After three years of successful development under the direction of Kalamazoo Community Foundation (KZCF) and United Way of South Central Michigan, KZCF is excited to announce that the Kalamazoo Entrepreneur Network (KZEN) will transition into Stara Collaborative’s growing network of nonprofits and grassroots organizations.
Formerly known as the New Inclusive Economy team, KZEN was created to improve the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Kalamazoo through strengthened coordination, with a focus on supporting Black, Indigenous and people of color entrepreneurs. In 2023, KZCF was awarded a $220,000 grant from JPMorgan Chase Foundation to support the work of KZEN toward the goal of convening organizations that serve entrepreneurs, mapping the entrepreneur ecosystem in Kalamazoo County, facilitating better coordination between community partners, and improving access to resources for entrepreneurs. In addition to these tasks, funding was used to create a new KZEN website and track entrepreneur engagement and growth.
“We are excited to see the seeds of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation’s New Inclusive Economy Workgroup growing into a larger project,” said Carl Brown, executive director of StartupZoo and KZEN Steering Committee member. “The opportunity to collaborate with other ESOs, lenders, investors and CDFIs through KZEN to eliminate historical barriers to capital encountered by underrepresented founders is a powerful step toward a more inclusive and welcoming entrepreneurial ecosystem in Kalamazoo County.”
Following several meetings between entrepreneur support organizations, city employees, lenders and KZCF staff, four operational objectives for the network were identified, including facilitating access to resources for entrepreneurs, convening organizations that support entrepreneurs, encouraging entrepreneur storytelling and improving access to capital.
Since the network was founded, it has:
- Accumulated more than 30 partner organizations.
- Engaged nearly 100 entrepreneurs and served over 20 clients.
- Sponsored seven members to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Congress.
- Hosted drop-in office hours at El Concilio, Urban Alliance, Factory Coffee and other businesses and organizations.
- Committed to relaunching the Capital Consortium in Q4 of 2025.
As KZEN continues to grow with the support of Stara Collaborative, the network remains future-focused on its goals and underlying commitment to serve entrepreneurs of color in Kalamazoo County.
“We’re grateful to the Kalamazoo Community Foundation for getting this off the ground and bringing people together,” said Jacob Beach, executive director of Stara Collaborative. “As KZEN moves to Stara, we’re excited to support what comes next— work that centers the brilliance and leadership of BIPOC entrepreneurs and builds the kind of support system this community has asked for and deserves.”
To learn more about KZEN please visit https://www.thekzen.org/.
