Kalamazoo's first Global Entrepreneur Week events a success

Startup Zoo, a Kalamazoo-area organization focused on empowering entrepreneurs who are building Internet software companies, hosted a series events to mark Entrepreneurship Week. 

 

That made Kalamazoo one of more than 100 countries across the globe that participated in 37,000 individual events that are building a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship from city to city, says Ryan Goins of Startup Zoo.

 

In Kalamazoo, the events got under way with the Mentor Mixer. There new entrepreneurs had an opportunity to connect with and learn from established entrepreneurs in their industry. One of the unexpected results was the amount of help the mentors were able to offer one another in specific areas of their businesses.  

 

"The Startup Zoo sees itself as a convener, bringing together like-minded people in ways that wouldn’t otherwise happen; without a doubt this took place the first night of Global Entrepreneurship Week," Goins says.

 

On the second evening, participants toured local startups and companies in downtown Kalamazoo, including Maestro, a mobile app development company; the Can-Do Kitchen, an incubator for food companies; Ignertia / Life Story Network, a graphic design firm and company that creates stories that celebrate the life of a loved one; and i heart ipanema, a boutique fashion and record store.

 

The next day featured Founders Breakfast. To attend, entrepreneurs applied and were invited to breakfast with a group of community leaders working with the Startup Zoo to help grow and shape the Kalamazoo Startup community. 

 

As part of the five days of events there also was a Startup Zoo meetup to give members of the community a taste of the group that meets every other week. Startup Zoo has regular meetups for entrepreneurs building internet software companies to get together and learn from one another. Over the past year this has grown from a group of just 2 or 3 people to more than 80.

 

The week concluded in the first ever Startup Zoo Global Entrepreneurship Awards. There were 16 companies nominated by the community in five different categories. More than 500 people from the community vote on the winners. The winners for each category were: Most Innovative Company - Maestro; Fastest Growing Company - Maestro; Best Community Supporter - Water Street; Most Disruptive - Gorilla Gourmet; Best Up and Coming - Black Owl. 

 

"Our first year participating in Global Entrepreneurship Week was a huge success," Goins says. "It was truly a community effort, and we received unbelievable support from entrepreneurs, mentors, and local startups throughout the community. Next year will be even better, and I can’t wait."