West Virginia’s Premier Entrepreneurship Event, Bridging Innovation Week, Comes to Morgantown April 27 - May 1

MORGANTOWN, WV – The West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem (WVEE) is proud to announce the return of Bridging Innovation Week, taking place from April 27 to May 1, 2026. This week-long series of events serves as the state’s largest gathering of entrepreneurs, investors, resource providers, and community leaders, all focused on catalyzing the Mountain State’s entrepreneurship and small business backbone.

Bridging Innovation Week is designed to connect West Virginia’s brightest minds with the resources they need to scale. The week features a diverse line-up of high-impact events, including:

• Local Tours (April 27): Immersive experiences highlighting the best of Morgantown’s entrepreneurial community, including the West Virginia University Innovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Tour from 11:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and the Main Street Morgantown Downtown Opportunity Tour from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
• The WV Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Conference (April 28): The anchor event of the week, hosted at the Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place, featuring professional development and networking for the state’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. Featured remarks from:
  • Secretary of Commerce Matt Herridge on West Virginia’s economy and state priorities
  • Secretary of State Kris Warner on the newly-established WV Office of Entrepreneurship
• High-Stake Pitch Competitions: Showcasing the next generation of innovators through events like Monday’s AI Pitch Competition (April 27 at the Morgantown Marriott) and BIW’s Competition Day (April 29 at the MET Theater), this year featuring the following competitions:
  • The SparkWV middle and high school pitch competition,
  • Vantage Venture’s Validation Day featuring learnings from their most recent accelerator cohort,
  • The IgniteWV finals, the state’s largest 18+ pitch competition, and,
  • LG NOVA’s Elevate West Virginia competition, with teams competing for a chance to enter Stage 3 of the LG NOVA WV Innovation Program.
• Networking Activities: Extensive networking opportunities from Monday’s Welcome Reception at WVU Chambers College (April 27) to Tuesday evening activities:
  • Artists from the Heart of Appalachia, a community-based art fundraiser from 4:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the Monongalia Arts Center (MAC) and The Retail Lab,
  • AI Hackathon, a hands-on building session to build, prototype, and demo an AI-powered product or feature from 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. at WVU Chambers College,
  • The West Virginia Network Evening Mixer, an open networking event from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Ascend WV’s Morgantown Area Basecamp,
  • Military and Veterans Entrepreneurship Networking Night, featuring resources and speakers supporting the military community from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at The Co-Op, and,
  • Beacon After Hours, a casual hangout from 8:00 - 11:00 p.m. at the Beacon Startup House
• Youth Entrepreneurship Education Day (April 30): Dedicated programming for local high school students, including experiential learning and hearing from guest speakers running local businesses and startups.

“Bridging Innovation Week is more than just a series of events; it is a mobilization of West Virginia’s economic future,” said Amber Ravenscroft, Director of the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem. “By bringing every corner of our state together in Morgantown, we are proving that innovation and entrepreneurship have no boundaries in the Mountain State.”

The 2026 program is made possible through the generous support of our sponsors and host site partners, whose commitment to West Virginia’s economic diversification remains unparalleled:

• Diamond Sponsors: the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the West Virginia Department of Economic Development, and WVU’s Vantage Ventures.
• Gold Sponsors: Huntington Bank, InnerAction Media, LG NOVA, Redefine Alliance, The EdVenture Group, WVU Medicine, and the WVU Office of Innovation and Commercialization,
• Host Site Partners: Morgantown Area Partnership, West Virginia University, and the Visit Mountaineer Country Convention and Visitors Bureau

The week is also sponsored, in part, by the Monongalia Tourism Advancement Fund, courtesy of the Monongalia County Commission and the Visit Mountaineer Country Convention and Visitors Bureau. For a full schedule of events or to register, please visit wveshipecosystem.org or visit the event website.

About the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem: The West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem is a collaborative network of organizations and individuals dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation across the Mountain State.

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Media Contact: Amber Ravenscroft, Director of the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, connect@wveshipecosystem.org, (301)-268-1623