“Caffeinating an entrepreneurial nation” is the slogan of 1 Million Cups, a program developed by the Kauffman Foundation in 2012. In just four years these weekly meetings have expanded to over 100 cities across the US, where they are made available at no charge to participants.

The Kauffman Foundation, established in the mid-1960s by the late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman, is one of the largest private foundations in the United States and has an asset base of approximately $2 billion. Kauffman established the Foundation to support the causes he was passionate about—improving lives through education and entrepreneurship. The 1 Million Cups program works toward both goals.

According to Washington Monthly, 1 Million Cups was inspired by an article authored by Technori founder Seth Kravitz. A startup community “doesn’t come from cramming 50 startups into a space together or bringing in a major keynote or having a billion dollars in investment,” Kravitz wrote. “A true community is built upon a million cups of coffee …. A million meaningful interactions between people in which all sides walk away feeling they were heard, learned something, and built a meaningful bridge.” 

Every Wednesday morning at the 1 Million Cups meetings, entrepreneurs with early-stage startups gather to listen to each others’ presentations. Two entrepreneurs present a six-minute introductions to his or her business each week, followed by a 20 minute question and answer period. The ‘Powerful Presentations’ program on the 1 Million Cups web site gives helpful advice about crafting these 6 minute pitches.

Participants in 1 Million Cups talk about the benefits of getting feedback on their idea, and also of networking with other entrepreneurs within their community.  There is also a real benefit in meeting with the same group once a week, according to participants. This can help you make steady progress moving forward on your entrepreneurial idea.

I don’t know how many of the startups participating in 1 Million Cups are retailers — I would venture a guess that the majority are not, but if your city offers this program it would be well worth looking into it. Because who wouldn’t want to participate in a program that asks, every single week, the patented 1 Million Cups startup question: “What can the community do to help you?”

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder