VENTURE CAFE FOUNDATION INC
1 BROADWAY FL 14, CAMBRIDGE, MA 02142 www.vencaf.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: THE VENTURE CAFE FOUNDATION CONNECTS INNOVATORS TO MAKE GREAT THINGS HAPPEN. WE BELIEVE ANYONE WITH AN IDEA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE AN INNOVATOR, AND THAT INNOVATION IS PRESENT EVERYWHERE. OUR VISION IS TO CREATE A NETWORK OF EMPOWERED INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES WHO FEEL CONFIDENT IN THEIR IDEAS AND HAVE THE RESOURCES TO ACHIEVE THEM. BY PROVIDING SPACES, PROGRAMS, AND CONNECTIONS, WE CAN STRENGTHEN OUR LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNITIES TO TACKLE PROBLEMS WITH CREATIVE SOLUTIONS. OUR MISSION IS TO BROADEN, CONNECT, AND SUPPORT AN INCLUSIVE INNOVATION COMMUNITY THROUGH A PUBLIC NETWORK OF SPACES AND PROGRAMS TO HELP ANYONE WITH AN IDEA HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED. VENTURE CAFE HAS BEEN OPERATING SITES AND PROGRAMS IN GREATER BOSTON TO ACHIEVE ITS MISSION SINCE 2010. WE HAVE A STRONG RECORD OF PROVIDING VALUE TO THE INNOVATION COMMUNITY. WE TRACK QUANTITATIVE AS WELL AS QUALITATIVE IMPACT OF OUR PROGRAMS.

ENHANCES AND ACCELERATES THE INNOVATION PROCESS THROUGH SPACES, PROGRAMS, AND CONVERSATIONS.

VENTURE CAFE CAMBRIDGE THURSDAY GATHERING FOR INNOVATORS AND ENTREPRENEURS:THE MISSION OF THE VENTURE CAFE'S WEEKLY GATHERINGS IS TO PROVIDE AN INTERACTIVE FORUM FOR THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION, INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES AND CONNECTIONS THAT THEY NEED TO START AND GROW BUSINESSES WITH A VIEW TO CREATING SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION-DRIVEN BUSINESSES IN THE GREATER BOSTON AREA. IT IS GUIDED BY THE BELIEF THAT INNOVATION IS A SOCIAL PROCESS FUELED BY COMMUNITY AND COLLABORATION. THE VENTURE CAFE IS A WEEKLY GATHERING AND SET OF PROGRAMS PRESENTLY SET IN THE 5TH FLOOR CAFE OF THE CAMBRIDGE INNOVATION CENTER (CIC) IN KENDALL SQUARE. THE VENTURE CAFE OCCURS EVERY THURSDAY AFTERNOON FROM 3PM TO 8PM. WITH AN AVERAGE ATTENDANCE OF OVER 500 PEOPLE EACH WEEK, IT IS THE LARGEST CROSS-DISCIPLINARY GATHERING OF THE INNOVATION AND STARTUP COMMUNITIES IN NEW ENGLAND. IT PROVIDES A SPACE AND FORUM FOR, EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS, INTRODUCTION OF NEW BUSINESSES, EXPERIENCE SHARING AND PROBLEM SOLVING WITH A UNIQUE OPERATING MODEL THAT HAS BEEN NOTED AS BEING HIGHLY EFFECTIVE. IN 2018, VENTURE CAFE KENDALL HOSTED OVER 800 EVENTS ATTENDED BY OVER 24,000 PEOPLE. SOME EXAMPLES OF EDUCATIONAL TOPICS COVERED AT VENTURE CAFE ARE:- SKILLS TRAINING IN CROWDFUNDING, FUNDRAISING FROM VCS AND ANGELS, MARKETING, NETWORKING, COMPANY VALUATION, COMPANY CORPORATE STRUCTURING, TEAM BUILDING.- COMPANY PITCH FEEDBACK SESSIONS FOR COMPANIES FROM SUSTAINABILITY MARKET, LIFE SCIENCES MARKET, DEFENSE, ROBOTICS, FOOD, AUGMENTED REALITY AND MORE. - INTERNATIONAL MARKET & PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDING JAPAN, GERMANY, UNITED KINGDOM, SWITZERLAND, FRANCE, RUSSIA, ITALY, MEXICO AND OTHERS.NOTABLY, VENTURE CAFE'S SUCCESS IS WELL KNOWN. IT HAS BECOME A DESTINATION FOR VISITORS FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD SEEKING TO LEARN ABOUT AND CONNECT WITH THE GREATER BOSTON'S INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM, AND IN SOME CASES WITH A VIEW TO REPLICATING VENTURE CAFE'S MODEL AT HOME. GROUPS FROM DOZENS OF CITIES AND COUNTRIES HAVE VISITED THE VENTURE CAFE AND AT LEAST 25 NATIONS HAVE HELD NATION-SPECIFIC EVENTS AT THE CAFE. THE VENTURE CAFE THURSDAY GATHERING IS NOW BEING REPLICATED BY OTHER VENTURE CAFE NONPROFIT ENTITIES AS PART OF A GROWING NETWORK. SEPARATELY OPERATED VENTURE CAFE'S HAVE NOW OPENED IN ST. LOUIS IN 2014, ROTTERDAM IN 2015, MIAMI IN 2016, WINSTON SALEM IN 2017, PHILADELPHIA AND TOKYO IN 2018.

DISTRICT HALL:DISTRICT HALL IS THE RESULT OF A COLLABORATIVE PUBLIC (CITY OF BOSTON)-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP THAT OPENED IN THE FALL OF 2013. DISTRICT HALL IS A DEDICATED CIVIC SPACE WHICH VENTURE CAFE FOUNDATION OPERATES UNDER AN AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF BOSTON. THE INNOVATION DISTRICT IS THE CITY OF BOSTON'S INITIATIVE TO TRANSFORM 1,000 ACRES OF UNDERUTILIZED WATERFRONT PARCELS IN SOUTH BOSTON INTO AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT THAT FOSTERS INNOVATION, COLLABORATION, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP. AS A RESULT OF VENTURE CAFE'S SUCCESS IN MANAGING THE INNOVATION CONVERSATION AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS IN CAMBRIDGE, THE CITY OF BOSTON ASKED IT TO RUN PROGRAMMING AND OPERATIONS OF THE DISTRICT HALL. DISTRICT HALL HAS OPEN WORKSPACE, CLASSROOMS, ASSEMBLY SPACE, FLEXIBLE USE 'PODS', AND WRITABLE SURFACES EVERYWHERE. VENTURE CAFE WORKS WITH MUNICIPALITIES, NON-PROFIT GROUPS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS, LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS, AND COMPANIES TO MAKE AVAILABLE INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES AND PRESENT EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES THAT ENCOURAGE INNOVATORS TO CONNECT, COLLABORATE AND TO START NEW BUSINESSES. THE TYPES OF PROGRAMS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN RUN AT DISTRICT HALL INCLUDE HACKATHONS, PITCH COMPETITIONS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, FIRESIDE CHATS, INTERVIEWS, DEMONSTRATIONS, CONFERENCES, COMPANY MEETINGS, BRAINSTORMING AND COMMUNITY GATHERINGS. CITY OF BOSTON PARTNER PROGRAMS ON ACCESS TO CAPITAL MARKETS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN NEW URBAN MECHANICS PROGRAMMING. THE ACCESS TO CAPITAL MARKETS WORKSHOP WAS AIMED AT ENTREPRENEURS, STARTUPS, AND GROWING SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE NAVIGATING THE COMPLEX WORLD OF CAPITAL ACCESS, AND INCLUDED PRESENTATIONS ON EQUITY FINANCING, BANK FINANCING, AND OTHER EARLY STAGE CAPITAL ALTERNATIVES.IN 2018 OUR DISTRICT HALL TEAM WORKED WITH HUNDREDS OF GROUPS TO PRODUCE INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOCUSED PROGRAMS. SOME OF THE METRICS THAT WE TRACK FOR THE VENTURE CAFE ARE: -HOSTED OVER 1000 EVENTS.-OVER 90,000 PEOPLE ATTENDED THE EVENTS AND USED THE LOUNGE. -DISTRICT HALL HAS OVER $1M IN SPARE RENTAL VALUE TO THE INNOVATION COMMUNITY THROUGH DISCOUNTS AND EVENT SPONSORSHIPS.

ROXBURY INNOVATION CENTER (RIC):THE ROXBURY INNOVATION CENTER IS A CIVIC INNOVATION CENTER THAT WILL SUPPORT LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BY ENCOURAGING INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOCUSED ON THE CITY OF BOSTON NEIGHBORHOODS OF ROXBURY, DORCHESTER AND MATTAPAN. SINCE OPENING IN THE FALL OF 2015, ROXBURY INNOVATION CENTER HAS ACTIVATED PROGRAMS AND EVENTS TO HELP ADULTS AND YOUTH LEARN SMALL BUSINESS / STARTUP AND TECHNICAL SKILLS TO MAKE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION VIABLE CAREER OPTIONS FOR ALL. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE MISSION OF VENTURE CAFE FOUNDATION THAT "INNOVATION IS FOR EVERYONE AND THROUGH PROGRAMMING AT ROXBURY INNOVATION CENTER, WE HAVE CONTINUED THIS MISSION. RIC ALSO PROVIDES A PLACE FOR THE LOCAL INNOVATION COMMUNITY. RIC ALSO PROVIDES A PLACE FOR THE LOCAL INNOVATION COMMUNITY TO GATHER, OBTAIN ADVICE AND CONNECT WITH OTHER RESOURCES FROM AROUND GREATER BOSTON AND THE WORLD THROUGH OUR PITCH NIGHTS AND OTHER PROGRAMMING. VENTURE CAFE ALSO PRODUCES PROGRAMMING TO ACTIVATE AND CONNECT OUR THREE PHYSICAL SPACES TO THE INNOVATION COMMUNITY LOCALLY, NATIONALLY, AND INTERNATIONALLY.

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