Entrepreneurship program for Western Virginia gets state funding
A state panel has awarded nearly $300,000 to a nonprofit group that will coordinate efforts to enhance the technology ecosystem in the Roanoke, New River Valley and Lynchburg regions.
The grant from the GO Virginia state board comes with $150,000 in matching funds from local supporters.
At a meeting Monday in Richmond, the board also approved $100,000 for a study of the best future use of the Central Virginia Training Center, a state institution in Madison Heights that is scheduled to close next year, according to a news release from GO Virginia’s Region 2, which represents the Roanoke, New River, Lynchburg and Alleghany Highland areas.
GO Virginia is a statewide initiative designed to encourage Virginia’s economic growth through the creation of high-wage jobs. Nine regional councils vet applications and recommend projects in their respective areas.
In October, the Region 2 council backed $299,995 in state funding for the Valleys Innovation Council, a Blacksburg-based nonprofit formed last year, to create a Regional Entrepreneurship Initiative to facilitate coalitions and stakeholder engagement.
The initiative will convene a steering group to oversee efforts in three sub-regions: the New River Valley, the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Highlands, and the Lynchburg area.
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