In a move to seamlessly integrate non-English speakers into the entrepreneurial ecosystem, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation's 1 Million Cups program has launched an all-Spanish-speaking community in Fort Worth, making it the first of its kind for the national network. This new installment of the initiative, called 1 Million Cups en Español, kicked off at Accelerate Fort Worth, situated within the James E. Guinn Entrepreneurial Campus, drawing together Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs to share, network, and grow their enterprises.
The objective is to encourage the same level of networking and solution-finding that 1 Million Cups has cultivated since its inception. It aims to fully cater to the needs of the Spanish-speaking business community. 1 Million Cups gatherings are hosted at no cost every Wednesday at 9 am, featuring two early-stage startup presentations, each followed by a dynamic 20-minute Q&A session, as reported by the City of Fort Worth.
Fort Worth's initiative mirrors the structure found in several other cities across the United States, maintaining a uniform approach to fostering startup growth. Since 2014, the original English-speaking 1 Million Cups community in Fort Worth has been a platform for entrepreneurs to present their startups before an audience of their peers, mentors, and advisers, providing a ripe environment for budding enterprises to flourish.
The Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has partnered to launch this program to significantly bolster the support system for Spanish-speaking business owners. 1 Million Cups en Español adds to a variety of ongoing workshops and programs for small businesses and entrepreneurs at the Devoyd Jennings Business Assistance Center (BAC) and the broader James E. Guinn Entrepreneurial Campus.
