Coverage from WWMT, published 2026-02-20.
KALAMAZOO, Mich.: WWMT reported that Cultivate 269, a ‘Shark Tank’-style pitch competition hosted by Kalamazoo Forward Ventures, was offering Western Michigan University students the chance to compete for up to $100,000 for their business ideas. The station described Kalamazoo Forward Ventures as a Black-founded investment firm focused on under-invested entrepreneurs. Chief operating officer and managing partner Dwayne Powell Jr. said talent without capital is a missed opportunity and that building generational wealth locally starts with students.
Any current WMU student could submit an idea, prototype or existing concept through Feb. 27, with public voting open through March 12. Nine finalists: five selected by a professional review committee and four by public vote: would pitch April 10 at the WMU Student Center at a free, public event. Judges would award $75,000 and the public vote winner $25,000, with a single finalist potentially claiming both for $100,000.
Marcel Fable Price, director of platform and programming, said finalists would receive coaching, pitch training and decks usable for future fundraising. Powell and Price are Kalamazoo natives who attended WMU, and organizers hoped the pilot would become annual.
