1 Million Cups Philadelphia, the free monthly event that brings together entrepreneurs and the community that supports them, has turned one!
In early 2018 Francisco Garcia, Director of Business Development Innovation & Technology at the City of Philadelphia approached the Kauffman Foundation to bring 1 Million Cups (1MC) to Philadelphia. In May 2018, the first 1MC event took place. When asked why it’s essential to have programs like 1MC represent the entry point to the Philly startup community, Garcia shared, “I think the key is to make entrepreneurship more a part of the DNA of Philadelphia by bringing it down from its pedestal.”
“Don’t get me wrong, starting a business is extremely difficult, but the way it becomes inclusive of more communities is by making it easy for people to put themselves out there in an informal environment. It’s important to have programs like 1MC that don’t intimidate early-stage entrepreneurs from telling people what they’re working on and receiving constructive feedback.”
We at Philly Startup Leaders agree. As the lead organizer for 1MC Philadelphia, we aim to magnify the entry point to Philly’s startup ecosystem, and along with our organizing partners (representatives from Startup PHL, Drexel University, PromptWorks, Comcast, La Colombe, Switchboard Live and Cooley LLC.), offer a warm in-person welcome to new entrepreneurs seeking support from the thriving Philly startup community.
Meet The Companies
Over the past year since 1MC came to Philadelphia, we have heard from 20 entrepreneurs, met up in 8 different venues hosted by organizations who have generously offered their space for us (Saxbys, La Colombe, PHL Innovation Lab, Comcast LIFT Labs, MakeOffices, 3675 Market St., Garfield Group, Vanguard Innovation Studio); and convened 300+ community members over many cups of coffee (thank you La Colombe, Saxbys, and Elixr). 1MC Philadelphia participants include:
Eoko inc. http://eokoapp.com
LincSphere http://www.lincsphere.com
RoundTrip http://www.rideroundtrip.com
Teamtrics https://www.teamtrics.com/
NuMoola http://www.numoola.com
TrekIT Health http://www.trekithealth.com
Social Detection, Inc. http://www.socialdetection.com
Vox Vinc3nt http://www.voxvinc3nt.com
My Bodega Online http://www.mybodega.online
Ippolito Media Arts http://ima314.com/
Swirl http://tryswirl.com
ZeroEyes http://www.zeroeyes.com
Vetd https://getvetd.com
Stem Lending https://www.stemlending.com/
Fulphil http://www.ful-phil.org
LucasPye BIO https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucaspye-bio-llc
Mel’s Butter Blends https://www.melsbutterblends.com
TYP Social Media http://www.typsocialmediaco.com
Nth Round https://www.nthround.com/
Pippy Sips https://www.pippysips.com/
For more about past presenters: https://www.1millioncups.com/philadelphia/events
The Inside Scoop
At these early morning meetups (8:30am – 10am every 3rd Wednesday of the month), each entrepreneur has six minutes to tell the community who they are, what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. “It’s not a sales pitch, and it’s not an investor pitch. The goal is to have people understand what you do and some of the challenges you have had in building your business,” advises the Kauffman Foundation, the organization that started this nationwide initiative.
After the presentation, there is a 20-minute Q&A session that gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to connect with the audience, culminating to the million-dollar question: “What can we as a community do to support your growth?”
Why Present?
Companies that are less than five years old and open to community feedback can apply to present. Benefits include:
- Opportunity to refine your presentation and elevator pitch
- A network for support, including coaching from a 1 Million Cups organizer
- Access to online training programs designed to help you create a compelling presentation and master the Q&A portion
- Opportunity to pitch again and again—after you made significant changes, or received feedback in another city
- A diverse audience to engage with and learn from plus the opportunity for exposure to new markets
- The potential to receive local, regional or national media coverage on your startup
Stay Connected
The next 1 Million Cups is on Wednesday, June 19th at Vanguard Innovation Studio. REGISTER TODAY!
Apply to present at a future 1MC here: https://www.1millioncups.com/present
Stay in the loop on all 1MC events follow @startupleaders and @1MillionCupsPHL , and visit the 1MC Philadelphia website.
1 MILLION CUPS, founded by the Kauffman Foundation, is a free, nationwide program designed to educate, engage and accelerate early-stage startups. 1MC believes in the notion that entrepreneurs can discover solutions and thrive when they collaborate over a million cups of coffee. Drop in on our community of innovators and entrepreneurship enthusiasts to connect and support Philadelphia’s local startups.
The post 1 Million Cups Philadelphia: A Year in Review appeared first on Philly Startup Leaders.
