• Round 19 winners represent a diverse set of businesses, including new childcare and urgent care centers, seafood restaurant, nail salon and restaurant specializing in sandwiches wrapped in pickles.
• Winning businesses spread across 10 different Detroit neighborhoods
• 134 Motor City Match awarded businesses have opened their doors since 2015, distributed $9.1M in cash grants

May 4, 2022 (DETROIT) – The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and Mayor Mike Duggan today announced the 19^th round of awards to aspiring entrepreneurs through the popular and successful Motor City Match program.

A total of 57 winners were announced and will be receiving varying forms of support from the Motor City Match program, including cash grants or technical support with design, development, or planning.  A dozen of those businesses will receive cash grants totaling $500,000 to help make their dream a reality.

Round 19 grant winners are a diverse group, ranging from new childcare and urgent care centers, a seafood restaurant, nail salon and restaurant specializing in sandwiches wrapped in pickles. Motor City Match offers workshops, business services, coaching and grant and loan support and has served 1,540 businesses with $9.1 million in grant funds.

Through 19 rounds of Motor City Match:

• Total cash grants: $9.1 million (Total leveraged investment: $47 million)
• Total business open: 134
• 92 percent are minority-owned businesses
• 80 percent are women-owned businesses
• 85 percent are businesses owned by Detroit residents

“Motor City Match has helped to create a new generation of successful entrepreneurs in our city and there is no shortage of creativity or opportunity,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “Our Round 19 grant winners will be bringing a new range of goods and services to 10 different neighborhoods across the city.”

“Motor City Match continues to help Detroit entrepreneurs grow and scale, while positively impacting our community and creating employment opportunities,” said Kevin Johnson, DEGC President and CEO. “Detroit business owners have gone from surviving to thriving, amid the pandemic. We’re here to ensure that we support their growth beyond surviving and enable them to thrive and scale.”

Motor City Match Awardees from Round 19 represent a wide range of businesses that are vital to Detroit neighborhoods throughout the city. Since 2020, the program has refocused its operations to meet the changing needs of businesses in a post-pandemic environment. This includes a focus on loan readiness, an emphasis on getting new businesses transactional as quickly as possible and shortening the application and evaluation timeline.

Motor City Match Round 19 Cash Awardees

1. What’s the Dill LLC. $25,000 – Deli sandwiches stuffed inside a dill pickle in the University District.
2. Bar Pigalle. $35,000 – French cuisine inspired restaurant in Brush Park
3. Elda’s LLC. $35,000 – Latin American cuisine in Hubbard Farms
4. Soul on Ice. $35,000 – New restaurant in the Midwest Neighborhood
5. What’s Crakin’ Seafood. $35,000 – Seafood restaurant on Livernois in the Bagley neighborhood
6. Equity Alliance Management. $40,000 – Community kitchen and grocery in the Midwest Neighborhood
7. Kornr Market. $45,000 – Neighborhood market that will also offer community events in NW Goldberg
8. Sugah Please Coffee House. $45,000 – Coffee shop, breakfast and brunch spot in Midtown
9. Young Faith Childcare Center. $45,000 – Childcare center in Evergreen-Outer Drive neighborhood
10. Conner Creek Urgent Care. $50,000 – Urgent Care facility in Conner Creek Neighborhood
11. The Lab Drawer. $50,000 – STEAM technology subscription kits and experiences in Dexter-Linwood
12. Cure Nailhouse. $60,000 – Nail salon and training facility in Midtown

The 12 grant recipients in Round 19 represent new businesses that will open in 10 different Detroit neighborhoods: 

1. University District
2. Brush Park
3. Hubbard Farms
4. Midwest
5. Bagley
6. Northwest Goldberg
7. Midtown
8. Evergreen Outer Drive
9. Conner Creek
10. Dexter-Linwood

Motor City Match continues to grow Detroit’s small-business landscape
Combined with its other small business programming, DEGC is creating a sustainable small business environment that nurtures new concepts and ideas. Motor City Match offers business owners a wide range of assistance in four tracks: Plan, Develop, Design, and Cash. The program helps Detroit entrepreneurs plan, formalize, and launch their business by providing business planning classes, site-selection assistance, financial planning, legal aid, design services, and gap funding.

“Motor City Match is an important tool to help Detroiters use entrepreneurship to grow their incomes, build wealth, and create jobs.” said Drew Lucco, Motor City Match Program Director. “The program connects business owners to a growing network or support, offers vital business services, and maps out the path from idea to open. Motor City Match is proud to continue supporting Detroit’s small business community as it grows and prospers.”

About Motor City Match
Motor City Match is a unique partnership between the City of Detroit, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), the Economic Development Corporation of the City of Detroit (EDC) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Competitive financial assistance is supported by a broad partnership of Southeast Michigan community development financial institutions and corporations including, Bank of America, Fifth Third Bank, Ford Foundation, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Foundation, Hudson Webber Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, New Economy Initiative, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Motor City Match applications are available quarterly. More information is available at www.MotorCityMatch.com

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