April 21, 2022
Shawnee State University’s Kricker Innovation Hub will host its second annual Ignite Portsmouth Entrepreneurial Journey Bootcamp this summer. The bootcamp is an eight-week program that meets in-person each Thursday starting at 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. beginning on May 12 until Jun. 30.
Ignite Portsmouth will give participants the opportunity to learn the skills they need to turn an idea into a viable business. It will teach participants entrepreneurial skills, match them with mentors and coaches, build a network of other entrepreneurs, and how to develop a business plan. Ultimately the program will conclude in a business pitch competition with $5,000 in cash prizes.
“If you’ve ever thought about starting a business, this is your time,” said David Kilroy, Director at the SSU Kricker Innovation Hub. “The Ignite Portsmouth program brings together a lot of resources and structure to help people be creative and aspirational with their ideas, plus offering the opportunity to win cash thanks to our sponsors.”
The Tri-State Angel Investment Group is the presenting sponsor for this event, providing prize dollars to encourage participants in the pitch competition to take feedback and continue to work on their idea following the program. The Tri-State Angel Investment Group works with local investors and partner angel groups to advance entrepreneurs in the Southern Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia region. This program is also made possible thanks to the Appalachian Regional Commission’s POWER initiative and TechGROWTH Ohio.
Jeremy Turner will facilitate each session of the bootcamp. Turner is the Founder and Managing Director of EPIC Mission, a Huntington-based coaching and consulting firm that exists to help build and restore thriving, resilient, hope-filled communities across Appalachia and beyond by providing strategy, sustainable innovation, and capacity building services to community change agents across the United States.
Participation in the bootcamp is completely free and open to individuals 18 or older residing in Scioto, Lawrence, Pike, Jackson, and Adams counties in Ohio and Lewis and Greenup counties in Kentucky. Interested participants should apply at ssuinnovation.com.