1 Million Cups Cherokee Seeks To Connect Local Entrepreneurs

WOODSTOCK, GA -- Cherokee County soon will be the newest home of a national program designed to engage, educate and connect local entrepreneurs. Founded by the Kauffman Foundation, 1 Million Cups is based on the notion that entrepreneurs network and discover solutions over a million cups of coffee.

The free, bi-weekly coffee gathering helps build startup communities on a grassroots level. Scheduled to begin Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, entrepreneurs, innovators, funders, mentors and other interested community members are invited to attend each gathering on the first and third Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Led by the Cherokee Office of Economic Development and powered by its Fresh Start Cherokee brand, this local chapter -- 1 Million Cups Cherokee -- will be headquartered at The Circuit in Woodstock on the first Wednesday. On the third Wednesday of each month, 1 Million Cups Cherokee will go on tour to different cities in the county. On Feb. 21, the group will meet in Holly Springs; March 21 in Canton; and April 18 in Waleska at Reinhardt University.

The program’s model is consistent in each city across the county: one or two early-stage startups present their companies to an audience of mentors, advisers, local leaders and other entrepreneurs. Each founder presents for six minutes, followed by a 20-minute question-and-answer session with the audience.

The inaugural 1 Million Cups Cherokee meeting will be held in Woodstock at The Circuit and will feature presentations by Abdel Altamimi and Erick Rivera, who are developing a new partnership to relaunch their innovative accounting startup, Balco, which helps startups and SMBs with total financial services, client
management, consulting and cloud technology solutions.

"As Erick and I begin building a fresh strategy for Balco in 2018, it’s vital to have both the support and constructive feedback of this talented entrepreneurial community," Abdel said. "We believe that sharing our ideas and challenges in community give them the greatest chance for success."

In each 1 Million Cups chapter and city, local entrepreneurs and leaders drive the program as community organizers. Volunteering for the leadership roles in Cherokee is a collaborative team of support:

• Misti Martin, president, Cherokee Office of Economic Development
• Jonathan Chambers, community manager of entrepreneurship, COED
• Erin Honea, main street director, city of Holly Springs
• Matthew Thomas, economic development manager, city of Canton
• Brian Stockton, director, Office of Economic Development, city of Woodstock
• Tim Norton, vice president of advancement/marketing, Reinhardt University (representing the city of Waleska)

“A county-wide collaboration that unites the cities with the backing of a well-respected national brand like the Kauffman Foundation makes the Cherokee chapter unique as well as the vision for creating a culture of entrepreneurship stronger,” Martin said. “We’re excited about gathering a community of support around Cherokee entrepreneurs and continuing to make our county an ideal place to launch and grow a startup close to home.”

To learn more visit the 1 Million Cups Cherokee website. You can also follow the initiative on Twitter @1millioncupschk.

Image via Cherokee Office of Economic Development