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With a position and passion already rooted in coffee, Kiara Blacher is looking to make her mark.

Blacher’s relationship with coffee runs deeper than a morning routine. With nonprofit entrepreneurial experience dating back to high school and hands-on work as a barista at the Violet Peak Leeds Café, her path toward building something of her own has been steadily taking shape.

Her startup, Caffi, reimagines the traditional Italian moka pot by combining its familiar design with an electric base. The result is a fast, counter-top style espresso experience without the pods and without the cost of a high-end machine.

Now, she’s using Spark С����, С���� Boulder’s first startup incubator, to grow the venture. A customer she met through Violet Peak first encouraged her to apply, and since joining the program, Blacher has leaned fully into the learning process. As a first-generation American with limited family exposure to entrepreneurship in the U.S., Spark has become a space to build foundational knowledge, growing her business inside and out.

Rooted in Purpose

Kids for a Cure was a nonprofit initiative Blacher founded during high school, with the original idea forming as early as middle school. Inspired by her own experiences with chronic illness, she wanted to create something that could support others facing similar challenges.��

The organization was fully nonprofit. There was no personal compensation, and more than $5,000 in proceeds were donated directly to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Blacher organized two annual benefit concerts that brought together live music, community partnerships, raffles, and in-person donations. The initiative reflected who she was at her core, blending her desire to help others with her creative passions.

Music played a central role in Kids for a Cure. Growing up in a rock band program, Blacher leveraged her existing network of musicians to bring the concerts to life, even landing on the front page of a local newspaper. That connection to music has stayed with her. Today, she can play eight instruments and can even identify a musical note by knocking on a piece of wood.

“I love playing music, so being able to bring two things I care a lot about together… it was really important to me.”

This experience shaped how Blacher defines entrepreneurship. For her, building something from the ground up and watching it grow carries just as much weight as turning a profit. It’s a philosophy she now brings with her into every stage of Caffi.

Building Caffi

For Blacher, Caffi is a passion project, not just any business. While profitability matters, she has expressed interest in eventually creating product lines or colorways that donate proceeds to charities and nonprofit causes, keeping impact at the center of growth.

Caffi modernizes the Italian moka pot by pairing it with an electric base, creating a simple, one-button espresso experience. Positioned as an alternative to expensive machines and wasteful pod systems, the concept grew directly out of Blacher’s frustration with existing coffee options. That same firsthand perspective now guides her work inside the Spark С���� incubator.

“I think Spark is really helping build my confidence in the idea… it’s hard coming up with an idea and getting validation for it, but I really do think Spark has helped a lot.”��

Blacher has found value through Spark, using her founder circles to expand her knowledge. With growing exposure to startup fundamentals and a supportive cohort around her, she and the Spark team are gearing up for the New Venture Challenge, an experience that continues to push her idea forward while reinforcing the foundation she’s built.

At its current stage, Caffi is moving from concept toward execution. Blacher has begun assembling a small, complementary team drawn from her immediate circles, bringing together skill sets that reflect the needs of a physical product startup. With support from Spark, she’s working through early decisions, and how to best translate her idea into something tangible.��

As Caffi continues to take shape, Blacher remains focused on learning through the process rather than rushing toward an end result. With Spark as a testing ground and the New Venture Challenge on the horizon, she’s embracing the uncertainty that comes with building something new.

More than a Bottom Line

Blacher has always thrived from pouring creativity into something and watching it grow. She’s done it with kids for a cure, she does it with her everyday life, and now, she’s doing it with Caffi.

“For me, it’s watching something important to you grow, even if it’s not necessarily for revenue - just seeing the reach your idea has and the impact it has.”��

To her, nonprofits and mission-driven work are equally as entrepreneurial as turning a profit, and she remains in that headspace as Caffi continues to grow. Her experiences through Spark along with the upcoming New Venture Challenge pose an exciting new chapter.��

For Blacher, the journey has always been more than just coffee. And in many ways, she’s only just getting started.��