From PBS to Startup: Building a Detroit Company Solving a National Crisis

Join Detroit entrepreneur, producer, and founder Sierra L. Boone for an inside look at her journey from creating educational content for PBS to building a Detroit-based startup addressing one of the country's most pressing issues: early childhood education and teacher burnout.

In this candid and inspiring session, Sierra will share the lessons, pivots, wins, and challenges that shaped her path—from performing in Detroit childcare classrooms and uncovering a larger systemic problem, to conducting research, securing startup funding, and building a technology-driven solution with national potential.

You'll hear about:

• Identifying opportunities through real-world experience
• Pivoting from direct-to-consumer to business-to-business models
• Fundraising and finding product-market fit
• Building a company in Detroit with national impact
• Competing with established platforms and creating a new category
• The vision for strengthening early childhood infrastructure through innovation

Whether you're a founder, entrepreneur, creative, educator, or community builder, this session offers practical insights and honest reflections on what it takes to build something meaningful from the ground up.

Come connect with fellow innovators and learn how one Detroit founder is building a company designed to make a difference—right here in our city and beyond.