[ business ]
KENZIE DYE ALEX WILSON MEDIA
Forging Our Entrepreneurial Future
West Virginia ’ s premier entrepreneurship event , Bridging Innovation Week , stands at the forefront of driving entrepreneurship-led economic development in the state . This annual symposium fosters vital connections and offers invaluable education to business owners , aspiring entrepreneurs and organizations that support the entrepreneurial ecosystem across West Virginia .
Bridging Innovation Week 2024 was held from April 8 to April 11 at the Marshall Health Network Arena in Huntington , WV , and had over 1,000 attendees . April 10 was the conference ’ s competition day . This event awarded over $ 400,000 in non-dilutive funds to aspiring West Virginia businesses , providing a platform for eager entrepreneurs to share their ideas and compete for investment and financial support . The competitions that made up this day were SparkWV , IgniteWV and the Hayhurst Invitational .
Hosted by The Edventure Group , Inc ., SparkWV inspired innovation in middle and high school students through its two tracks , Big Ideas and Small Business . Award winners for the Big Ideas track were SE4SONS from Pikeview High School in first place with $ 1,500 ; AED Drones from Carver Career and Technical Education Center in second place with $ 1,000 ; and Tag On The Go from Ripley High School in third place with $ 500 . The Small Business track award
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