1 Million Cups looks to start up weekly SF events
The caffeine-laced weekly meetup 1 Million Cups may soon be offering a morning-brew venue for entrepreneurs in Santa Fe.
The weekly gatherings, created in 2012 by the Kansas-City-based Kauffman Foundation, are growing rapidly, with its fresh coffee aroma now wafting through entrepreneurial meet-ups in 163 cities nationwide, said Kauffman Program Associate Jordan Marsillo. That’s up from 100 a year ago, and just 60 when Albuquerque launched it in 2014.
Given its broad popularity here, Kauffman is now encouraging expansion to Santa Fe.
“Given the close proximity to Albuquerque and its success there, we want to spread that energy into another community,” Marsillo said. “There’s a wonderful bubble of entrepreneurial activity in New Mexico, but Albuquerque is the only local city right now with 1 Million Cups.”
The weekly event brings together aspiring and veteran businesspeople to discuss startup initiatives, share ideas and support one another.
One local firm, or an individual with a business idea, presents to participants each week. Speakers share their goals and strategies, as well as achievements, failures and challenges, to get feedback from peers.
The Albuquerque meet-up attracts an average of about 70 people every week, said Charles White, lead organizer in Albuquerque. Hundreds more watch through live-streaming video or recordings of past presentations, he said.
It’s unclear if Santa Fe can replicate that success, said Sean O’Shea, program director at the Santa Fe Business Incubator and a local organizer for the initiative.
“We have concerns about who will organize it and what the right structure and frequency would be here,” O’Shea said. “Albuquerque is a great place to do it weekly, but Santa Fe is about one-quarter the size. It might be a struggle to find presenters every week.”
1 Million Cups depends entirely on local entrepreneurs to organize and coordinate it, although Kauffman provides a web platform with tools, resources, and training. “We help prepare organizers and then take a step back,” Marsillo said. “The magic comes from the community.”
Santa Fe may be ripe for such entrepreneurial gatherings, said Melanie Lenci, a marketing consultant who is organizing a new monthly meet-up called Kick Ass Entrepreneurs of Santa Fe. That group’s inaugural event is Feb. 1.