About the business:
In 1994, founder and CEO Perry Mehta noticed that in India, even CEOs of large companies didn't have access to computers. He knew it would take an innovative idea to increase computer access abroad at a large scale. Mehta decided to use $40,000-50,000 of his own money to launch his business in Detroit. Keeping all of FutureNet Group's business overseas, the company began to offer computer education to disadvantaged children in Southeast Asia. Currently, FutureNet Group serves around 20,000 children each day.
After acquiring licenses to do business with local, state and federal governments, FutureNet's operations expanded to the Detroit area. They also began to offer, of all things, environmental and construction services. Air monitoring, road resurfacing, network support, asbestos and lead inspections are just a few of the diverse services FutureNet Group currently provides.
--By Eno Alfred
The companies on this year's Inner City 100 have managed to build fast-growing businesses in economically depressed cities. Here's how they are doing it. More
Terracycle got its start selling worm poop as fertilizer to the likes of Home Depot and Wal-Mart and has since turned itself into a burgeoning trash-to-treasure emporium. More
