RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Ever get the chance to watch first-time entrepreneurs break out in song as part of their startup pitch?

Well, there’s always time for a first.

Amy Pruitt and Kevin Badanes – the founding duo behind the scholastic production, “STEM: The Musical” – did just that, so to speak, at this week’s 1 Million Cups (1MC) meetup.

Every Wednesday, a group of fellow entrepreneurs, jacked up on free organic coffee, gather at The Frontier to watch others as they present their startup companies, often offering ways to help.

Amy Pruitt and Kevin Badanes – the founding duo behind the scholastic production, “STEM: The Musical”.

For first-time founders Pruitt and Badanes, it was an opportunity that they couldn’t pass up. On this morning, as part of their pitch, they had performer Tyra Scott sing one of the musical’s original scores, “I Climb”.

“It was a very warm room,” Pruitt enthused after the presentation.

“Everyone here is interested in helping everybody else. The real result will be in the next week or two when we follow up with the contacts that we’ve made.”

Entrepreneurs helping entrepreneurs

Based on the notion that entrepreneurs with their communities get inspired over “a million cups of coffee”, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation developed 1 Million Cups in 2012 – a free program designed to educate and engage entrepreneurs around the country.

With free coffee on tap, a weekly crowd of about 70 turns up to watch two startups present their business, and then follow up with questions and feedback.

Amy Pruitt and Kevin Badanes give their pitch for STEM: The Musical at 1 Million Cups event this week.

The Triangle was among one of the first chapters to form – there are now around 150 nationally — powered by volunteers.

Among them is Erik Rhoten, a local entrepreneur with Compete.Agency, who helped organize this Wednesday’s event.

“I originally got involved with 1MC just by showing up to network. I really enjoyed it so I kept coming back,” he said.

1 Million Cups volunteers Erik Rhoten, Scott Sorensen and Jim Roberts.

 

He added: “1MC is extremely important to me because it strengthens our entrepreneurial community. Most of the people that attend are passionate about entrepreneurship and supporting each other any way we can. It is a place for people to make valuable connections and learn from each other.”

STEM: The Musical

That’s exactly why Pruitt and Badanes decided to participate.

“Contacts. We came for contacts,” said Pruitt. “We need to grow our business and find not just financial investors, but people who can put us in touch with the right people to help us grow.”

Back in 2017, they teamed up to launch “STEM: The Musical”, a 50-minute STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) theatrical production that is portable and written according to Common Core State Standards.

It’s appropriate for grades K-8, with lyrics and vocabulary adjusted for each audience.

These days, the production is doing the school circuit, but the pair has big plans.

“We’d absolutely love “STEM: The Musical” to be a Broadway production, or something that you’d see as a Netflix series, or in animation. We know it’s a long process, though.”