PRESS & COMMUNITY COVERAGE
In the News
Kalamazoo stories with roots.
Follow the people, partnerships, and ventures shaping a more inclusive economy across Kalamazoo and Michigan.
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LATEST COVERAGE
Reporting, interviews, milestones, and ecosystem coverage from KZFV and the communities we serve.
Second Wave Media
Southwest Michigan First Rebuilds Chamber Membership
July 21, 2026
The Southwest Michigan First Chamber has grown back to just over 600 members from under 250, and is now supplying resources to the nine finalists of Kalamazoo Forward Ventures’…
Second Wave Media
Tsunami Lab Selects Its First 13 Participants
June 16, 2026
Kalamazoo Forward Ventures’ new Tsunami Lab accelerator picked 13 participants from 104 applicants to train them to buy and run existing small businesses as Baby Boomer owners…
Michigan Business Beat
KZFV Leaders Discuss Tsunami Lab on Michigan Business Beat
April 26, 2026
Kalamazoo Forward Ventures leaders Dwayne Powell Jr. and Marcel Fable Price joined Michigan Business Beat to discuss Tsunami Lab, a business-succession program launching its…
Western Herald
Western Herald Covers Cultivate 269’s $100,000 Winner
April 16, 2026
WMU student Samuel Marseille won both the $25,000 public vote and the $75,000 judges prize at the inaugural Cultivate 269 competition, hosted by Kalamazoo Forward Ventures and…
Second Wave Media
Oneshot AI Wins the Inaugural Cultivate 269 Contest
April 13, 2026
WMU graduate student Samuel Marseille swept both prizes at the inaugural Cultivate 269 contest, winning $100,000 from Kalamazoo Forward Ventures for Oneshot AI, a HIPAA-compliant…
NowKalamazoo
Cultivate 269 Pitch Night Comes to the WMU Student Center
April 10, 2026
NowKalamazoo’s community calendar listed Cultivate 269: The $100,000 Pitch Night, hosted by Kalamazoo Forward Ventures and WMU at the WMU Student Center on April 10 from 5 to 7…
WWMT
Samuel Marseille Wins $100,000 at Cultivate 269
April 10, 2026
WMU student Samuel Marseille won both the $75,000 judges’ prize and the $25,000 public-vote prize at the inaugural Cultivate 269 pitch night, taking home $100,000 from Kalamazoo…
Western Herald
Western Herald Profiles the Cultivate 269 Finalists
April 07, 2026
Nine WMU students, chosen from 49 applicants by judges and a campus-wide vote, advanced to the Cultivate 269 pitch night, where $100,000 from Kalamazoo Forward Ventures was at…
MLive
MLive Covers the Nine Cultivate 269 Finalists
March 30, 2026
MLive joined regional coverage of nine WMU student finalists preparing to compete for $100,000 through the inaugural Cultivate 269 pitch competition.