Aspiring Lynchburg entrepreneurs adjust as Co.starters program shifts to online learning
Each year, budding entrepreneurs gather together in Lynchburg once a week for nine weeks in hopes of shaping and refining a business idea into reality.
This year, seven of them still are doing just that through the city’s Co.starters program but, for the first time, are adapting to learning by way of Zoom, a video conferencing platform that has become more popular during the coronavirus pandemic.
Co.starters, run by the city’s economic development office, aims to equip aspiring entrepreneurs with the resources, tools and relationships to turn a business idea into action.
Graduates include Mrs. Joy’s Absolutely Fabulous Treats, Speakertree Records and Golf Park Coffee Co.
Opportunity Lynchburg, run by the Lynchburg Economic Development Authority, launched Co.starters in 2016.
So far, about 100 businesses have graduated from the program. Some started their businesses right away after attending. Others came in with a business already launched but wanted to learn how to grow it.
The program is run in the style of a “cohort” instead of a classroom. Each cohort consists of no more than 15 people.
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