Jews in the D
12 | NOVEMBER 7 • 2019
J
ust more than 100 years
ago, the first issue of Forbes,
a new magazine focused
on American business was
published. In recent years, the
company has expanded its
content and events to focus
on young entrepreneurs, who
were highlighted in an annual
issue and an Under 30 Summit.
Detroit expat Mike Posner has
been a headline performer.
The 2019 event, which took
place in late October, brought
the Under 30 Summit to
Detroit for a three-year run.
About 200 speakers addressed
thousands of attendees.
Immersive experiences,
including a private music
festival, industry-focused
programming track and a food
festival also took place.
“Detroit is a city on the
move and a shining example
of what can happen when
entrepreneurs, investors venture
capitalists, elected officials,
students and entertainers come together to
address challenges, create partnerships and
jointly reimagine a city’
s role on the world
stage,
” said Randall Lane, chief content
officer of Forbes and founder of the Under
30 Summit.
“For six years, our Under 30 Summits
have celebrated the people who are
changing our world for the better, and
we are proud to help focus the world’
s
attention on Detroit and its leaders who
are demonstrating how entrepreneurial
capitalism is a force for good.
”
Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans
was the presenting sponsor of the event.
Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert spoke
about the impact of this event coming to
Detroit at a February 2019 news conference
that featured Randall Lane of Forbes,
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and
Detroit Mayor Mike Dugan.
“
As Dan Gilbert likes to say, Detroit is
the intersection of muscle and brains,
”
Quicken Loans CEO Jay Farner told the
JN. “The Under 30 Summit is a perfect
encapsulation of the drive that powers the
Motor City, and Dan worked tirelessly to
bring the event here to our hometown.
We look forward to seeing what we can
accomplish with Forbes over the next three
years, as well as the thousands of young
innovators who will see firsthand exactly
what Dan means.
”
FEATURED SPEAKERS
The agenda and attendee list included
several individuals connected to the Jewish
Detroit community who spoke to the
Jewish News in advance of their attendance.
Two of the noted speakers were Josh Luber
and Greg Schwartz, co-founders of StockX
alongside Dan Gilbert.
“Nearly four years ago,
StockX launched with just
six employees — today, our
company is valued at more
than $1 billion and we have
more than 900 full and part-
time team members, 500 based
here in Detroit,
” said Schwartz,
StockX COO. “
As a leader in
the e-commerce industry, we
want people to understand
how much Detroit has to offer
and appreciate the light Forbes
is shining on the fact that you
don’
t need a Silicon Valley zip
code to launch a fast-growing,
impact-driven tech company.
”
Alex Fenkell, co-founder of
SmileDirectClub,
which became a
publicly traded
company this
summer, was
scheduled to
serve on a retail
panel alongside Harry’
s
co-founder Jeff Raider and
FIGS founder Heather Hasson.
He planned to discuss his story
as an entrepreneur building a
successful direct-to-consumer
company. His business,
founded with fellow Detroit
expat Jordan Katzman, is now
valued above $4 billion.
FORBES UNDER 30 WINNERS
Another featured speaker was Daniel
Sillman, CEO of Relevent Sports Group.
Sillman grew up in the Detroit area.
His projects include leading the largest
privately owned soccer company in North
America, which operates the International
Champions Cup (ICC), the summer’
s
premiere international club tournament.
The tournament has sold 5 million tickets
and attracts more than 100 million viewers
annually.
“It is an honor to be speaking at such a
prestigious event in my hometown, and
to have the opportunity to share some
of what I have learned during my career,
Sillman said. “I will be participating in
the Founders Forum, speaking with
other Forbes Under 30 winners. We will
talk about our experiences in business,
including best practices and other pieces of
advice we have collected in leadership roles.
Schwartz
Fenkell
continued on page 14
Detroit
Summit
Thousands came for fi
rst year of
Forbes Under 30 Summit in Detroit.
ADAM FINKEL CONTRIBUTING WRITER