PRESS & COMMUNITY COVERAGE
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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
Reach Forward Connects Kalamazoo Entrepreneurs and Buyers
March 04, 2026
Kalamazoo Forward Ventures and Southwest Michigan First brought roughly three dozen small producers together with buyers such as Gordon Food Service and Bronson Methodist…
Yahoo News
Cultivate 269 Draws 28 WMU Student Applications
February 24, 2026
Cultivate 269, funded by Kalamazoo Forward Ventures, drew 28 applications as nine WMU students prepared to pitch for prizes of $75,000 and $25,000 at an early-April pitch night.
WWMT
WWMT Spotlights Cultivate 269 at Western Michigan University
February 20, 2026
WWMT reported that Cultivate 269, a Shark Tank-style contest from Black-founded Kalamazoo Forward Ventures, lets any WMU student compete for up to $100,000, with finalists…
Second Wave Media
Cultivate 269 Opens a $100,000 Opportunity to WMU Students
February 11, 2026
WMU and Kalamazoo Forward Ventures opened Cultivate 269 to students in every major, offering $100,000 in non-dilutive seed funding split between a judges’ pick and a public vote…
WMUK
WMU Students Compete for $100,000 in Cultivate 269
January 30, 2026
Cultivate 269, launched by Kalamazoo Forward Ventures, opened a $100,000 pitch competition to all WMU students, with nine finalists set for March 20 and pitch night April 10.
Second Wave Media
Tsunami Lab Prepares Kalamazoo’s Next Business Owners
January 29, 2026
Kalamazoo Forward Ventures launched Tsunami Lab, a 12- to 16-week acquisition accelerator training local residents to buy retiring owners’ small businesses, with the fund backing…
WMU News
Cultivate 269 Brings a $100,000 Pitch Contest to WMU
January 29, 2026
WMU and Kalamazoo Forward Ventures launched Cultivate 269, an inaugural pitch competition awarding $100,000 in non-dilutive funding to student founders, culminating in an April…
Second Wave Media
Good Trade Depot Scales Small-Batch Beverage Production
January 07, 2026
Kalamazoo’s Good Trade Depot cans beverage runs as small as 2,300 units for startups nationwide, is nearing $1 million in annual sales and is planning a purpose-built…
Crain's Grand Rapids
KZFV Targets 10 to 15 Investments in 2025
May 20, 2025
Kalamazoo Forward Ventures told Crain’s it had logged 125 inquiries and 100 interviews since forming and expected 10 to 15 investments by the end of 2025, after backing RJ’s…