What is 1 Million Cups (1MC) Reno?
1 Million Cups (1MC) Reno is often called the gateway to the entrepreneurship community in Reno and I would agree. 1MC Reno is the local chapter of the national organization developed by the Kauffman Foundation as a weekly educational program and also as a place for entrepreneurs to come together within their communities. 1MC takes place every Wednesday all over the United States during which fresh companies have 6 minutes to pitch their business or idea followed by 20 minutes of Q&A with the audience. 1MC events serve as a ideal space for entrepreneurial communities to come together, support each other, and share experiences, knowledge, and resources with one another. With over 160 1MC communities nationally, Reno is proud to have a robust 1MC program hosted out the University of Nevada, Reno Innevation Center – Powered by Switch.
“1MC is based on the notion that great ideas are discussed over a million cups of coffee.” –1MC Website. Image Source: 1MC Reno Facebook
What can I expect from 1MC Reno?
Every Wednesday morning at 8:30am, 1MC Reno puts out coffee donated by Glory Cloud that is brewed by Truckee Bagel Company as well as delicious muffins and bagels from My Favorite Muffins. With the goodies in place, they open 1MC’s doors to anyone in the community that would like to attend the day’s presentations. At 9am sharp, they turn on their live stream via YouTube which is aired at a number of other entrepreneurial locations in Reno including Adam’s Hub in Carson City and the Knowledge Center on the University campus. Nathan Digangi usually kicks off the presentation introducing 1MC and the upcoming presenters. The presentation format is usually just 2 presenter rounds where the presenter has 6 minutes to pitch their company, product, or idea immediately followed by 20 minutes of lively Q&A from the audience.
From the audience, presenters can expect questions to clarify their pitch or for additional information, initial thoughts or reactions to the idea, words of support, recommendations, and requests to connect after the event. All of these are extremely valuable to the presenter in terms of pressure testing their idea and communication skills as well shaping their next steps in their business or idea development. After both presentation rounds have come to an end, the live stream is concluded and the presenters and audience mingle until 10:30am or so at which point coffee and morning munchies have been exhausted.
Being on the first floor of the Innevation Center, many attendees snag conference rooms or move up to the coworking space for the day to keep the entrepreneurial work flowing and handle their business in the heart of Midtown. Afterwards, the 1MC team publishes the stream to their YouTube Channel, 1 Million Cups Reno, for presenters and viewers to refer back to and for those who missed the event to catch up.
How can I Connect with 1MC Reno?
First of all, visit them on their website at 1mcreno.com to see when the next event is happening and to easily access their live stream. If you’re interested in presenting at 1MC, their application to present is also readily accessible on their website. They also have every event listed on Meetup.com so that you can RSVP to let them know you’re attending. During the actual event, they are wonderfully active on Twitter at @1MillionCupsRNO and will actually answer questions live on Twitter! And on top of all that, 1MC Reno’s fantastic community organizers all have profiles with ways to contact them individually on their website! Talk about a group of people that are all in on supporting their community! Reno is lucky to have them.
If you haven’t yet been to a 1MC event, I highly encourage you to attend. And if this blog left you with any lingering questions about what to expect, please feel comfortable contacting me directly on LinkedIn or Twitter. If you’d like to continue seeing my blogs on innovation, business development, and our community, subscribe to my blog on the right. Thanks for reading!
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