What we’re about
Friday Coffee Meetup (FCM) brings together Pasadena’s innovation and startup community on the first Friday of every month in the comfortable environment of FoundrSpace in Old Town Pasadena. Cohosted by CALE at Caltech
Here you will learn from leaders in the tech, entrepreneurship and venture capital community; experience presentations from dynamic speakers; and engage with other innovators.
For almost ten years now, Friday Coffee Meetup has been where Pasadena’s innovation community gathered weekly, and then most recently during the pandemic monthly. Today, with a revived partnership with Innovate Pasadena, Friday Coffee Meetup continues the legacy of connecting and invigorating our community with programs of authentic, inspiring and informative presentations and valuable welcoming and personal networking.
Friday Coffee Meetup is open to Pasadena’s entire innovation community, including (but certainly not limited to) entrepreneurs, programmers, chief technology officers (CTOs), venture capitalists (VCs), angel investors, thought leaders, and more.
Each meeting includes a monthly presentation from a leader in the innovation community, followed by Q&A, and then time for meet-the-speaker in person and informal networking. Please note our Speaker Criteria below, especially if you are interested in presenting.
Friday Coffee Meetup is supported by a team of dedicated volunteers, currently including John Chou, Doreen Chen Allen, Evan Tsang, Jan Young, Nathan Hurvitz, Holly Bowyer, Cameron Church, Meredith Jung, John Deyto, Christine de la Fuente, and Christy Conner.
Founded in 2013 by Andy Wilson, and Mike Schaffer, with sponsorship provided by Echo Factory the last few years, Friday Coffee Meetup is now sustained through a partnership with Innovate Pasadena that began in 2022. We invite you to learn more about upcoming meetups by visiting innovatepasadena.org and following Innovate Pasadena on social media.
Recordings of many previous events are available on our YouTube channels:
[https://www.youtube.com/user/innovatepasadena](https://urldefense.com/v3/https:/www.youtube.com/user/innovatepasadena;!!Fh--17vRJmFW!n1nOw9oBscDsITeJR8MuG1BvafIH25aJs5bhCF0UFDmUiKJaGs2v7Qz2vqKtTQmOyu4KIA$)
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqEpMLu3srTmz_hbS0ucCBQ](https://urldefense.com/v3/https:/www.youtube.com/channel/UCqEpMLu3srTmz_hbS0ucCBQ;!!Fh--17vRJmFW!n1nOw9oBscDsITeJR8MuG1BvafIH25aJs5bhCF0UFDmUiKJaGs2v7Qz2vqKtTQnstxEnYw$)
OUR SPEAKER INFORMATION & CRITERIA
Notes:
• FCM cannot be used to primarily promote an individual’s service or business.
• Our speakers are traditionally Innovators, CEOs, Founders, Angel/Venture Investors.
• If you are a service provider, this is not the right forum for you. But if you have CEOs and leaders of industry that you work with and would like to highlight, please recommend them.
What our audience likes to hear about:
• Entrepreneurship…successes and/or failures
• Lessons learned - what went wrong and how you fixed it…we love a good turn around or pivot
• Investors, VCs, etc. - what type of investments are you looking for: industry, fund size, previous background/experience, successful exits, stories of failures, etc.
• Innovators - how you took your idea to fruition.
Thank you!
Upcoming events (1)
See all- Caroline Paules & Karin Najarian, Casa Nova - Affordable Housing RedefinedFoundrSpace Coworking, Pasadena, CA
IN-PERSON, Doors open at 8 AM for informal networking.
8:30 AM Presentation and Q&A moderated by Marsha Swallow, followed by meet-the-speaker and informal networking until 10 AM.
Location: FoundrSpace, our generous event host
Parking: Street parking is generally free until 11 AM; check street signs.
Presented by Echo-Factory and Innovate Pasadena and co-hosted by CALE at Caltech.
Caroline Paules & Karin Najarian from Casa Nova - Affordable Housing Redefined: Providing Off-Grid Microhome Communities
California faces a critical housing affordability crisis: we need 2.5 million homes in the next six years, but traditional construction methods, which are costly and slow, yield fewer than 100,000 units annually. Even temporary shelters become prohibitively expensive when paired with permanent utility connections.
Casa Nova, a social impact technology company, is pioneering a transformative solution: the first permanent, scalable microhome villages. Discover how Casa Nova’s holistic approach—integrating prefabricated components, off-grid power and water systems, low-impact foundations, and expedited permitting—delivers permanent housing with unprecedented speed and at the lowest cost in the industry.
Please join our lively, fun, and friendly in-person event in the comfortable environment of FoundrSpace!
You can also watch the livestream starting at 8:30 AM and ending after the Q&A at approximately 9:30 AM by connecting with Christy Conner on LinkedIn.
Connect with us:
Linkedin
Facebook
InstagramDisability Notice: Please note that our venue FoundrSpace is located in a historical building in Pasadena and does not have elevator access. As a historic property, it is exempt from ADA compliance per city regulations. If you require any assistance or special accommodations, please let us know two weeks in advance of the event by emailing BOTH pasadena@foundrspace.com and admin@innovatepasadena.org and providing your name and contact information, and we will do our best to support your needs. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to hosting you.
