Founders : Detroit

There is a glut of startup accelerators out there, but the guys behind the property management startup Castle got into the most prestigious one around, Y Combinator. The Detroit-based startup's team tells how it shot the moon and got in.

Questions with Castle explains how it got into Y Combinator

"Right now we're adding 1,000 restaurants per month," says Travis O Johnson, co-founder & CEO of foodjunky. "A year from now we hope to be in 20,000 restaurants."

Questions with Automation equals gazelle growth for Detroit's foodjunky

"We were six employees and then 20," says Jesse Cory, CEO of 1xRUN. "We needed to figure out how to make that work and create different departments."

Questions with 1xRUN team building turns startup into second-stage star

"Make sure the production side of things is something you have a passion for," Ellis-Brown says. "It's not easy. It's one of the hardest things I have ever done."

Questions with Ellis Infinity Beverage Co figures out the recipe for finding the first home away from home

"We're in great shape for future expansion," Rieth says. "We want to have a capacity of 150,000 barrels and this gives us that. We want to continue growing in Detroit because the city is an important part of what we’re about."

Questions with No place like home for Atwater Brewery

"We can't hire on experience because we have a limited budget," says Jason Raznick, CEO of Benzinga. "We're trying to create something from nothing."

Questions with Hiring helps propel Benzinga from startup to financial media staple

"This year we're going to have even bigger growth because we added some key people," says Joe McClure, co-owner of McClure's Pickles.

Questions with New hires turn into key ingredients for growth spurt at McClure's Pickles

"I ran the business with my heart, but my costs continued to go up," Gutierrez says. "I closed my eyes and prayed for help. When I opened them up I saw things differently. I am an administrator who needs to run a business."

Questions with Building a community-based company, Hacienda Mexican Foods in southwest Detroit

Mark Klimkowski went from graduate of University of Detroit-Mercy to owner of Virtuoso Design + Build. He explains why he made the leap into entrepreneurship right away and never looked back.

Questions with Mark Klimkowski on going from college to business owner

Amy Swift launched Building Hugger a few years ago with an idea or two of what to do with it. Several ideas later the Detroiter is figuring out what her business is all about and where it's going.

Questions with Amy Swift on evolving a company's business plan and focus

Slows restaurant in Detroit caught lightning in a bottle when it opened in 2005. It has slowly grown since then despite numerous offers to open around the world. Co-founder Brian Perrone explains why.

Questions with Brian Perrone on slowly growing the Slows footprint

Andy Kopietz spent the better part of a decade working for someone, until he started to work for himself when he launched Good Done Daily. The Detroiter explains why making that leap made sense.

Questions with Andy Kopietz explains making the leap from employee to employer

Jim Renberg's firm, Brush Park Studio, is creating a successful business where too many people don't see value: preserving historic architecture in Detroit. Renberg explains why it works for him and his partner.

Questions with Jim Renberg on preserving Detroit's historic architecture

VernDale Products is a family business employing its third generation of descendants, and executing a big growth plan. The Detroit-based firm's CEO Dale Johnson explains how building trust over time provided the basis to get everyone on board with the plan.

Questions with Dale Johnson on getting everyone in a family business on board with a growth plan

Sandy Kronenberg is a tech entrepreneur who already has a few exits under his belt, and it's a big reason why he is eschewing angel investment for his new startup, Locqus.

Questions with Sandy Kronenberg on growing a startup alone