{{Infobox company | name = Venture Café | logo = | type = Nonprofit | founded = {{start date and age|2009}} | founders = Tim Rowe, Carrie Stalder | hq_location = Boston | hq_location_city = Massachusetts | hq_location_country = U.S. | areas_served = 11 cities | key_people = Tim Rowe | industry = Technology, Startups | products = {{unbulleted list|Workspace for startups|Small businesses|Freelancers and entrepreneurs}} | brands = {{unbulleted list|Venture Café|Venture Café Global|Innovation Hall|District Hall}} | subsid = | services = Shared workspaces and related services for entrepreneurs | owners = | num_locations = | num_locations_year = | num_employees = }}

'''Venture Café''' is a nonprofit organization that hosts community events and programs that support early-stage entrepreneurs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Innovation Studio {{!}} Roxbury, MA {{!}} Cause IQ |url=https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/venture-cafe-foundation,455191933/ |access-date=2023-06-03 |website=www.causeiq.com}}</ref>

As of May 2020, there are 11 independently managed Venture Cafés, located in Boston, St. Louis, Missouri; Miami; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Providence, Rhode Island; Tokyo, Japan; Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Warsaw, Poland; Bilbao, Spain; and Sydney, Australia.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Global Network|url=https://venturecafeglobal.org/about-the-network/|website=venturecafeglobal.org|access-date=2020-05-27}}</ref> As of 2019, there were plans to open Venture Cafés in some 40 more cities.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://venturecafeglobal.org/about-the-network/187-2/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327085635/https://venturecafeglobal.org/about-the-network/187-2/ |archive-date=27 March 2019 | access-date=19 February 2019 | title=Our network is growing}}</ref>

The flagship event of Venture Café is the Thursday Gathering, a weekly meeting for new and experienced entrepreneurs to exchange ideas and support. The event usually includes several free educational sessions to teach entrepreneurs to how to start and run a business. Participants can also hold informal discussions of creative and speculative ideas and look for collaborators, co-founders, mentors, or investors.<ref name="venture-name" />

== History ==

The Venture Café was conceived as a restaurant in the Cambridge Innovation Center in Boston, Massachusetts.<ref name="bostonglobe-hottest">{{cite web |title=How a failed restaurant became Cambridge’s hottest Thursday spot|work=Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2018/06/21/this-could-hottest-place-town-thursday-night-and-beer-free/so61lJpjP7HcZLXTCEGvcK/story.html|first=Scott|last=Kirsner|date= 21 June 2018|access-date=24 August 2018}}</ref> The idea failed to attract investment, so the founders changed it to a gathering space for the entrepreneurial community, based on the book ''Venture Café'' by Teresa Esser.<ref name="venture-name">{{cite web |title=Venture Café’s mission is connecting innovators to make things happen.|work=Venture Cafe Official Website |url=http://venturecafeglobal.org/about/|date= 24 August 2018 |access-date=24 August 2018}}</ref> Venture Café Kendall launched in 2009.{{Citation needed|date=January 2019}}

In 2014, Venture Café expanded to the Cortex Innovation Community in St. Louis, Missouri, to bring together the emerging startup community.<ref name="stltoday-cambridge">{{cite web |title=Cambridge Innovation Center opens at Cortex|work=St. Louis Post Dispatch |url=https://www.stltoday.com/business/columns/building-blocks/cambridge-innovation-center-opens-at-cortex/article_202c0df4-dbbb-567e-aec8-32ee0a9eff35.html|first=Tim|last=Bryant|date= Sep 29, 2014 |access-date=24 August 2018}}</ref> The success of the St. Louis location prompted the launch of Venture Cafés in other cities and ultimately the creation of Venture Café Global Institute, a public benefit corporation based in St. Louis and Boston.<ref name="silicon-venture">{{cite web |title=T-REX and Venture Cafe STL are changing St. Louis’ startup landscape|work=Silicon Prairie News |url=http://siliconprairienews.com/2018/03/t-rex-venture-cafe-changing-st-louis-startup-landscape/|first=Christine|last=McGuigan|date=2 March 2018 |access-date=24 August 2018}}</ref>

In 2018, as part of St. Louis Cortex District's new 4220 Duncan building anchored by Microsoft, Venture Cafe launched Innovation Hall in St. Louis based upon Boston's District Hall.<ref name="nextstl-innovationhall">{{cite web |title=Cortex Unveils New 4220 Duncan Building|work=NextSTL |url=https://nextstl.com/2018/05/cortex-unveils-new-4220-duncan-building/|first=Jason |last=Deem |date=10 May 2018 |access-date=24 August 2018}}</ref>

In 2018, St. Louis launched EdHub<ref name="bizjournal-cortex">{{cite web|title='Innovation center,' restaurant to open at Cortex|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2018/04/11/innovation-center-restaurant-to-open-at-cortex.html|last=Kukuljan|first=Steph|date=11 April 2018|work=St. Louis Business Journal|access-date=24 August 2018}}</ref> to support and bring together innovators to increase youth access to education.<ref>{{cite web|title=Venture Cafe St. Louis To Open Innovation Hall At Cortex|url=http://eqstl.com/venture-cafe-st-louis-open-innovation-hall-cortex/|date=12 April 2018}}</ref> EdHub STL is inspired by the Forward Through Ferguson report, which calls for an innovation education hub to address the region's most entrenched educational issues.<ref name="fwdthruferguson">{{cite web |title=Create an Innovative Education Hub|work=Forward Through Ferguson |url=https://forwardthroughferguson.org/calls-to-action/innovative-education-hub/|date= 24 August 2018 |access-date=24 August 2018}}</ref>

Venture Café Foundation in Boston runs the Roxbury Innovation Center.<ref name="bizjournal-cortex" /> Like EdHub, it brings together innovators in education including students, parents, administration, and teachers to help solve inequities in education and introduce youth to entrepreneurship and STEAM activities.{{Citation needed|date=January 2019}}

In September 2021, Venture Café St. Louis cancelled its events and made no public statements.<ref name="4thest8-vencafstl-quiet">{{cite web |title=Venture Cafe St. Louis Goes Quiet|work=4thest8|url=https://4thest8.com/vencafstl-quiet/|date= 10 September 2021 |access-date=17 September 2021|author=Paul Riat}}</ref>

On September 13, 2021, Venture Café St. Louis board chair Whitney Masching released a statement stating, "Seven years later, it is time to close this chapter. Effective immediately, the VCSTL programming you know is on pause — but this isn’t the end."<ref name="4thest8-vencafstl-responds">{{cite web |title=UPDATE: VENCAFSTL BOARD RESPONDS; NEW SITE GOES UP (BUT NO CONTENT)|work=4thest8|url=https://4thest8.com/venture-cafe-confirmation/|date=13 September 2021 |access-date=17 September 2021|author=Paul Riat}}</ref>

In May 2025, Venture Café launched in the UK in London with other locations in Manchester, and Edinburgh.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Venture Cafe Launches In London With Invention Agency Backing|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevorclawson/2025/05/27/venture-cafe-launches-in-london-with-invention-agency-backing/|work=Forbes|access-date=2025-11-27|language=en|first=Trevor|last=Clawson}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aria.org.uk/insights/venture-cafe-uk-gathers-momentum-across-the-country|title=Venture Café UK gathers momentum across the country|date=30 October 2025|access-date=27 November 2025|website=ARIA|url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==

* Co-working

== External links ==

*[http://venturecafeglobal.org/ CIC Venture Café Global Institute - Official Website] *[https://venturecafeedinburgh.org/ Venture Café Edinburgh (UK) Official Website] *[http://vencaf.org/ Venture Café Foundation Official Website] *[https://venturecafelondon.org/ Venture Café London (UK) Official Website] *[https://venturecafemanchester.org/ Venture Café Manchester (UK) Official Website] * [http://vencaf.org/venture-cafe-st-louis/ Venture Café St. Louis Official Website] * [http://venturecafesydney.org/ Venture Café Sydney Official Website] *[http://venturecafewarsaw.org/ Venture Café Warsaw Official Website] * [https://topbestin.wordpress.com/2019/10/23/venture-cafe-the-success-story-of-a-coworking-space/ Venture Café The Success Story of a coworking space.]

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Entrepreneurship organizations Category:Non-profit corporations Category:Community building Category:Companies based in St. Louis Category:Organizations based in St. Louis Category:Non-profit organizations based in St. Louis Category:Coworking space providers