Detroit, June 1, 2012 – Rippld, an Internet company incubated by TechTown — Wayne State University’s business incubator and accelerator — announced today that it has closed on a $50,000 Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund microloan to expand upon and improve its online platform for connecting creative professionals. Rippld is a professional network for creatives who use it to collaborate, post portfolios and share jobs. The site is intended to help creatives become part of an online community to support their business objectives.

“Friends ask us all the time where to find creative talent,” said co-founder Adrian Walker, who conceived of Rippld with his partner Wilbert Fobbs III when trying to get a fledgling video production company off the ground. “I looked at what was out there in the online landscape and nothing offered the kind of access or information people were looking for. Rippld fills that gap.”

Rippld is perhaps the most poignant example of Detroit’s unlikely surge in entrepreneurship among Gen Y professionals, many of whom have been lured by the city’s unfettered business environment, rich entrepreneurial ecosystem and low cost of entry.

According to Rippld co-founder Lander Coronado-Garcia, who moved back to Detroit after living and working in Chicago for four years, Detroit offered advantages that he and his partners couldn’t find in larger, more established markets.

“TechTown and its sister incubators have been and continue to be critical to Rippld’s success,” said Coronado-Garcia. “The one-on-one coaching, business plan support and networking capability we accessed through TechTown positioned us to be competitive in our bid for this pre-seed loan and validated the integrity of our business model. We owe this victory in large part to TechTown and its partners.”

Rippld is a participant in the Creative Ventures Program, a joint program from TechTown and the Detroit Creative Corridor Center to support and cultivate creative entrepreneurs in Detroit.

Walker and Coronado-Garcia met at the University of Michigan. Fobbs is related to Walker. Each founder contributes a different expertise to Rippld: Fobbs is the lead technologist; Walker is the creative talent; and Coronado-Garcia, who holds an MBA from Wharton, is in charge of business operations for the company.

According to a recent impact report, TechTown has provided support to 647 companies, which in turn have created 1,085 jobs since 2007. Leslie Smith, president and CEO of TechTown, has led the organization’s transformation into an economic growth engine for Detroit. Smith acknowledged that TechTown and its partners have learned from the success of entrepreneurship hubs like Silicon Valley and Route 128.

“Rippld is a great example of how Detroit is reinventing itself as a city characterized by both technology-based companies and high-tech talent,” Smith said. “We are working hard to give companies like Rippld the tools they need to take root here and pave the path for more creative companies to follow.”

About Rippld

Rippld is a connection, collaboration and services exchange platform for creative professionals and agencies, as well as clients seeking their services. Rippld provides a professional network that allows members to maximize their talents by simplifying the way they connect to their clients, display their work and collaborate with other creative professionals. Rippld is also the best way for clients looking for creative talent to find it, because it allows them to connect to and search the network, and gives them access to each professional’s or agency's history of work and portfolio. For more information, visit rippld.com.

About TechTown

TechTown is a community of passionate, diverse people and businesses driven by an entrepreneurial spirit to pursue extraordinary opportunities. Entrepreneurs join TechTown to gain guidance and get connected with resources needed for success. TechTown offers entrepreneurs unique access to Wayne State University’s research, academic and technology assets. By reigniting an entrepreneurial culture, TechTown is fueling business growth, job creation and the revitalization of Detroit’s Midtown and beyond. For more information, visit www.techtownwsu.org.