On any given Thursday, about 200 people will be gathered at Venture Café, receiving free consulting, learning how to get a startup off the ground and networking with entrepreneurs or professionals.
That is the goal of Venture Café, located in the Overtown neighborhood, which offers weekly networking and educational events, as well as support programs for entrepreneurs, investors, students, and innovation and educational organizations.
The organization works with stakeholders to offer free concurrent educational programming, Thursdays 4 p.m. – 9 p.m., to enhance the community.
“We work in collaboration with others to enhance Miami’s innovation community,” said Leigh-Ann Buchanan, the founding Executive Director of Venture Café Miami. “Our focus is to align with individuals that have amazing content to offer. “
Venture Café has partnered with several organizations to provide greater resources and capital, including the Babson College WIN Lab, which mentors selected women entrepreneurs to successfully launch or advance their businesses. Venture Café also works with Florida Venture Forum, which assists entrepreneurs with receiving funding from investors.
Venture Cafe also collaborates with Code Fever, which teaches entrepreneurship, coding, and the STEM fields to children from underrepresented communities; Startup Bootcamp, a digital health accelerator in Miami; and the Genius Factory, which teaches robotics, design and coding to children. New Tropic, Facebook and the Overtown Children and Youth Coalition also partner with Venture Cafe.
Buchanan’s work in the community has not gone unnoticed. She was recently recognized by the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce when she became the first recipient of the Dave Fincher Young Innovator Award, which was created to recognize young professionals in the business community.
“It is important for all groups to be able to access capital and other resources,” Buchanan said. “It is an opportunity to shape Miami as a beacon for innovation.”
Venture Café is currently seeking volunteers to assist in the success of events. For more information about upcoming events or volunteering, visit http://venturecafemiami.org/