Startup networking event 1 Million Cups returns to in-person programming July 7 at new location in downtown Des Moines

For the first time since March 2020, 1 Million Cups Des Moines returns to in-person programming on Wed., July 7 at 8 a.m. The event will feature the nonprofit Pursuit of Innovation (Pi515) at 1 Million Cups’ new location, coworking space Gravitate Downtown.  Speakers at next week’s event will include Nancy Mwirotsi, founder and executive…

For the first time since March 2020, 1 Million Cups Des Moines returns to in-person programming on Wed., July 7 at 8 a.m. The event will feature the nonprofit Pursuit of Innovation (Pi515) at 1 Million Cups’ new location, coworking space Gravitate Downtown

Speakers at next week’s event will include Nancy Mwirotsi, founder and executive director of Pi515, as well as a mix of college and high school students who are pursuing careers in tech.

The event will also kick off the first-ever Summer Startup Tour — a month-long series of free events to welcome Des Moines’ entrepreneurs, creators and makers back to the community.

“After a successful pivot to go virtual during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, we’re excited to once again be able to host in-person 1 Million Cups Des Moines events,” said 1 Million Cups Des Moines board chair Liz Keehner. “We’re also looking forward to hosting the weekly events at our new location at Gravitate Downtown.”

1 Million Cups is “the front door for entrepreneurship” in Des Moines and other communities, according to a press release issued by the organization today. Based on the notion that entrepreneurs discover solutions and engage with their communities over an estimated one million cups of coffee, the Kauffman Foundation launched 1 Million Cups in 2012 as a free program to educate, engage, inspire and caffeinate entrepreneurs around the country. 

Largely on the strength of volunteers, 1 Million Cups has grown to more than 180 communities since its inception.

Pi515 is building a community to empower underserved youth with skills for the future. Their mission is to challenge, inspire and teach tech skills to students with potential. The organization focuses especially on helping refugee and underserved youth achieve success and gain stability in their families and communities.

“We are excited to share this opportunity with our Pi515 girls who will present on their innovation and entrepreneurship vision,” said Mwirotsi. “Allowing young girls to see and realize their potential earlier in their lives cultivates a highly needed perspective on innovation. The more women and minorities we are able to launch into STEM fields, the better for society.”

1 Million Cups is a free event hosted each Wednesday morning from 8 – 9:30 a.m. at Gravitate Downtown in downtown Des Moines. Free coffee and parking passes for 4th and Grand, 9th and Locust, East 2nd, 3rd and Court, and 5th and Watson Powell are available. Mask wearing is recommended for non-vaccinated attendees. 

For a full listing of 1 Million Cups events, visit the program’s website.

 

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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