Happy Holidays! I wanted to personally invite you to a Monday, 12/10 VenturePad Holiday Party and Start-up Grind Launch with guest speaker Helen Russell, CEO, Equator Coffee. We will have appetizers and drinks and announce VenturePad’s selection by the Start-up Grind organizaton as Marin’s Chapter host. Startup Grind is a 2 million person global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. It is powered by Google for Entrepreneurs. Startup Grind Marin events will be held at VenturePad, in downtown San Rafael at 1020 B Street in San Rafael.  We will host bimonthly fireside chats and other events featuring successful local founders, innovators, educators and investors who share personal stories and lessons learned on the road to building great companies.

Equator’s Helen Russell is the perfect inaugural guest speaker. Equator’s commitment to a sustainable, transparent approach is at the heart of the company’s fair trade model. Today, the company operates five cafés in the Bay Area and markets its products through over 150 wholesalers. In 2011 the company became the first coffee roaster in the nation to become a certified B Corporation. In 2016, the U.S. Small Business Administration honored Equator by naming it the “National Small Business of the Year.”

Our schedule is:

6p to 6:30 — Informal meet & greet, networking, intro and Start-up Grind announcement

6:30-7p — Fireside Chat with Equator Coffee CEO/Co-founder Helen Russell

7-8:30 — Holiday Party!

Please join me for a fun, inspiring evening with old and new friends who are making a difference in our community. Please RSVP at: https://www.meetup.com/Startup-Grind-Marin-County/events/256822549/ and let me know if you can join us. 

Chris Yalonis, Co-Founder and President
VenturePad