Fri, May 24, 2019, 8:15 AM
Hi! My name is Amara Barroeta and I’m the owner of Amara Chocolate & Coffee in Old Town Pasadena. I’m not a restaurant business guru or a famous chef, so when I was invited to be a speaker at Friday Coffee Meet Up I was very honored and excited, and without hesitation I said: ‘yes I’d love to!’ And when I started developing today’s talk I got really scared and said: what can I offer these people, some of them entrepreneurs, maybe they have been in business longer than myself, or belong to different industries? And after digging for a while and inserting the crying emoji in my keyboard several times, the answer was plain and clear: the best I can share with them is my personal story, a story of Chocolate: with lots of bitter and sweet moments, but full of satisfactions. The story of transforming my life from what it was 10 years ago back in Venezuela where I worked in media and entertainment as a journalist while finishing my degree as a chemical engineer, to owning Amara Chocolate in Pasadena’s very competitive dining environment.
Amara’s have become a destination for locals, visitors and foodies alike; we have been featured in top publications and TV shows, and have been awarded as Best dessert, Best South American Food and Best Independent Coffee House for the last 7 years by Pasadena Weekly to name a few. Thus, looking back at my journey and seeing all the challenges that I have overcome being an immigrant and starting my own business has allowed me to stay passionate for what I do, developing a clear path to continue growing, and finding spaces to give back to my community.
So, is there a secret sauce for that? Let’s find out!
Bio:
Amara Barroeta is the owner of Amara Chocolate & Coffee Cafe in Pasadena, California. Originally from Venezuela, Amara emigrated to the United States to get her MBA at UCLA in 2010. Prior to leaving Venezuela, she was crowned first runner-up in the Miss Venezuela pageant in 2002. And not long after that, she graduated from university with a degree in Chemical Engineering and a specialization in food processing. Somewhat surprisingly though, it was her experience as a beauty queen that opened up a world of opportunities, including a chance to travel the world (and most often, to Hollywood) as a television newscaster.
Amara traveled to stay in the US when she began her studies at UCLA. She didn’t know then that Los Angeles would become her new home. But increasing political unrest and corruption in her home country, as well as a deep appreciation and love for America led Amara to decide to stay permanently in the United States, where she opened and successfully runs Amara Chocolate & Coffee Cafe.
Utilizing her background in chemical engineering, her MBA, and her the bright, friendly personality that served her well in her beauty queen days, Amara spends her days happily serving coffee, food, and chocolate to her steadfast customers and getting involved with local organizations helping the Venezuelan community in SoCal and abroad. In 2017 she spoke about her experience as an immigrant on the TEDxPasadena stage. In 2018 she was invited as the host/moderator of The Refugee Forum of Los Angeles.
Instagram: @amarachocolate
Speaker email: amarabarroeta@gmail.com
#amarachocolate #amaracafe
Tag: Innovate Pasadena
Fri, May 10, 2019, 8:15 AM
After 7 years of weekly Friday Coffee Meetups, we're changing up the format a bit! As you FCM fans know, a big part of what happens each week is the community-- the people you meet. Put on a name tag, and introduce yourself. And it's AMAZING the people you meet, isn't it? You might be talking to a rocket scientist or a real estate broker. Last week I met someone who is creating a new and improved port a potty that is less offensive/ more enjoyable and environmentally friendly! That's what brings me in each week.
And it's a little bitter-sweet sometimes when you're in the middle of a fascinating conversation, and you have to stop, sit down and listen to a fascinating speaker instead. So NOW you don't have to.
Occassionally, we'll have an Open Networking Friday to mix things up. And that's what we're doing Friday, May 10th. Same great coffee, same great people. See you there!
Followed Friday Coffee Meet Up Podcast
These are weekly coffee meet-ups to increase and enhance the vibrancy of the great Pasadena tech and start-up community. We have a cross section of interested innovators (investors, entrepreneurs, programmers, CTO's, VC's, angels, etc) who are eager to more actively engage with other members of our local community. These sessions occur every Friday from 8:15am to 9:30am and are informal. We typically have a short structured presentation on a specific topic or do a deeper dive on a local company. All interested parties are welcome to attend. To find out more about our group, visit our web site:http://fridaycoffeemeetup.com/
RSVP Rocket Fund: Introducing a Non-Equity CleanTech Fund | Innovate Pasadena | Meetup
Fri, May 3, 2019, 8:15 AM
Learn about Cal-Tech’s Rocket Fund which awards non-equity grants from $25k-75k. FLOW's Rocket Fund is a granting pool that helps academic and garage innovators turn their technologies into commercial realities through financial support and entrepreneurial education.
We will be introducing you to an opportunity for CleanTech companies to obtain non-equity funding for commercial prototyping and connecting with customers. Supported by California’s six major utilities, industry and Caltech, the Rocket Fund http://flow.caltech.edu/rocket-fund provides non-equity grants to startups to design and build their first commercial prototype and start demonstrating with potential buyers.
RSVP Innovate Pasadena: Eat, Pray, Startup: An Entrepreneur’s Global Search For Creativity & Innovation | Meetup.com
Fri, Apr 26, 2019, 8:15 AM
Entrepreneurship requires creativity and innovative thinking. Yet living and working in one location can feel like being trapped in an echo chamber, thereby limiting our creative potential.
In 2018, Jennifer Chang found herself at a crossroads. She had successfully sold a startup in 2017 and chased the rising tech pay into the job market, but felt her creativity was being stifled by job descriptions. After being fired from yet another job, she decided to embark on a six month journey around the world to revitalize her creative energy. Her trip took her across 5 continents, 20 countries, 35 flights, and 45,000 miles. Throughout her journey, she met with entrepreneurs, investors, and technologists, using a shared interest in startups as a way to connect with local people, places, and cultures.
In this presentation, Jennifer will share highlights from her journey, including the unique organizations and companies she came across as she travelled the globe, looking for entrepreneurial soulmates.
Fri, Apr 19, 2019, 8:15 AM at Cross Campus Pasadena
Topic: Expiration Dates as Turning Points -or- How Lack of Opportunity Fuels Entrepreneurship
Do you have a self-imposed expiration date for your working life? When opportunities run out, what’s next?
We have come to know entrepreneurship as people finding an opportunity in the business space by creating a product or service that solves a problem in a new way. But often times it comes from something bigger, and a little more basic: the entrepreneur just doesn’t fit the mold. How glass ceilings, expiration dates, lack of opportunity, and burn-out all fuel startups.
Bio: Shawna Bigby Davis
Former agency owner, stress-junkie, autoimmune awareness vigilante Shawna is an entrepreneurial, imaginative leader with expertise in both creative and business management. As former co-founder and Executive Creative Director of a successful a creative marketing agency, Shawna has a proven track record of building businesses using a design-focused mindset. Her recent startup focuses on autoimmune disease awareness, remission and management tools.Her work has been seen and used by millions of people and cited by numerous press outlets, including AdAge, Fast Company, Adweek, Creativity and AdCritic, in addition to all the major industry award shows including Cannes Lions, The One Show, Addys, Communication Arts and Clios.
I can’t wait to see my friend Shawna talk next week at Innovate Pasadena.
The crowd gathered for Innovate Pasadena’s Friday coffee meetup.
Matt Lumpkin giving a talk entitled “For Patients, by Patients: Pioneering a New Approach in Med-Tech Design”.
Attending the Innovate Pasadena Friday Morning Coffee Meetup. Talk entitled “For Patients, by Patients: Pioneering a New Approach in Med-Tech Design“.
📺 Innovate Pasadena – Chuck Chugumlung | YouTube
Innovate Pasadena President Beth Kuchar interviews Chuck Chugumlung - Art Center alumnus, creative director and co-organizer of IP's Friday Coffee and Design X meetups.
Hat tip Chuck Chugumlung. He’d mentioned this to me a while back, but glad to finally have some time to catch it. Chuck is definitely doing some interesting work both in and for Pasadena.
📅 Journey of a CTO | Meetup.com
Fri, Mar 15, 2019, 8:15 AM
Join us for the journey of CTO Barbara Bickham. She’ll take us from what first intrigued her about computers and entrepreneurship, her career choices and the chances she took along the way-- to becoming a CTO, leader of a Blockchain accelerator, and startup advisor. She’ll also share her vision of the tech horizon.
Barbara Bickham, CTO with extensive experience in Technology and Entrepreneurship. Her current areas of expertise are in the Internet of Things, Blockchain, Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence.
Attending the Innovate Pasadena Friday Coffee Meetup featuring the talk 5G in Pasadena.
👓 Innovate Pasadena: Pitch Like a Boss Workshop | Meetup.com
Fri, Feb 15, 2019, 8:15 AM
Do you want to pitch with confidence? Allison Monaghan McGuire will teach you acting skills to create a concise, compelling story that drives action. Whether you're seeking investment, closing a deal, or even negotiating a contract, this workshop will leave you with concrete steps to supercharge your pitch...and win.
Serial entrepreneur and former award-winning actress, Pasadena-born Allison Monaghan McGuire parlayed her on-stage skills into real-life business presentations in the startup and corporate world.
RSVP Six Critical Steps to Global Growth & Profits
Learn the six critical steps to building, defending and perpetuating a successful global entity. The International Business Accelerator helps catapult product, service and tech companies into the global markets. With 60% women-owned businesses and cohorts in Long Beach, Silicon Beach, USC Marshall, Menlo Park and online, the IBA accelerates startups and high-growth companies into becoming successful multinationals.
Attending the Friday Morning Coffee Meetup at Innovate Pasadena
Presententation “Build vs. Buy” by Bryan Cambra