Name: Derek Turner
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
University: Columbia University 12
Community Ambassador, Ambassador
Detroit, MI
What initially attracted you to Venture for America?
I had been fascinated by Detroit for a year but I had no idea how I could get involved. I started considering doing a startup in Detroit, but didn’t have any good business ideas. As I was looking around at incubators in Detroit, I found out about VFA and it was obvious from the beginning that it was the perfect program for me. They connected all the dots trained me (an anthropology and political science major) to be literate in business, connected me to a community of peers in my city, helped me find housing, found me a really rewarding job, introduced me to a mentor, and allowed me to be a part of something very new and exciting!
What is the best part of being a VFA fellow?
The best part of being a VFA fellow is being exposed to people (fellows, board members, mentors, etc) who believe that cities that other people have written off as failures can be brought back to prosperity. Its so encouraging seeing all of these people working so hard for that idea and it allows me to have hope for the future of this country.
What does Ambassador do?
Ambassador is referral reward software that gives companies the ability to track and manage customer referrals. Since most companies who want to grow using referrals dont have the technological expertise to track their customers behaviors online in order to reward them for referring friends, they can just subscribe to our service and well do it for them.
What do you do on a typical day at work?
Right now Im doing a lot of marketing and market research, so a typical day might have me writing an e-book or whitepaper, looking at our website analytics, reviewing customer behavior and needs, and brainstorming how we can reach new potential customers of course with a ping pong game thrown in there. I love that I never do the same thing from day to day and I can help decide whats important for the company to be doing at any given point.
What’s your favorite thing about Detroit?:
The surprises. Whether its the really hip bar in an abandoned neighborhood, the ribs and karaoke place at the Saturday market, or the pool on the roof of our apartment building, Detroit will always defy expectations in a great way.
What do you hope to accomplish in your time with VFA?
I want to be at least partially responsible for significant growth at Ambassador and economic prosperity in Detroit.