The CambridgeSoup Project is a series of networking events taking place in 2016, offering local social ventures and community projects the opportunity to compete for funding, while providing local businesses, individuals and communities with a more personal, interactive platform to support projects which matter to them.
At the first event on 9 February 2016, four social ventures from Cambridge will each receive four minutes to share their ideas at the Norfolk Street Enterprise Centre. The audience are then encouraged to ask questions and critically assess the presentations with their neighbours over soup. At the end of the evening, the audience place their votes, and the winning project takes home the cash from the door to help them move forward.
The idea stems from from the hugely successful Detroit SOUP, which has raised over $100,000 for good causes and community projects in Detroit since it was founded in 2010.
Detroit SOUP founders Amy Kaherl and Joanna Dueweke describe the SOUP projects as: ‘…a place for people to gather and to feel safe. SOUP is not the granter of the funds. Our job is to plan a dinner that creates an environment where participants can vote on what project wins the money from the door. Each individual who walks through the door is agreeing to grant the money to the project they think is most deserving through democracy and critical conversation. We then ask that past winners come back to share with the community what they did with the money. That’s it.’
The event is supported by Future Business Centre and Cambridge City Council. Tickets are extremely limited so advance booking is recommended to avoid disappointment. For more information or to register an interest visit the event page.
Anyone with a strong idea for a project, community group, social enterprise or green business in or around Cambridge is invited to apply to compete for funding. The first four projects have already been selected for the launch event. If you would like to apply to present your project at a future CambridgeSoup please contact events@futurebusinesscentre.co.uk.
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