1MC Playbook background v6
Background ORGANIZER PLAYBOOK
BACKGROUND The 1 Million Cups (1MC) Playbook is designed to help you and your team successfully run and sustain the 1MC program in your community. It will serve as your team’s guidebook for making decisions, building your program and handling difficult situations. The Playbook is made up of several modules. This modules provides an introduction to the Kauffman Foundation and background on the 1MC program. The Playbook will be regularly refined by the Kauffman Foundation in collaboration with 1MC organizers.
About the Kauffman Foundation Established in 1966 by the late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman, the Kauffman Foundation is based in Kansas City, Missouri, and is among the largest private foundations in the United States with an asset base of approximately $2 billion. Its vision is to foster a society of economically independent individuals who are engaged citizens in their communities. In service of this vision, it focuses its grant making and operations on two areas: education and entrepreneurship, which Ewing Kauffman saw as two ends of a continuum. The Kauffman Foundation’s entrepreneurship work is national in scale. Its strategy supports entrepreneurs through entrepreneurship-education programs and by fostering entrepreneurial communities that help entrepreneurs more effectively start and grow their firms. To learn more about the Kauffman Foundation, visit www.kauffman.org; to explore its entrepreneurship-education programs, visit www.entrepreneurship.org.
About 1 Million Cups 1 Million Cups (1MC) is a free, national program that first and foremost educates, but also engages and connects local entrepreneurs. 1MC was created by the Kauffman Foundation in 2012 to connect what was, at the time, a fragmented Kansas City startup community. The 1MC name was inspired by an article titled “A Million Cups,” written by Seth Kravitz, founder of Technori. The premise of the article is that true communities are built through meaningful interactions between people over a million cups of coffee. 1MC’s culture is supportive and neutral, welcoming entrepreneurs to be open and honest about their businesses and the challenges they face. The program platform is not a traditional “pitch” environment. Rather, an entrepreneur makes an educational presentation to a room of individuals who can provide constructive criticism, share experiences and support one another as a community.
Have more questions? Contact 1MC headquarters at [email protected]
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BACKGROUND
How 1MC works: • On Wednesday mornings, one or two early-stage startups present their companies to a diverse local audience of peers, mentors, educators and advisors. • Prior to presenting, the startup founder hones her or his skills through free, online lessons from Kauffman Founders School. • Each founder’s presentation lasts six minutes and is followed by a 20-minute question-andanswer session with the audience. • After the question-and-answer session, the presenter is always asked this question: “What can we, as a community, do to help you?”
Characteristics The program’s core characteristics can be replicated easily (with the right volunteer organizers) from community to community. • Volunteers: 1MC is organized by engaged community members interested in establishing and enhancing a culture of entrepreneurship in their communities. • Culture: 1MC events are learning environments where budding businesses can be discussed in a neutral and supportive atmosphere. • Educational: The application process, which includes watching 1MC/Kauffman Founders School Powerful Presentations for 1 Million Cups and coaching from one or more organizers, helps entrepreneurs focus on their presentation and question-and-answer skills. The process of preparing to present, presenting and receiving feedback is a meaningful learning experience that contributes to the progress of entrepreneurs. • Consistency: Every 1MC program across the country follows the same format. • Audience engagement: The 20 minutes of Q&A with audience members helps to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem and engage community members in supporting that ecosystem. • Sales free: The presentations are not intended to raise capital or pitch products. They are intended to be shared learning experiences that assist both the presenters and audience members. • Informal value: The informal connections that happen in hallway conversations are key to expanding the entrepreneurial support system in each community. • Industry agnostic: 1MC welcomes presenters from all industries.
Have more questions? Contact 1MC headquarters at [email protected]
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BACKGROUND The 1 Million Cups (1MC) Playbook is designed to help you and your team successfully run and sustain the 1MC program in your community. It will serve as your team’s guidebook for making decisions, building your program and handling difficult situations. The Playbook is made up of several modules. This modules provides an introduction to the Kauffman Foundation and background on the 1MC program. The Playbook will be regularly refined by the Kauffman Foundation in collaboration with 1MC organizers.
About the Kauffman Foundation Established in 1966 by the late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman, the Kauffman Foundation is based in Kansas City, Missouri, and is among the largest private foundations in the United States with an asset base of approximately $2 billion. Its vision is to foster a society of economically independent individuals who are engaged citizens in their communities. In service of this vision, it focuses its grant making and operations on two areas: education and entrepreneurship, which Ewing Kauffman saw as two ends of a continuum. The Kauffman Foundation’s entrepreneurship work is national in scale. Its strategy supports entrepreneurs through entrepreneurship-education programs and by fostering entrepreneurial communities that help entrepreneurs more effectively start and grow their firms. To learn more about the Kauffman Foundation, visit www.kauffman.org; to explore its entrepreneurship-education programs, visit www.entrepreneurship.org.
About 1 Million Cups 1 Million Cups (1MC) is a free, national program that first and foremost educates, but also engages and connects local entrepreneurs. 1MC was created by the Kauffman Foundation in 2012 to connect what was, at the time, a fragmented Kansas City startup community. The 1MC name was inspired by an article titled “A Million Cups,” written by Seth Kravitz, founder of Technori. The premise of the article is that true communities are built through meaningful interactions between people over a million cups of coffee. 1MC’s culture is supportive and neutral, welcoming entrepreneurs to be open and honest about their businesses and the challenges they face. The program platform is not a traditional “pitch” environment. Rather, an entrepreneur makes an educational presentation to a room of individuals who can provide constructive criticism, share experiences and support one another as a community.
Have more questions? Contact 1MC headquarters at [email protected]
1
BACKGROUND
How 1MC works: • On Wednesday mornings, one or two early-stage startups present their companies to a diverse local audience of peers, mentors, educators and advisors. • Prior to presenting, the startup founder hones her or his skills through free, online lessons from Kauffman Founders School. • Each founder’s presentation lasts six minutes and is followed by a 20-minute question-andanswer session with the audience. • After the question-and-answer session, the presenter is always asked this question: “What can we, as a community, do to help you?”
Characteristics The program’s core characteristics can be replicated easily (with the right volunteer organizers) from community to community. • Volunteers: 1MC is organized by engaged community members interested in establishing and enhancing a culture of entrepreneurship in their communities. • Culture: 1MC events are learning environments where budding businesses can be discussed in a neutral and supportive atmosphere. • Educational: The application process, which includes watching 1MC/Kauffman Founders School Powerful Presentations for 1 Million Cups and coaching from one or more organizers, helps entrepreneurs focus on their presentation and question-and-answer skills. The process of preparing to present, presenting and receiving feedback is a meaningful learning experience that contributes to the progress of entrepreneurs. • Consistency: Every 1MC program across the country follows the same format. • Audience engagement: The 20 minutes of Q&A with audience members helps to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem and engage community members in supporting that ecosystem. • Sales free: The presentations are not intended to raise capital or pitch products. They are intended to be shared learning experiences that assist both the presenters and audience members. • Informal value: The informal connections that happen in hallway conversations are key to expanding the entrepreneurial support system in each community. • Industry agnostic: 1MC welcomes presenters from all industries.
Have more questions? Contact 1MC headquarters at [email protected]
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