
Newlab helps shift technology landscape in Detroit
Clip: Season 8 Episode 51 | 3m 13sVideo has Closed Captions
Newlab at Michigan Central helps shift technology, entrepreneurship landscape in Detroit.
Located next to the renovated and reopened Michigan Central Station in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, Newlab opened its doors in April 2023 and embodies the story of revitalization and transformation in Detroit. It houses 90 startups. One Detroit Producer Will Glover talks with Newlab CEO Cameron Lawrence about efforts to make Detroit a destination for technology and innovation.
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One Detroit is a local public television program presented by Detroit PBS

Newlab helps shift technology landscape in Detroit
Clip: Season 8 Episode 51 | 3m 13sVideo has Closed Captions
Located next to the renovated and reopened Michigan Central Station in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, Newlab opened its doors in April 2023 and embodies the story of revitalization and transformation in Detroit. It houses 90 startups. One Detroit Producer Will Glover talks with Newlab CEO Cameron Lawrence about efforts to make Detroit a destination for technology and innovation.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipNext to the iconic Michigan Central Station in Detroit's oldest neighborhood Court Town, a cutting edge facility called Newlab at Michigan Central has quickly become a hub for tech companies and entrepreneurs.
Since opening in 2023, 90 companies have joined.
CEO Cameron Lawrence is at the helm.
- It's becoming this amazing ecosystem.
You're seeing entrepreneurialism on a day-to-day basis.
You're seeing products come from vision to reality in real time.
And it's actually a really special place that I think Detroiters can really be proud of.
- [Narrator 1] Newlab was built from the skeleton of a former book depository.
- This is an old decrepit building.
It had a long history in the city but was, you know, overlooked.
It was abandoned.
But man, look around, the bones are fantastic, right?
So we have this history of taking historic buildings and creating something new and this kind of poetry between what it was in the past and what it can be as a center of excellence for a city in the future.
- [Narrator 1] Open to the public, the first floor is full of displays from the startup companies calling Newlab home, a cafe and plenty of meeting and workspaces all underneath a massive glass ceiling.
The new aesthetics pay homage to the past with exposed beams and pillars.
But what makes Newlab more than a historic building turned coworking space is the hardware amenities available to startups.
- [Cameron] Because we have all the best in class equipment here, we're taking months if not years off their product development cycle.
- [Narrator 1] Newlab Michigan Central is the sister facility to the original Newlab in Brooklyn that's home to over 200 startup companies.
Newlab's mission is to compete with coastal tech hubs to spark job creating innovation and attracted talent needed to fill those jobs to the Detroit region.
- I'm seeing the entrepreneurs choose to call Detroit home and they're building their companies and their products outta here.
And seeing the amount of pride the city is taking in becoming a bit of a hotbed for innovation and entrepreneurialism from where it was, that gives me a huge amount of pride in what my team and Michigan Central are building here.
- [Narrator 1] As Detroit's revitalization has continued over the years, Newlab has also been embraced by the city.
- I found that in a very short period of time, this has been a real source of civic pride.
I mean, we have a lot of, you know, significant leaders in the community that are here quite regularly.
They're celebrating our wins.
- [Narrator 1] Cementing its footprint and commitment to Detroit with things like the nation's first ever wireless charging roadway, Newlab shows no signs of slowing down.
- Walk around the concourse floor.
There are so many great examples of the prototypes of companies that we support, whether it be Tarforms like electric motorbike to grounded RV, to live (indistinct) off-road vehicle.
You can't leave this building without being inspired by our founders and what they're building.
It's beyond magical.
This is a place where you see stuff actually get built.
And you don't see that everywhere.
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One Detroit is a local public television program presented by Detroit PBS