I Am Young Detroit is proud to announce the launch of I Am Young Detroit 2.0 on June 30, 2012. IAYD launched in beta in 2009 and was created to attract, retain, and empower young entrepreneurs in Detroit by providing relevant content, resources, engagement and funding opportunities.

This summer, the new IAYD will feature expanded profiles of young entrepreneurs – each one connected to a related educational how-to guide, interactive workspace, home, or business tour, business profile and real-time p2p experiences that will give readers the chance to connect.

The new site will also empower citizens everywhere to champion young entrepreneurs via CitySpotters, I Am Young Detroit’s new mobile and web platform that will allow users to earn points by ‘spotting’ a promising new business idea or movement led by a young doer,  by playing a ‘supporting role’ as mentor, resource provider, or educator, or by answering user-submitted questions. Points are then used to redeem local gifts and promotions that further support the young entrepreneurs featured on the website. Additional methods of earning points will be added as the platform and user-base grows. Eventually IAYD will use data from CitySpotters to digitally map people, businesses, neighborhoods, and movements in ways that inspire, inform, and evolve in real-time.

I Am Young Detroit will celebrate the launch of 2.0 and Cityspotters with food, music, networking, and featured products by local entrepreneurs. This event will be held on Saturday, June 30 from 3pm to 7pm at D:hive Headquarters located at 1253 Woodward Street in downtown Detroit. Attendees will be offered the opportunity to sign up and earn their first points on sight. In conjunction with the day’s festivities, Barry will also be celebrating the Grand Opening of D:pop, her latest pop-up retail venture.
Free tickets are available online at http://detroitpop.eventbrite.com and on sale now!