businesses. The idea is to build a system where place is no longer a limitation, and where every founder, regardless of ZIP code, can find the support they need.
For Detroit, the launch adds another chapter to its long tradition of entrepreneurship. From the Black-owned businesses that anchored Paradise Valley in the early 20th century to the auto suppliers and corner stores that sustained neighborhoods, the city has always been shaped by those willing to take risks. But the conditions for success have often been unequal. Round Here enters that history with a promise of democratization—taking the scattered infrastructure of support and putting it within reach of anyone willing to log in.
Burnett believes that’s the future of entrepreneurship in Detroit: community-driven, tech-enabled, and rooted in the idea that no one should have to build alone.
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