NEXT DOR
VOICE OF THE NEW JEWISH GENERATION
Tech Innovator
Jacob Smith
Meet Jacob Smith who’s working to connect Detroit’s Black and Jewish communities. ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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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
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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
Jacob Smith (back row, third from right) and participants from Project Understanding
