What BasBlue does

BasBlue is a Detroit-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in October 2021 by Nancy Tellem (former CBS and Xbox Entertainment executive) and Natacha Hildebrand, with Ellen Gilchrist serving as CEO. The organization is headquartered in a 12,000 sq. ft. historic mansion in Midtown Detroit's Cultural Center and operates as a physical-space-driven community and programming platform for women and nonbinary individuals in Southeast Michigan. BasBlue's core offering is an annual membership at $1,500/year (with quarterly payment plans and a Trailblazer-in-Residence scholarship path for individuals earning under $75,000) that grants access to 130+ annual member programs, collaborative workspaces, wellness facilities, conference rooms, private event discounts, and a network of 675-700+ members.

The organization's programming portfolio spans entrepreneurship, arts, culinary, and youth development, delivered through The BasBlue Foundation (the in-house 501(c)(3) funding vehicle). Impact programs include the Zero-to-One Entrepreneurial Fellowship, Trailblazer-in-Residence Scholarship (175+ scholarships awarded), Founders + Fund(Her)s Pitch Day (which awarded $17,500 to five women entrepreneurs in March 2024), Art of BasBlue (198 artists exhibited, 290+ artworks, $68K+ returned to Detroit artists), and the Chef-in-Residence Program delivered in partnership with IBF Detroit, Eastern Market, and Wayne State University. Strategic funding partners include Ballmer Group ($1M grant, June 2023), W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Hudson Webber Foundation, Skillman Foundation, NEI, and Tom Gores Family Foundation.

BasBlue's business model blends non-dilutive philanthropic revenue with restricted commercial activity. Revenue streams comprise membership dues (subscription), donations and grants (affilanthropic), Annual Gala sponsorships (tiered $15K-$100K plus $250-$500 ticket sales), and auxiliary commercial income from the public BasBlue Café (farm-to-table, Monday-Friday 8AM-4PM) and private event venue rentals (Historic Mansion capacity 350, Carriage House, outdoor spaces). The organization does not have significant proprietary technology — its competitive position rests on physical infrastructure, programmatic differentiation, and the embedded community network. Geographic reach is concentrated in Detroit/Southeast Michigan with no disclosed expansion plans beyond the metro area.

Name

BasBlue

Legal name

BasBlue, Inc.

Website

https://basblueus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BasBlue is a Detroit-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2021 that operates a 12,000 sq. ft. historic mansion as a membership-based community and programming platform for women and nonbinary individuals in Southeast Michigan, delivering fellowships, scholarships, pitch competitions, and arts/culinary programming through The BasBlue Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual memberships at $1,500 per year (with quarterly payment options available) for women and nonbinary individuals seeking access to programming, workspaces, networking, and community resources.
2. Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The BasBlue Foundation (501(c)3, EIN 85-4027726) enables charitable giving. Notable grant: $1,000,000 from Ballmer Group.
3. Annual Gala and Events: The Annual Gala generates essential funds for impact programs including sponsorship packages ($100,000 Champion, $50,000 Impact, $25,000 Access, $15,000 Incubate tiers) and ticket sales ($500 VIP, $250 General Admission).
4. Café Revenue: The BasBlue Café generates revenue through food and beverage sales (breakfast, lunch, cocktails) featuring seasonal farm-to-table offerings and locally sourced ingredients. Open Monday-Friday 8AM-4PM.
5. Private Event Space Rental: The historic mansion and Carriage House are available for private events including corporate summits, board meetings, celebrations, and weddings. Members receive a 10% discount on room reservations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BasBlue is a nonprofit community organization that sells annual memberships ($1,500/year) providing women and nonbinary individuals in Southeast Michigan access to educational programming, collaborative workspaces, wellness facilities, mentorship, and networking. Through The BasBlue Foundation, it delivers five impact programs (Zero-to-One Entrepreneurial Fellowship, Trailblazer-in-Residence Scholarship, Founders + Fund(Her)s Pitch Day, Art of BasBlue, and Chef-in-Residence Program). It also operates a public farm-to-table café, rents its historic mansion and Carriage House for private events, and hosts an Annual Gala as a major fundraiser.

Product overview

BasBlue is a nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive ecosystem of programs and services for women and non-binary individuals in Southeast Michigan. The core offering includes annual Memberships ($1,500/year) providing access to exclusive programming, meeting spaces, and networking. The impact program portfolio includes: Zero-to-One Entrepreneurial Fellowship for emerging entrepreneurs; Trailblazer-in-Residence Scholarship for individuals earning under $75,000; Founders + Fund(Her)s Pitch Day connecting early-stage founders with investors; Art of BasBlue exhibition program for underrepresented artists; and Chef-in-Residence culinary entrepreneurship program. Additional revenue-generating services include a public Café serving farm-to-table cuisine, Private Events venue rental (Historic Mansion, Carriage House, Outdoor Space), and Annual Gala fundraising events. The organization operates from a 12,000 sq. ft. historic mansion in Midtown Detroit and serves nearly 700 members while hosting 130+ annual member programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BasBlue Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• 175+ Trailblazer-in-Residence Scholarships awarded to date
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Wasserman ProjectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWasserman Projects (led by Alison Wong) collaborates with BasBlue on the Art of BasBlue program, hosting Living Room Conversations with artists and managing art exhibitions. Featured partner for art curation.
• In the Business of Food (IBF Detroit)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBF Detroit partners with BasBlue on the Chef-in-Residence Program, providing lending resources, mentorship, and professional development for women and nonbinary food entrepreneurs.
• Eastern MarketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEastern Market partners with BasBlue on the Chef-in-Residence Program, supporting local food entrepreneurship and farm-to-table initiatives.
• Wayne State UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerWayne State University partners with BasBlue on the Chef-in-Residence Program, contributing to nutrition education and professional development for emerging culinary entrepreneurs.
• Michigan Science CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichigan Science Center partners with BasBlue for youth programming including Girls Day: Future Entrepreneurs & STEAM Innovators, introducing youth ages 7-16 to STEAM and entrepreneurship through hands-on activities and women entrepreneur role models.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AllBright: Women's members' club with clubhouses, coworking, events, and a fellowship program for female entrepreneurs. Directly comparable to BasBlue across membership, programming, and entrepreneur-support pillars, with AllBright operating in London and major U.S. cities.
• The Wing: The Wing was a women-focused membership club with coworking, programming, and a café. Conceptually the closest analog to BasBlue — though The Wing was multi-city and venture-backed while BasBlue is a single-site nonprofit, both serve the same membership-driven women's professional community thesis.
• Chief: Private membership network for women executives offering clubhouses, programming, and peer networking. Comparable to BasBlue in target demographic (women in leadership) and clubhouse-with-programming model, though Chief is venture-backed and multi-city while BasBlue is nonprofit and single-site.
• The Riveter: Women-focused membership coworking and community brand (multi-city). Closely comparable to BasBlue on membership + programming + physical-space model, though The Riveter was venture-backed and has shifted format; serves as a useful analog for the women's clubhouse thesis.

Regional players

• Bamboo Detroit: Detroit-based coworking and community space operator serving entrepreneurs and small businesses. Comparable local-market coworking/community model to BasBlue, with overlapping target members (Detroit entrepreneurs) but a gender-neutral, broader SMB focus.
• Michigan Women Forward: Michigan-based nonprofit supporting women entrepreneurs through lending, business education, and microlending. Comparable to BasBlue's entrepreneur-support mission and Southeast Michigan footprint, with overlapping grant-funded programming model.
• Inforum: Michigan-based nonprofit driving women to leadership through programming, networking, and recognition. Comparable to BasBlue's professional-development mission for women in Michigan, with overlapping member-based and event-driven revenue model.
• TechTown Detroit: Detroit-based business incubator and coworking hub offering programming, mentorship, and workspace for entrepreneurs. Comparable to BasBlue's Zero-to-One Fellowship and Founders + Fund(Her)s entrepreneur support, though TechTown is broader in sector focus and not women-specific.

Others

• Detroit Blight Busters / Urban Neighborhood Initiatives: Detroit nonprofit focused on neighborhood revitalization and community development. Comparable to BasBlue on the nonprofit, place-based, Detroit-resurrection narrative — BasBlue's mansion was 'resurrected from abandonment' — though Urban Neighborhood Initiatives focuses on housing rather than professional community.

Broad incumbents

• 1871 Chicago: Major nonprofit technology and entrepreneurship hub in Chicago offering coworking, programming, and corporate partnerships. Comparable to BasBlue's programming + entrepreneur-support model at significantly greater scale, with overlapping nonprofit hub model and corporate-sponsor revenue mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/basblueus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/basblueus
• Instagraminstagram.com/basblueus

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BasBlue