34 | JUNE 16 • 2022 

T

hroughout the many pillars of 
Jacob Smith’s multifaceted work, 
one core building block connects 
it all: community.
“It all consolidates around this idea 
of community-building,” Smith, 33, 
of Detroit says of his personal and 
professional work. 
From building tech ecosystems 
in Detroit, to growing early-stage 
startups, to organizing cross-cultural 
community events, Smith likes to 
practice intentional proximity, or 
bringing people together to increase the 
likelihood that connections will form.
“As opposed to bringing together a 
group of strangers, I firmly believe that 
a huge piece of the work is lowering the 
bar,” he explains, “and making it easy 
for people to be in proximity with one 
another.”

BUILDING ACCESSIBILITY 
AND INCLUSIVITY
As a graduate of the University of 
Michigan’s school of business, Smith 
has worked on creating accessible 
communities for Detroiters and beyond 
since his college days.
“I had my own business and then 
my career fell into the technology side 
of the entrepreneurship spectrum,” he 
explains.
From there, most of Smith’s career 
was spent building tech startups, which 
brought him into the world of creating 
ecosystems around technology. Now, 
he runs a project called Collider for 
Altimetrik, where he hosts regular 

events and helps grow a community of 
ambitious tech innovators in the greater 
Detroit area.
“I think that is something that has 
always appealed to me,” he says of 
building community. 
With inclusion top of mind, Smith 
says that even as a child, he didn’t 
want to see any kids left out on the 
playground. “It’s always been important 
to me.”
For several years, Smith has also 
served on the board for JCRC/AJC, 
which represents Metro Detroit’s Jewish 
community, Israel and Jews to the 
general community. He also served 
on NEXTGen Detroit’s board for nine 
years, stepping off as of this coming 
year.

CONNECTING BLACK AND 
JEWISH COMMUNITIES
With JCRC/AJC specifically, Smith 
focuses on building relationships 
between Detroit’s Black and Jewish 
communities. The Coalition Series, an 
effort supported by JCRC/AJC, The 
Well and the Coalition for Black and 
Jewish Unity, is arguably Smith’s biggest 

endeavor to date.
Through a collective of like-minded 
Black and Jewish Detroiters, the 
Coalition Series sets the stage for 
Shabbat dinner events and more where 
food is prepared by local chefs. At these 
events, Black and Jewish community 
members work on building connections 
and establishing a foundation of trust 
among younger generations. 
While the Coalition Series saw a 
temporary pause due to the ongoing 
COVID-19 pandemic, Smith plans to 
bring events back and says people can 
expect something soon.
On May 1, Smith also led the Project 
Understanding initiative, a professional 
summit for young Jewish and Black 
Detroiters. After a pandemic delay, 
Smith was finally able to bring the event, 
which started in Atlanta in the 1980s, to 
life.
The full-day immersive program 
included a tour of Detroit’s Black and 
Jewish communities, taking in both 
histories and identifying where they 
overlapped.
One of the most fascinating overlaps 
that he learned about, Smith says, is the 

Meet Jacob Smith who’s working to connect 
Detroit’s Black and Jewish communities.
Tech Innovator

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Jacob 
Smith

Jacob Smith (back row, third from right) and participants from Project Understanding

NEXT DOR
VOICE OF THE NEW 
JEWISH GENERATION

