To qualify for the Pop-up West Shop you must complete the Ignite Appalachia in Huntington Workshop and Pitch or other partner-offered business development and planning curriculum. Then you must submit a plan detailing your goals and products or services to be featured with Pop-up West, hours of operations, marketing plan, proposed start and end date, and application form. Be sure to tell us your story and the story of your business. Read the guidelines and apply today.
The Ignite Appalachia and rePOWER program provides small business planning support and includes eight weekly sessions that feature topics such as business marketing, access to small business capital, and startup business planning. Each session lends itself to an end-of-program business pitch competition with each participant presenting their business plan to a judging panel in consideration for a $5,000 cash prize, entry into a larger regional pitch competition with a top prize of $10,000. Photo featured is the Regional Winner for 2024, Alexis Campbell of Withrow Sharpening Services and Sales.
Ignite Appalachia in Huntington is an expansion of an existing program that started in Portsmouth, Ohio in 2020, at the Shawnee State University Kricker Innovation Hub. In 2022, the Women’s Business Center of Central Appalachia, based in Portsmouth, were awarded funding through the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to expand the Ignite Program into several surrounding communities including Huntington. HADCO and its partner organizer RenewAll, are jointly coordinating the program and are bringing in a broad range of entrepreneurial and economic development partners for support.
The Ignite Appalachia in Huntington program relies heavily on mentors and speakers volunteering their time and expertise to add to the fabric of the program. The organizers have brought on more than a dozen area partners to contribute as mentors, guest speakers and judges for the program, including representatives from Truist Bank, Partner Community Capital, Vandalia Digital, the FASTER WV program, West Virginia Small Business Development Center and the WV Women’s Business Center among others.
Does this sound like the opportunity you are looking for? Learn more about Ignite Huntington today.
Specializing in traditional letterpress, relief, and screen prints, Joe Public Press brought visions to life with a blend of precision and creativity during his time at Pop-up West. Joe hosted workshops, gained insight on how to operate a brick-and-mortar, had many marketing opportunities, and engaged with the Central City community. After his time at Pop-up West, he was able to move his business to his own space here in the West Huntington Community.
Read more about Joe Public Press and see a marketing example in our Blog Feature.
