Benedum grant fuels WVU efforts to promote entrepreneurism via IgniteWV

West Virginia University is renewing efforts to promote prosperity in West Virginia with a new statewide competition that challenges promising entrepreneurs and empowers them to succeed.

The Encova Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the John Chambers College of Business and Economics is launching IgniteWV with $200,000 in grant support from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. The program, which evolved from the West Virginia Business Plan Competitions hosted previously by WVU, strives to provide budding entrepreneurs with the education, skills, contacts and motivation necessary to create viable start-up companies in the Mountain State.

“Small businesses are vital in building a strong and diverse economy in West Virginia for the future,” Tara St. Clair, program director for the Encova Center, said. “By equipping West Virginians with entrepreneurial skills and funding, we’re building a sustainable pipeline of entrepreneurial talent to support our local communities.”

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