By: Cynthia Munrayos
Aspiring Entrepreneurs: Kaylin and Maximo Mugica-Drumm
Innovation Studio offers startup business support programs for aspiring and existing business owners stuck in the gap of business ownership. Our CREATE accelerator is a 6 week program that helps build your business model such as identifying your ideal customer, understanding your product demand, and learning about funding opportunities to launch your business.
Earlier this year, we had the privilege of having Kaylin and Maximo Mugica-Drumm, innovators and owners of a soon to be cat cafe, in our CREATE spring cohort. By collaborating with AAA Northeast to host our ‘Driving 2043 Demo Day” in Spring 2023, we established a connection with Maximo, who then felt inspired to participate in our program to test out his business idea with his wife.
“We felt in such a safe space with the instructor,” said Maximo. “We felt like we could talk about our ideas and receive feedback in a healthy environment.”
The pair have plans to launch Providence’s first cat cafe, where you not only can enjoy a cup of quality coffee and pet cats, but adopt them too.
“We saw there was a market gap in something that goes beyond the typical café experience, and gave us that competitive edge,” said Kaylin. “We want people to go there and spend time with the cats, but have a great cup of coffee and feel compelled to return.”
While our main speciality is early stage startup businesses, the CREATE program encourages existing businesses to participate in this class. This is because the program’s emphasis on refining your business model is beneficial for businesses at any stage of development. Taking another look at this aspect of your business can provide valuable insights if you’re feeling stuck after the launch of your small business.
“The last class, which covered funding models and entity formation, was the most beneficial for us because it solidified our business model,” said Kaylin. “It was great to learn about the difference between the business entities, and which one we leaned more towards.”
While Kaylin and Maximo continue to work on building their business, Innovation Studio continues to support them in their journey to the best of our capabilities. It’s crucial to continue following up and connecting them with additional resources after they complete the program.
For more information about our CREATE class, click on the link provided HERE: https://innovationstudio.org/innovation-studio/business-startup-programs/create/
