Coverage from WWMT, published 2026-04-10.
Western Michigan University student Samuel Marseille swept both prizes at the inaugural Cultivate 269 pitch competition, winning $100,000 from Kalamazoo Forward Ventures at the WMU Student Center on Friday, April 10. Marseille’s OneShotAI, a HIPAA-compliant translation service pairing artificial intelligence with human interpreters to reduce language-related delays in hospital care, topped both the judges’ scoring, worth $75,000, and the public vote, worth $25,000. The competition drew 49 student applicants, narrowed to nine finalists, four by public vote and five by a professional review committee, each given coaching and six minutes on stage.
Other pitches included Connor Burkett’s home-energy platform Volt, Dericka Bellamy’s Deranda Institute for student mothers, Khang Nguyen’s VolleyNet, Genesis Erhabor’s Ground Loop, Chy’Ah Smith’s Thirsty Lemon Co., Kalea Barnes’ Parisian Dream Desserts, Caden Boynton’s UnionOPS and Garrett Patnoude’s Dekree. Dwayne Powell Jr., KZFV’s chief operating officer and managing partner, said founders need not leave Kalamazoo to build a meaningful company.
Former Kalamazoo Mayor Bobby J. Hopewell, chief executive of Kabundant, announced an additional $25,000 to be shared among all finalists. Entrepreneur Tanya Thompson of Aroma Labs also addressed the crowd, and organizers said the event would return annually.
