1 Million Cups presenters have shot at $10K
July 1, 2015 | Bobby Burch
One of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s most popular programs, 1 Million Cups, will soon be offering entrepreneurs more than its typical morning refreshments.
Photo by Justin Leibow
Program leaders announced Wednesday that it’s launching the “One in a Million” competition, in which former presenters in the program could snag $10,000.
Now in more than 70 cities worldwide, 1 Million Cups invites two startup founders each week to present their companies over coffee or tea and then respond to questions or comments from the audience.
“This competition is really great for entrepreneurs and for more awareness of the program,” said Courtney Chapman, a co-organizer of the weekly event. “It’s really amazing that we have this network of people in 1 Million Cups. Each program around the country is a little bit different, but each still has the same goal of fostering entrepreneurship and making their communities better for entrepreneurship. ”
Presenters from all the U.S. cities in which 1 Million Cups operates are eligible for the competition, culminating in Kansas City during Global Entrepreneurship Week in November. Finalists in the contest will also receive pitch coaching and other mentorship.
To be eligible, an entrepreneur must have presented at 1 Million Cups before Aug. 2, and have a scalable company located in the U.S. The winner of One in a Million will receive $10,000, while second place earns $5,000 and third $1,000.
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Meet Kansas City’s ‘data experts in coffee,’ PerfectCube
Editor’s note: This content is sponsored by LaunchKC but independently produced by Startland News. Kansas City’s flourishing independent coffee roaster market has brewed opportunity for a duo of entrepreneurs. Mark Calhoun and Jim Starcev co-founded the big data platform PerfectCube in 2015. And although the platform is a viable analytics solution for any retailer, the…
Joni Cobb and Pipeline took ‘a leap of faith’ that’s paying off
In 2006, Joni Cobb was busy coaxing Kansas business executives to apply for a program honing their leadership skills. Then a state-subsidized program, Pipeline would cultivate promising entrepreneurs that would tangentially grow the Sunflower State’s economy with their firms. Extolled as rigorous, the Pipeline sales pitch hit snags with its intensiveness and novelty. Skeptical entrepreneurs…
The Pipeline fellowship’s journey to the Emerald Isle in photos
In an educational adventure focused on finance and global business strategy, the Pipeline entrepreneurial fellowship program ventured across the pond for a week of relationship building. I tagged along not only to observe the experience — expect more on that front soon — but to capture some moments with my camera. This smattering of photos, which…
Kansas City startups flex pitch skills in national Kauffman contest
Four Kansas City area startups — and one Lawrence, Kan. firm — have qualified to the top 40 of Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s 1 in a Million pitch competition. The competition offers those who have presented at 1 Million Cups in the last year a chance to snag a $25,000 prize. Hundreds of applicants — who…