Member Spotlight: Kelvin Johnson

The life of an entrepreneur is a relentless pursuit to carve out a place in the world that has purpose and impact. In our almost twelve years in business, we have been HQ for thousands of founders who share the tenacity, ingenuity, and drive required to bring something sustainable to market. There are many things that go into creating a culture (yes, coworking companies think about culture everyday – at least the good ones do) where innovation, networking, and growth are more effectively facilitated.

And then there are always – not because of anything we do – a few members who go above and beyond to model dedication to the startup community like our first Member Spotlight of the year, Kelvin Johnson. Kelvin is a founder’s founder. A few years after earning his master’s degree in accounting and working for a Big 4 accounting firm, Kelvin channeled his talents for helping clients build sales and operations infrastructure into Brevity Pitch.

Brevity Pitch, an AI-powered application, brings together the best in succinct storytelling with compelling sales strategies to help early-stage companies more efficiently secure funding. At its core, Brevity Pitch is a tool that streamlines the pitch process by facilitating peer feedback loops and analytics to perfect the “ask.” With over 16 early investors, including the Knight Foundation, Kelvin is on a trajectory to help transform how entrepreneurs raise capital. To date, Brevity Pitch has helped users win over 10 pitch competitions and raise over $2M in funding.

Kelvin walks the walk. A downtown Minneapolis resident and Coco member, he has been an important part of our community for over a year. Constantly working the phones and Zoom, and hosting investors and entrepreneurs in our space, Kelvin is the very model of the previously mentioned attributes of a founder – one who is on the right track. And when he’s not pitching, he’s lifting up others by mentoring and networking – giving back is central to his values and character.

When we asked why he chose Coco as Brevity Pitch HQ, he replied, “It is a very open, kind, and collaborative environment, where water cooler talk turns into meaningful connections. When I was down about the business, Kyle Coolbroth (CEO of Coco) sensed it and pulled me into his office to listen and offer advice, and a book. It is a rare thing to have that level of support from staff and fellow members. I feel included here.” Thanks, Kelvin, for all you contribute to the downtown Coco community!