Coverage from Second Wave Media, published 2026-04-13.
A Western Michigan University graduate student took home $100,000 at the first Cultivate 269 pitch contest, held April 10, 2026, at the WMU Student Center before a standing-room crowd of roughly 400. Samuel Marseille, 30, a Haitian-born interpreter finishing a master’s degree in international development administration, presented Oneshot AI, a HIPAA-compliant, AI-driven language interpretation platform built for medical settings. He swept both awards, taking $75,000 from a five-judge panel and $25,000 decided by a student vote.
Organizers said 49 students submitted ideas and a selection committee narrowed the field to nine finalists, with more than 2,000 students weighing in during a month-long public vote. The contest was created by capital investment firm Kalamazoo Forward Ventures in partnership with the university; the firm’s chief operating officer, Dwayne Powell Jr., described the event as evidence of deepening local support for founders. Kabundant, led by former Kalamazoo mayor Bobby Hopewell, pledged $25,000 toward support services for other finalists, and organizers announced a $250,000 PitchMI regional event for Kalamazoo in September.
