1 Million Cups | Scott Blackwell

1 Million Cups is a national initiative of the Kauffman Foundation, and launched in Richmond through the sponsorship of RVA Works, a local nonprofit providing educational and financial services for new business owners.

1 Million Cups provides a peer learning environment, so new founders can better access the social capital required for pursuing an entrepreneurial opportunity. 

The pillars of the program are:

• Free coffee, 1 million cups worth!
• Connection building, and not networking in the business card exchange
• Presenting to peers, not pitching for investment or sales
• Zero barriers - Creating an environment for anyone starting a business, and helping them overcome the barriers they face

On Wednesday mornings there's a short coffee & connection period to meet colleagues (8:45am), an entrepreneur gives a ten-minute presentation on their business model and a challenge they're facing (9:00am), and the discussion follows with comments and questions focused on assisting the presenter with their challenge. We have a hard stop at 10:00am.

January 25 – Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond – Talking Entrepreneurship

Want to support local businesses? Are you helping people get startup? Ownership strengthens our region, and empowers people as they build generational wealth. 

At this week’s 1 Million Cups, Scott Blackwell will join Dale Fickett and our Startup Community. Working with founders from an array of racial and ethnic backgrounds, RVA Works has served the Richmond region for 8 years, and helped hundreds of business owners – providing a range of educational and financial services. Fickett is one of the co-founders of RVA Works, a public charity, and a community organizer for 1 Million Cups. 

Scott Blackwell is Chief Community Officer at the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond. Blackwell has held an array of philanthropic and leadership roles with Bloomberg / Harvard City Leadership Initiaitve, Census 2020 Mayoral Task Force, Chamber RVA, the City of Richmond among others. He has held board seats with the American Heart Association, Art 180, Leadership Metro Richmond, CenterStage, and the VCU Massey Cancer Center. Previously Blackwell held executive positions with Owens & Minor, Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Williams Mullen, Land America, SunTrust Bank, CarMax, Signet Bank and Circuit City Stores. Blackwell holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree, University of Virginia.  

Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond “is a leading partner and advocate for philanthropy and service in Richmond region. Founded in 1968, we have built a strong legacy of helping people and institutions give back with passion and purpose. Today, we manage more than 1,200 charitable funds with assets exceeding $1 billion. This includes six supporting foundations that have chosen to fulfill their charitable legacy in partnership with us, as well as three regional affiliates that were established to address the needs and interests of the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck. Since our inception, we have collectively granted $1 billion to thousands of nonprofits working to support and enhance all areas of community life. 

Learn from Blackwell, understand the outreach and services that the Foundation provides, and understand the ways that they're supporting local entrepreneurship.

The Discussion. 1 Million Cups is a national entrepreneurship program of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which promotes peer learning and professional connections that assist entrepreneurs. Since 2014, 1 Million Cups - Richmond has been pioneered by RVA Works. At each 1 Million Cups, business founders as guest speakers share about their ventures and discuss the challenges that they are facing during the development process. Participants can learn from the speakers’ experiences, discuss valuable insights and make connections within an audience of peer entrepreneurs. 

Join us in person. No pre-registration required. Come to the Robins School of Business, 102 UR Drive, Richmond, VA. (Room 123 - EY Innovation Lab) Free Parking in lots U5 or U6. Or, join the Zoom Webinar. Passcode: 100146