Young entrepreneurs: This new monthly startup event is for you
If Pitch Breakfast is the big leagues, 1 Million Cups is the farm team. Or a pickup game. That’s how community organizer Adrienne Craighead describes the new entrepreneur meetup in Charlotte.
“I think of this as the starting point of entrepreneurial progress,” Craighead said. “Think of it as a farm team, you know? We’re supportive, it’s a warm, welcoming environment, we’re not there to nitpick and destroy (an idea), but to constructively help.”
1 Million Cups Charlotte meets from 8:30-10 a.m. the first Wednesday of every month at Industry Coworking in the N.C. Music Factory. The next meeting is this coming Wednesday (Nov. 2).
1 Million Cups is a national organization developed by the Kauffman Foundation and started in 2012 in Kansas City. There are now more than 75 chapters around the country. The Charlotte chapter launched in March.
Here’s how it works:
– Each meeting features two presenters.
– Each presenter gets six minutes to pitch.
– After the pitch there’s a 20-minute Q&A with the audience.
The Q&A is a chance for the audience to not only give feedback, but ask questions like “What can we as a community do to help you?” Craighead said. The presenter could be looking for money, feedback or just connections.
@Koioslib presenting this morning! Watch us on Periscope! pic.twitter.com/uQlaudSvrT
— 1MC Charlotte (@1MillionCupsCLT) April 6, 2016
The companies can’t be more than three years old, Craighead said, and the presenters get coaching from organizers before going in front of the group. Presenters have included a tuxedo rental company, a college counseling company and what Craighead described as the Carfax for home buying.
I went to the October meeting and saw a pitch from the owner of an equipment rental marketplace. Many folks in the audience asked, in various ways, how they could help him, and what he needed.
That supportive, community-building nature of the event is what Craighead said drew her to it in the first place.
“I liked the chance to mentor young people,” said Craighead, who started her own sales and marketing company. “I felt like I skinned my knees a lot and I’m still skinning my knees a lot and people helped me along the path. And I love hearing about these ideas.”
Want to go?
The next event is 8:30-10 a.m. Nov. 2 at Industry Charlotte. The event is free, and coffee will be provided. Register here. The presenters are 2ULaundry and Honeyfi.
Want to present?
Photos: Corey Inscoe
This story was originally published October 30, 2016 at 10:04 PM with the headline "Young entrepreneurs: This new monthly startup event is for you."