Building Community, Not Just Coworking: How Amanda Lewan Is Transforming Michigan's Startup Ecosystem

Written By Ryan Morrison
 
 

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About Amanda Lewan

  • Two-time Crain's Detroit Business 40 Under 40 honoree (2017, 2024) - Recognized as one of Detroit's top young business leaders

  • Co-founder and CEO of Bamboo - Michigan's premier coworking space serving nearly 700 companies across four locations

  • Pushcart Prize Nominee - Award-winning writer published in The Rumpus, Belt Magazine, and The Nation

  • Vanguard Leadership Award Winner (2016) - Honored for transformative leadership in Detroit's entrepreneurial community

  • Forbes Recognition - Bamboo featured as one of the best places to start and scale a company

When Amanda Lewan and her co-founders borrowed $5,000 from a business partner's dad to open Detroit's first downtown coworking space in 2013, they had no idea they were laying the foundation for one of Michigan's most influential startup communities. Today, Bamboo operates across four Michigan cities and has become a central force in the state's entrepreneurial ecosystem—not just providing physical space, but nurturing the kind of authentic community that helps people and ideas thrive.

In this episode of The Ryan Morrison Show, Amanda shares the raw, unfiltered story of building Bamboo from a "speakeasy" office above a bail bondsman to a multi-location real estate development company that's helping redefine what's possible in Michigan's innovation economy.

 

From Rejection to Revolution: The Origins of Bamboo

The story of Bamboo didn't start with a polished business plan or venture capital backing. It started with rejection and necessity.

"We did get rejected from a couple incubators or accelerators in town," Amanda recalls. "We were like, hey, well, we just need to go do this. And we wanted it to be a place where everybody felt welcome."

This early rejection became the seed of Bamboo's defining philosophy: radical inclusion. Rather than creating an exclusive tech-only accelerator, Amanda and her co-founders envisioned a space where entrepreneurs of all types could connect, collaborate, and build together.

The original space—2,000 square feet of raw loft-style space with red brick and hardwood floors, sandwiched between a bail bondsman and a music studio—had no signage. "My team jokingly calls it a speakeasy now," Amanda laughs. "It had no sign. But we just started building community."

The timing was both challenging and opportune. Detroit had just filed for bankruptcy, and many questioned whether anything positive could emerge from the city. "I remember people didn't think anything was happening in Detroit at that time," Amanda says. "It was definitely a period of post-bankruptcy rebirth... There wasn't that many startups yet so we had to develop the startup ecosystem around us and then we grew with it."

 

The Power of Density: Why Community Beats Competition

One of Amanda's core insights about building startup ecosystems centers on the concept of "density"—not just physical proximity, but the diversity of people and expertise coming together in one space.

"If you're a tech founder, it's so helpful to bump into a lawyer or another executive or an investor," Amanda explains. "And that's where the magic of a startup community comes together, is that density in that community."

This philosophy stands in stark contrast to the hyper-specialized, exclusive accelerator model. At Bamboo, you might find a software startup next to a creative agency, a lawyer collaborating with a hardware entrepreneur, or an investor meeting their next portfolio company over coffee in a shared kitchen.

The results speak for themselves. Over the past decade, Bamboo has served nearly 700 companies, with member businesses generating an estimated $74+ million in annual revenue. More than half of Bamboo's member businesses are owned by women—a remarkable statistic in an industry where female founders remain significantly underrepresented.

 

Expanding Beyond Detroit: Learning Each City's Unique Culture

Today, Bamboo operates in four Michigan cities: Detroit, Royal Oak, Ann Arbor, and Grand Rapids. But Amanda is quick to note that expansion isn't about copy-pasting a model—it's about understanding and honoring each community's unique character.

"I think it's hard to boil down a city," Amanda reflects when asked about the differences between locations. "In Detroit, it was very grassroots and gritty and like, none of us had money, so we just kind of strapped together things and came together and helped each other out."

Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan, brings a different energy. "Everybody is so nice, so creative. There was a huge tech and innovation community pre-pandemic... So many smart people and so many students that I think could build the next generation of companies here if we can just get them to think about staying in Michigan."

Despite the cultural differences, Amanda notes that Michigan's startup communities face common challenges: "Everywhere we go, a founder will tell you it's a struggle to raise $500K. That should not be a struggle in Michigan. Everywhere we go, they'll tell you that we don't really have density yet."

This consistent feedback has shaped Bamboo's mission: create the density, provide the infrastructure, and help Michigan entrepreneurs access the resources they need to build and scale without leaving the state.

 

The Grand Rapids Story: Community-Led Development at Scale

Perhaps no Bamboo location better exemplifies Amanda's community-first approach than the upcoming Grand Rapids space—a 40,000 square-foot innovation hub that represents Bamboo's largest and most ambitious project to date.

"For a year and a half, we just kept pitching our vision and meeting with people," Amanda recalls. "We talked to almost 100 different community members and stakeholders. So we used our ability to build community to get feedback from the ecosystem."

The project required navigating unprecedented challenges: securing investment partners, obtaining a tax abatement for the first time, and receiving a state grant. "All of these potentially big, scary things we had to go achieve," Amanda says. But by involving the community from the beginning, Bamboo turned stakeholders into co-creators.

"If you want to bring your vision to life, let your customers build it with and for you," Amanda emphasizes. "That's like the ultimate entrepreneurship hack."

The Grand Rapids location, developed in partnership with Start Garden and designed by Detroit-based architecture firm Synecdoche, will feature an incubation partner as an anchor tenant alongside all the amenities Bamboo members have come to expect. It officially closed in April and is scheduled to open by year's end.

 

Building Through Adversity: The Royal Oak Pandemic Story

Bamboo's Royal Oak location stands as a testament to conviction in the face of uncertainty. The space opened in February 2021—in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, with members wearing masks and social distancing protocols in place.

"I still can't believe we developed a historic building into a vibrant and full space in the middle of a pandemic," Amanda reflects on her LinkedIn. "Our first customers wore masks, social distanced, and were unbelievably supportive, patient, and kind."

The pandemic fundamentally reshaped the coworking industry. WeWork, once valued at $47 billion, collapsed and closed over 100 locations. Meanwhile, Bamboo not only survived but expanded, demonstrating the resilience of a community-first model rooted in local relationships rather than rapid, venture-backed growth.

"Community in some ways might be more important as we're all at home, more remote," Amanda observes. "I could not work from home full time. I would just be so miserable."

 

The Launch Committee Model: Co-Creating with Community

When Bamboo entered Ann Arbor, Amanda pioneered a "launch committee" approach that has since become a blueprint for community-engaged expansion.

"We formed a committee of 10 to 12 different ecosystem leaders, like people who are founders working in the community," Amanda explains. "When we asked them to be one of our first members, we'll gift you membership in exchange, give us your critical feedback, help us build this so it feels like it's a part of the community."

The committee included local founders, investors, and ecosystem builders who provided honest feedback and helped shape everything from programming to physical space design. "You want to build something that is relevant and helpful and you will need people you trust to give you real feedback and gut check all that stuff," Amanda notes.

The results extended beyond feedback. Committee members became collaborators on joint programs, website designers for other locations, and long-term community partners. "So much comes from being a part of a committee, even if you're all busy, you don't have that much time," Amanda says. "We only ask everyone to get together once before opening, once after, so we try to be mindful of everyone's time."

 

Beyond Ego: The Career Elevator vs. The Corporate Ladder

When Ryan asked Amanda about the biggest lessons from the past year and a half, her answer revealed her philosophy about entrepreneurial growth.

"Don't underestimate the value of great partners and really pouring into the people who are lifting you up," Amanda emphasizes. "When I was graduating and I had started my company in school, my goal was to avoid the corporate ladder. I didn't want to climb the rungs and end up in a space where I'm fat, unhappy."

Instead, Amanda chose what she calls the "career elevator" approach—surrounding herself with people who have done it before, who can help lift her up, while also bringing value to them and pulling others up alongside her.

"Find people who complement you and who you can bring value to and they can bring value to you," Amanda advises. "Don't be afraid of—don't let ego get in the way of what you can accomplish."

For first-time founders especially, Amanda notes that ego can become a trap. "Your baby is your business... You have a vision. But as a leader, I think it's about giving people a vision and then helping them create it and push it forward and not getting so attached to the how, but being more laser focused" on the ultimate outcome.

 

Michigan's Moment: Building the Infrastructure for the Next Wave

Throughout the conversation, Amanda returns repeatedly to Michigan's potential and the infrastructure still needed to fully realize it.

"I think Michigan is at a really interesting time," Amanda observes. "Detroit was ranked the #1 emerging ecosystem globally. That's remarkable considering where the city was just a decade ago."

Success stories like Duo Security—the Ann Arbor cybersecurity company acquired by Cisco for $2.35 billion, which was a Bamboo member—have helped legitimize Michigan as a serious tech hub. "After Duo's exit, you could see talent dispersing to start new companies or lead teams in cybersecurity," Amanda notes. "That multiplier effect of exits in an emerging ecosystem is so important."

But challenges remain. The perennial struggle to raise early-stage capital ($500K rounds shouldn't be difficult), the ongoing brain drain of university talent leaving the state, and the need for greater density of startups, investors, and supporting services all require continued attention and investment.

Bamboo's expansion across Michigan represents one answer to these challenges: create the physical and community infrastructure that makes it easier to start, build, and scale companies within the state. By connecting Detroit, Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, and Grand Rapids—and potentially expanding to other Midwest cities—Bamboo is helping build the connective tissue that transforms isolated pockets of innovation into a genuine, state-wide ecosystem.

 

The Writer-Entrepreneur: Bridging Two Worlds

What makes Amanda's story particularly unique is her dual identity as both a CEO and a Pushcart Prize-nominated writer. Her creative work has been published in prestigious literary outlets including The Rumpus, Belt Magazine, The Nation, and Detroit Metro Times.

She's currently working on a connected short story series set during Detroit's 2008 auto recession, exploring themes of mothering, abandonment, and alcohol addiction—deeply personal territory that reflects her working-class Detroit roots.

This combination of business acumen and literary artistry isn't coincidental. Building a company, like writing a compelling story, requires understanding narrative, character, conflict, and resolution. It requires empathy, the ability to see from multiple perspectives, and the skill to craft a vision that others want to be part of.

Amanda's background—a BA in Professional Writing from Michigan State and an MA in English from Wayne State—informs her approach to community building. She understands that entrepreneurship is fundamentally about telling stories: the story of what could be, the story of why it matters, and the story that brings people together around a shared mission.

 

Looking Ahead: A Connected Michigan Ecosystem

As Bamboo continues to grow and evolve, Amanda's vision extends beyond just adding locations. It's about fundamentally changing what's possible in Michigan.

"People are very excited to connect the different sides of the state," Amanda notes about the Grand Rapids expansion. "They want to be connected. They don't want to be one disconnected ecosystem."

This vision of a connected Michigan—where an entrepreneur can start in Ann Arbor, scale in Detroit, access resources in Grand Rapids, and find community in Royal Oak—represents a different model from the coastal tech hub playbook. It's a model that honors Michigan's distributed geography while creating the density and connectivity that startups need to thrive.

For Michigan's next generation of entrepreneurs, creatives, and innovators, Bamboo offers more than just desk space or conference rooms. It offers proof that you don't have to leave the Midwest to build something meaningful. It offers community when isolation threatens to derail dreams. And it offers a physical manifestation of the belief that Michigan's best days aren't behind it—they're being built right now, one connection at a time.

 
 

Memorable Quotes from the Episode

On Starting Bamboo:

"We literally borrowed $5,000 from my partner, Mike Ferlito's dad... We got Ikea furniture and paint and we just got this loft style space with red brick. My team jokingly calls it a speakeasy now. It had no sign. But we just started building community."

On Radical Inclusion:

"We wanted it to be a place where everybody felt welcome. I think that is something that Bamboo is still true to today. We have a very diverse community, all kinds of people."

On Community Density:

"If you're a tech founder, it's so helpful to bump into a lawyer or another executive or an investor. And that's where the magic of a startup community comes together, is that density in that community."

On Detroit's Transformation:

"I remember people didn't think anything was happening in Detroit at that time. It was definitely a period of post-bankruptcy rebirth... We had to develop the startup ecosystem around us and then we grew with it."

On Community-Led Development:

"If you want to bring your vision to life, let your customers build it with and for you. That's like the ultimate entrepreneurship hack."

On The Career Elevator:

"My goal was to avoid the corporate ladder. What I opted for instead was a career elevator. Surround myself with people who have done it before, who can help lift me up, who I can also bring value to, but then also look back and bring those people up."

On Ego and Leadership:

"Don't let ego get in the way of what you can accomplish. As a leader, it's about giving people a vision and then helping them create it and push it forward and not getting so attached to the how."

On Working From Home:

"I could not work from home full time. I would just be so miserable. People will be like, 'I listened to the TV or music in the background, so I'm not alone.' And that's just sad to me."

 

Bamboo Coworking Locations:

Amanda's Work:

Michigan Ecosystem Partners:

Related Articles:

 

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