A New Year’s Resolution: Caffeinate Your Community with 1 Million Cups

This week’s blog is from Kait Lance, shining intern turned full-fledged Entrepreneurship Evangelist for The Creative Coast and Creators’ Foundry.  True to form, Kait’s message brings us the latest greatest news about cool things happening down on Boundary Street so grab a mug and read on! FYI – – The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonders. Guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map….   It’s that time of year again – – the time for New Year’s resolutions. I’d like to share one of my own resolutions in hopes that you will add this to your list of aspirations for the New Year: Help caffeinate our community with 1 Million Cups. The idea for 1 Million Cups came from founder Nate Olson, an employee of the entrepreneurial and educational Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, Missouri. Olson was meeting up weekly for coffee with Kansas City entrepreneurs on an individual basis. Over the course of these meetings, he realized that the entrepreneurs were lacking connectivity with each other and others invested in the startup community. The thought occurred to him that if entrepreneurs and those who cared about the success of startups could gather over coffee regularly, then a more supportive community could be built to foster the growth of startups throughout the region. This past fall, the Kauffman Foundation invited Bea Wray and me to their 1 Million Cups Fall Summit. Over several days, we learned about the program, which takes place every Wednesday morning from 9-10 am in Kansas City and 56 cities across the nation. The weekly meet-ups provide two new and innovative startups with the opportunity to share a 6-minute presentation of their business to a group of people who care. This audience then has the chance to give feedback in 20-minutes of Q&A with each of the entrepreneurs. Next Wednesday, January 7^th, The Creative Coast will kick off the year by hosting the first 1 Million Cups in the state of Georgia. Our local 1 Million Cups organizers, a solid team of experienced entrepreneurs including Murray Wilson of tps Consulting, Jill Cheeks of The Meaning Company, Francis Okechukwu of Servotronics Technology, and Bea Wray of The Creative Coast, have been prepping for months to launch this exciting weekly event. 1 Million Cups is an amazing opportunity for Savannah’s entrepreneurs. By presenting at 1 Million Cups, startups will receive educational support from the Kauffman Foundation, mentorship from local organizers, input from an audience of fellow entrepreneurs and service providers in the area, and incredible exposure through social media and the 1 Million Cups Savannah website. Attendees won’t lose an hour of their day either. 1 Million Cups is an amazing networking opportunity and a chance to help local businesses and our economy thrive.  Plus all attendees will receive a FREE cup of PERC Coffee. That’s hard to beat. Join me in my New Year’s resolution next Wednesday from 9-10 am at Creators’ Foundry (415 West Boundary Street) and help caffeinate our community of startups with 1 Million Cups Savannah! Visit 1 Million Cups Savannah to apply as a presenter or to let us know you’ll be attending an upcoming session. Kait  ]]>