Coverage from Second Wave Media, published 2026-02-11.
KALAMAZOO, MI: Western Michigan University students were invited to compete for $100,000 in seed funding through Cultivate 269, a pitch program sponsored by the university and Kalamazoo-based capital investment firm Kalamazoo Forward Ventures. Dwayne Powell, the firm’s chief operating officer and managing partner, said the competition aimed to spotlight local talent and show students they need not wait until graduation to become successful entrepreneurs. Jeff Breneman, WMU’s vice president for government relations and external partnerships, tied the program to experience-driven education and Michigan’s economic vitality.
Submissions were open to every major through Feb. 27, with concepts posted on the Cultivate 269 website for public viewing and voting. Nine finalists, to be announced March 20, would each receive training and consultant coaching before delivering six-minute pitches on an April 10 program in the WMU Student Center ballroom, scheduled between 5 and 7:30 p.m.. Judges’ choice would take $75,000 and the public’s choice $25,000.
Marcel Fable Price, director of Platform and Programming, said the pilot was on track to be Michigan’s largest non-dilutive prize. Kalamazoo Forward Ventures is a $50 million firm launched in fall 2024 by six African-American men, most with WMU ties.
