Spotlight Programs: Lauren Prinzo Community & Economic Development Specialist WVU Extension Service Equity in Entrepreneurship Findings Update and Discussion West Virginia University is conducting in-person strategic planning meetings across West Virginia as part of an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) POWER Technical Assistance grant aimed at expanding entrepreneurship opportunities for rural and low-income youth. The next round...
The MVP Problem The venerable MVP, or Minimally Viable Product, has long been the measure for which most startups begin their market/A-B testing. It’s taught in nearly every prototyping seminar, early entrepreneurship education programs, and in most colleges of business. It’s tried and it’s true—but is it the best we can...
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is well known for its funding of high impact scientific discoveries. Making up over a quarter of all federal funding for science and technology research, NSF knows how to invest in the future of the United States research infrastructure. Research and discovery funded by the...
Program Spotlight for December Downtown Appalachia: Revitalizing Recreational Economies (DARRE) Stephanie Tyree, Executive Director, WV Community Development Hub s.tyree@wvhub.org Ray Moeller, Economic Redevelopment Specialist, WVU Northern Brownfields Assistance Center Raymond.Moeller@mail.wvu.edu DARRE is a three-year program partnership between the WV Community Development Hub, WV Northern Brownfields Assistance Center, Woodlands Development & Lending, and Partner...
Program Spotlight for November Tamarack Foundation for the Arts Spotlight Program: Domenica Queen Programming & Operations Director, dqueen@tamarackfoundation.org Tamarack Foundation for the Arts helps to grow West Virginia’s creative economy by providing essential programs that equip Mountain State artists and creative entrepreneurs with the skills necessary to succeed and thrive in the place they...
A couple of months ago, I was telling someone that my job is to help people start businesses and she responded, “So basically you make dreams come true!” For some people, that is the case! Either the business itself is the dream or the business provides the means to help them...
Program Spotlight for October Small Communities Big Solutions Sara Payne Scarbro, Alliance for the Economic Development of Southern WV sara.payne@marshall.edu This annual event showcases all the successes and highlights what is working across the southern part of the state. Each year a mix of community leaders, educators, businesses, and public officials come together...
What’s stopping you? I mean, really, what’s stopping you? You’ve done the research, you’ve done the preliminary plans, listened to all the right podcasts, sat in all of the webinars, did all the right things...except you have nothing to show for it. In every single aspect of life- education, careers, relationships,...
Program Spotlight for September 2021-2022 WV Statewide Business Plan Tara St. Clair, Director of Operations, Encova Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Tara.StClair@mail.wvu.edu Tara provided updates regarding the 2021-2022 WV Statewide Business Plan Competitions. The competitions provide high school and college students across the state of West Virginia with the unique opportunity to make...
While there’s typically a celebration with public officials, banners, balloons, and a production made around the opening of large corporate offices across the country, most small business owners receive less attention when they are starting their enterprise. The small business process goes from an idea to conversations with family and...
