KALAMAZOO – Kalamazoo soon will be the newest home of a national program to engage, educate and connect local entrepreneurs. Founded by the Kauffman Foundation, 1 Million Cups is based on the notion that entrepreneurs network and discover solutions over a million cups of coffee.

The free, weekly gathering helps build startup communities on a grassroots level.

Beginning September 5, entrepreneurs, innovators, funders and other interested community members are invited to attend the first Wednesday of each month from 8 to 9 a.m. at the WMed Innovation Center, located at 4717 Campus Drive, Kalamazoo, MI 49008.

The program’s model is consistent in each city: Each month on the first Wednesday morning, two early-stage startups present their companies to an audience of mentors, advisers and other entrepreneurs. Each founder presents for six minutes, followed by a 20-minute question-and-answer session with the audience.

The inaugural 1 Million Cups in Kalamazoo will feature presentations by Kalamazoo Candle Company, which makes handcrafted, all-natural soy candles, and Laser Augmented Diamond Drilling LLC, which has developed a technology for producing precision holes in hard and brittle materials for the aerospace and automotive industries.

In each 1 Million Cups city, local entrepreneurs drive the program as community organizers. Volunteering for the leadership roles in Kalamazoo are:

  • Sandra Cochrane, WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
  • Tamara Davis, Michigan Small Business Development Center
  • Sonja Dean, Local Initiatives Support Corporation
  • Lucy Dilley, The Can-Do Kitchen
  • Lara Hobson, Western Michigan University Starting Gate
  • James Lipsey, Kalamazoo entrepreneur & community advocate
  • Nicole Parker, ANP Creatives Consulting
  • Dwayne Powell, City of Kalamazoo

“Bringing 1 Million Cups to Kalamazoo will expand the local entrepreneurial community and bring it together at the same time,” Cochrane said. “1MC will provide an informal forum where entrepreneurs can support each other and connect to resources.”

View the national website at www.1millioncups.com and access the Kalamazoo microsite at https://www.1millioncups.com/kalamazoo.