West Virginia’s annual Bridging Innovation Week will take place April 8-11th, 2024 in Huntington, West Virginia. This year’s symposium will be the biggest and most comprehensive yet, featuring a wide range of events, competitions, and networking opportunities. Bridging Innovation Week promotes and fosters entrepreneurship by bringing together engaged stakeholders from across the Mountain State to cultivate a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“We are excited to bring Bridging Innovation Week to Huntington. Past events have found great success moving to different locations across the state to engage local networks,” said Tara St. Clair, Co-Chair. “Bringing it to Huntington is a great opportunity to collaborate with local public and private partners and highlight the incredible innovation happening within the community.”
The 2024 program will kick off on Monday, April 8th. The Seeds for Growth: Building Black Business in West Virginia workshop will take place from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Mountain Health Arena, hosted by the Center for Economic & Community Development in Black Appalachia and Isolated Communities at Marshall University, Advantage Valley, and sponsored by Huntington Bank. Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center will be hosting public tours from 3:00pm to 5:00pm at their downtown location, and the new Brad D. Smith Schools of Business at Marshall University will host the Huntington Chamber After Hours from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
On Tuesday, April 9th, the WV Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Conference will be hosted from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Mountain Health Arena. The event features an ecosystem showcase, a formal program that includes compelling keynotes by Kipp Bodnar, Chief Marketing Officer of Hubspot, Victor Hwang, Founder of Right to Start, and Brad Smith, President of Marshall University, engaging panels and hands-on workshops led by ecosystem stakeholders, and a multitude of networking opportunities. Registration for the WVEE Conference closes March 24, 2024 – register today at www.wveshipecosystem.org. Immediately following, participants will be invited to hit the town to attend Tuesday Night Meet-Ups at various locations throughout Downtown Huntington, including conversations for artists and creatives, tech enthusiasts, veteran founders, young professionals and more.
Bridging Innovation Week’s annual Competition Day will take place on Wednesday, April 10th at Mountain Health Arena. The day features Marshall University’s Business Model Competition at 9:30 am, The EdVenture Group’s SparkWV middle and high school competition at 11:15 am, WVU Encova Center’s IgniteWV (a regional partner for Startup World Cup) finals at 1:45 pm, and the WVU Morris L. Hayhurst Launchlab’s Hayhurst Invitational at 5 pm. All competitions are open to the public for viewing. A private reception and awards ceremony will take place at 6:00 pm to recognize and fund participating businesses, with an anticipated over $350,000 in prize money being distributed.
The week’s final event, Entrepreneurship Education Day, will take place from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at Mountain Health Arena on Thursday, April 11. Open to West Virginia students and educators, this event is a partnership between the West Virginia Department of Education, The EdVenture Group, WVU Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and Marshall Advanced Manufacturing to provide hands-on learning opportunities for middle and high school students in entrepreneurship and innovation. Over 200 students will attend, including the WV High School Future Business Leaders of America Winners’ Circle and Jobs for WV Grad students. The day will also feature advanced credentialing professional development opportunities for educators interested in the state’s Career and Technical Education Entrepreneurship and Innovation Pathway.
Bridging Innovation Week 2024 is made possible through generous sponsors including 2024 Diamond Sponsors, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the West Virginia Department of Economic Development, Right to Start, and the Appalachian Regional Commission; 2024 Platinum Sponsors, Huntington Bank, the West Virginia Virginia University John Chambers College of Business and Economics Encova Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the WVU Morris L. Hayhurst Launch Lab; and 2024 Silver Sponsors, the WVU National Science Foundation Innovation Corps Program, Bullseye Total Media, Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center, West Virginia Chamber, New River Gorge Regional Development Authority, Country Roads Angel Network, Advantage Valley, National Security Innovation Network, RCAC-APEX Accelerator, and Huntington Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. The EdVenture Group serves as the fiscal agent for the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in alignment with its entrepreneurial and educational charitable mission.
For more information on this year’s event and to secure your spot, visit www.wveshipecosystem.org. For more information on Bridging Innovation Week and the WV Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Conference, contact Co-Chairs Amber Ravenscroft and Tara St. Clair.
