West Virginia Entrepreneurship Conference

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

West Virginia Entrepreneurship Conference

Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center

Ballrooms A-E 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The WV Entrepreneurship Conference aims to bring together entrepreneurs and entrepreneur serving organizations in the state to share best practices and inspire collaborations.


8:30-9:00 a.m.	Registration Setup for vendors in atrium
9:00-10:00 a.m.	Showcase of resources (Atrium)
10:00-10:15 a.m.	Welcome (Ballroom C) The Honorable Jim Justice, Governor of West Virginia Video Comments from Appalachian Regional Commission Federal Co-Chair Gayle Connelly Manchin Moderator: Bill Woodrum, Coordinator, WV BusinessLink
10:15–11:50 a.m.	Opening Keynote and Response Panel (Ballroom C) Nathan Ohle, President and CEO International Economic Development Council (IEDC) How does the system support entrepreneurs? Moderator: Joe Kapp, National Center for Resource Development
	Panel Discussion- Removing Barriers to Entrepreneurship in WV (Ballroom C) Sponsored by Small Business Development Center of West Virginia Ben Queen, West Virginia House of Delegates The Honorable Mac Warner, West Virginia Secretary of State Amber Ravenscroft, The EdVenture Group Joe Kapp, National Center for Resource Development Moderator: Deb Martin, WV Small Business Development Center
11:50- 12:00 p.m.	Break
12:00-12:50 p.m.	Lunch Sponsored by The Encova Foundation (Ballroom C) Video Comments from The Honorable Joe Manchin, Senator, West Virginia Video Comments from The Honorable Shelley Moore Capito, Senator, West Virginia Fireside Chat with President Brad Smith, Marshall University hosted by Toney Stroud, Encova Insurance
1:00-1:50 p.m.	Breakout Sessions
	Breakout 1 (Ballroom B) *Sponsored by WV Department of Education* Entrepreneurship in Education – Creating Pipelines Panelists: Dr. Chris Treadway- WV Community & Technical Colleges Clinton Burch, WV Department of Education CTE programs Dr. Carrie White, WVU Moderator: Scott Rotruck, WV Board of Education
	Breakout 2 (Ballroom D) Sponsored by WV HIVE Small Business Entrepreneurship (how to start, resources for entrepreneurs) Panelists: Kyle Gillis, Iconic Air Michele O’Connor, West Virginia Jobs Investment Trust Ursulette Ward, Unlimited Future, Inc. Mary Hunt, Benedum Foundation. Moderator: Judy Moore, WV HIVE
	Breakout 3 (Ballroom E) *Sponsored by Country Roads Angel Network* Innovative Financing Models and Approaches for Small Business Panelists: Bradley Sergent-Jobs Investment Trust Kevin Combs, CRAN Christy Laxton, Wyoming County EDA Moderator:David Lieving, HADCO
1:50 – 2:00 p.m.	Move back to Ballroom C
2:00 – 2:45 p.m.	Entrepreneurship Fireside Chat Sponsored by Vantage Ventures Ballroom C Dan Wright CEO at DataRobot President E. Gordon Gee West Virginia University Moderator: Sarah Biller, Vantage Ventures
2:45- 3:00 p.m.	Closing/ Takeaways/ Next Steps /Survey Ballroom C Moderator: Tara St Clair Encova Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, West Virginia University

3:00-5:00 p.m.

Networking Reception with Vantage Ventures

Location: The Equities House 900 Virginia St E, Charleston, WV 25301

Please join us for an Open House at The Equities House. Network with fellow conference attendees and VIPs. Take a quick tour of the office and classroom space utilized by the WVU John Chambers College of Business and Economics, WVU College of Law and WVU Extension Service. Light refreshments and appetizers will be provided. Hosted by Vantage Ventures.

4:15-8:00 p.m.

Country Roads Angel Network Investor Meeting

Ballroom D

Country Roads Angel Network is hosting an event for investor members and potential investor members. The event will include a catered dinner, networking opportunities and the review of our quarterly investment pitches.

Hosted by the West Virginia Department of Economic Development Small Business Development Center and West Virginia BusinessLink Point of contact: Bill Woodrum – [email protected]

West Virginia Entrepreneurship Conference