About One Million Small Startups
One Million Small Startups Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that equips underestimated entrepreneurs with mentorship, launch capital, and the infrastructure to test and scale ideas. We also operate an event crowdfunding platform used by charities and nonprofits—including our own programs—to eliminate the financial risk of community fundraisers. Instead of guessing, organizers confirm demand, raise the budget upfront, and only deliver events when supporters say “yes”.
Nonprofit status
501(c)(3)
EIN 88-1253404
Core programs
3
Mentorship • Launch • Incubator
Platform focus
Event Crowdfunding
Risk-free fundraisers
Entrepreneurship can be a direct path out of poverty, but the barrier to entry is too high. We help low-income founders bridge the earliest gap—education, social capital, and the first dollars required to test an idea—so they can build profitable, community-serving ventures. Every fundraiser, cohort, and event is focused on redistributing opportunity to people who have historically been shut out of startup ecosystems.
We are currently raising capital to open a network of low-cost offices and incubators that will double as retail labs and partnership hubs. The event crowdfunding platform is central to this plan: we use it to pre-sell sponsorships, line up community demand, and share the playbook with other nonprofits that want to de-risk their own events.
One-on-one mentorship for low-income founders who are testing ideas, building early traction, or navigating their first customers. Sessions cover goal setting, lean validation, and access to resources normally unavailable to underserved entrepreneurs.
Cohort-based support that walks founders from idea to launch. We provide curriculum, accountability, seed grants for essential tools, and introductions to a trusted network of service providers.
A future network of low-cost office space and incubators designed for founders who cannot afford traditional leases. Our current fundraising priority is securing and outfitting the first hub, which will also host pop-up retail and community events.
Traditional fundraisers require upfront deposits, venue commitments, and marketing spend long before organizers know whether their community will attend. Our platform reverses that: supporters reserve tickets, pledge sponsorships, or donate toward production budgets. If the event meets its goal, we finalize charges through Stripe and everyone celebrates. If not, no one pays and organizers can pivot with zero financial loss.
This model helps our nonprofit raise money to open the incubator network while handing the same playbook to partner charities, schools, and grassroots organizations that want to activate their base without risking rent money.