COFFEE + CONVO
casual morning meetup with entrepreneurs, experts, and peers
Any entrepreneur would attest to the fact that it can be a lonely and trying journey, especially when you are just starting your business or working to pivot or reach new goals and milestones. We know that a supportive community of fellow entrepreneurs to bounce ideas off and an experienced mentor to learn from can remind you that you are not alone, that others are walking this path of entrepreneurship, and there are people in your corner rooting for your success.
Our solution? The last Tuesday morning of each month, Stoke hosts Coffee + Convo, a virtual casual morning meetup with entrepreneurs, experts, and peers. During this discussion-oriented event, all are welcome to come and learn from an expert in their field and ask questions. Bring your favorite morning beverage, and prepare to take notes!
Members of our Denton community have a lot to share in terms of teaching from experience, connecting you with resources and contacts, and more.
We’re inviting them (and you!) to Stoke to share their wisdom on topics like navigating the world of business planning, strategy, customer validation, fundraising, branding, market size, and more.
Join the Zoom meeting from 9 - 10 AM, the last Tuesday of the month!
Each meetup will be guided by the expert leading the coffee chat, whether they’re covering a specific topic, or hearing from the group what challenges or successes they have on the horizon. We hope to see you soon!
Coffee + Convo Mentors
Jasmin Brand is an entrepreneur, community change agent and a thought leader in digital media, brand strategy and diverse startups. She is the founder of The Start, a creative agency and digital publisher specializing in culturally rich content and experiential events. Passionate about providing opportunities for growth and connectivity, Jasmin recently launched two important initiatives for Texas - Her Texas, a first of its kind organization for women who live, work and play in Texas and Black Founders Texas, a community resource for African-American entrepreneurs in the Lone Star State.
Heather Gregory is a community organizer and entrepreneur with a background in nonprofit management, operations, administration, event planning, and program development.
Heather has served as the Director of Stoke since January 2017. Prior to that she was the Director of SCRAP Denton, a Project Manager at a full-service marketing agency, and the creator and owner of a food cart in Portland, Oregon. Heather has a BS in Architecture from the University of Texas in Austin.
Juli James is a journalism educator at the Mayborn School of Journalism, University of North Texas, and co-founder of the ed. tech. design firm, Playable Media.
Before joining the North Texas team, she worked at the Arizona State University Center for Games & Impact where she developed and led a collaborative innovation initiative to teach journalists game design and development. In 2015, Juli and her partners won a Knight Prototype Fund Grant to design and build a narrative game engine called the Playable Media Story Builder.
Read a summary of takeaways from a Coffee + Convo session with Juli (linked).
Over the course of his career, Ndaba Mdhlongwa has worked with various business organizations including the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). He has also taught courses at various colleges and universities including Southern Methodist University (SMU), Collin College and Tarrant County Community College.
Ndaba Mdhlongwa holds an undergraduate degree and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Patrick Peters has had a strong career in media, tech, and marketing and has co-founded three companies over the years. Like many of us, he loves a good story. He's experienced just about any startup situation you can imagine and has a lot of wisdom to share.
Patrick is SVP of Marketing and Business Development and Head of Brand and Agency Partnerships at Fourth Wall Media and part of a team that has been nominated for two Emmy awards.
Randi Skinner is a marketing & idea strategist and founder of RS Consulting. f you’ve met Randi Skinner, you might wonder, “What does she not do?” Randi is involved with the Denton Chamber of Commerce, the Denton Rotary, Denton Parks Foundation, Denton Young Professionals, and UNT.
She has 15+ years of experience as a marketing and business development professional and works to help small businesses (who might have limited marketing budgets) with their marketing goals!