Kauffman Foundation to host national 1MC competition

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is inviting all 1 Million Cups presenters nationwide to participate in an August competition in Kansas City.

Dubbed One in a Million, presenters will compete for a $10,000 cash prize, following by $5,000 for second and a $1,000 gift card for third, according to a Missouri Department of Economic Development News release.

Over 5,000 entrepreneurs - including more than 150 in Springfield - have presented at 1MC since the Kauffman Foundation established the concept in April 2012 in Kansas City.

All 1MC participants who have presented prior to Aug. 2 are eligible for the One in a Million competition and can apply at 1NAMC2015.istart.org. Participating companies must be less than five years old, based in the U.S. and have a scalable business model.

The competition is part of the Kauffman Foundation’s Nov. 16-22 Global Entrepreneurship Week. On Oct. 1, 15 finalists will be announced, following by a semifinalists round Nov. 17 and the finals on Nov. 18 in Kansas City. Final presentations will be live-streamed to all 1MC sites in the country, according to Kauffman.org.

Springfield’s 1MC - which brings in around 100 guests per session - has become the third largest behind KC and Fargo, N.D., co-organizer Devin Dillon said June 16 during Springfield Business Journal’s 12 People You Need to Know. It got its start locally in February 2014.

The national program is centered on connecting and educating entrepreneurs over conversation and coffee. Three presentations are held every Wednesday in Springfield.