If you own a small business, are planning to start one or even just thinking about it, you don’t have to go it alone.
The wide range of support available to current and prospective small-business owners in the Winston-Salem area will be showcased at the Venture Innovation Café™ Entrepreneurship Mixer scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 17, at 525@vine in Wake Forest Innovation Quarter.
This free event, which will run from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., is being presented by Forsyth Technical Community College’s Small Business Center in conjunction with Wake Forest Innovation Quarter and the other members of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem of Forsyth County.
“Our goal is to spread the word that there are numerous organizations in this area that have a big role in supporting small businesses,” said Allan Younger, director of Forsyth Tech’s Small Business Center, which serves Forsyth and Stokes counties. “We also want to stress that entrepreneurship and innovation aren’t limited to high-tech enterprises. There are incredible resources available to people whether they’re running or starting up a restaurant, hair salon, brick-and-mortar retail store, consulting firm or speakers’ bureau.”
The Entrepreneurship Mixer will feature a roundtable discussion, an innovation clinic and informational sessions on such topics as social media strategies, getting investor-ready, entrepreneurship as a team sport and how to start a startup. All activities will be held at 525@vine, in the Forsyth Tech Small Business Center, the Flywheel co-working innovation space and the building’s Vine Street courtyard.
All 20 members of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem of Forsyth County will have representatives and informational materials at the event.
The Venture Innovation Café™ Entrepreneurship Mixer is open to the public free of charge but registration is required. Detailed descriptions of and registration forms for the various sessions are available online at bit.ly/1E16c25. Information also can be obtained by calling 336.757.3802 or sending an email to [email protected].
About Wake Forest Innovation Quarter
Wake Forest Innovation Quarter (www.innovationquarter.com) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is a place for research, business and education in biomedical science, information technology, clinical services and advanced materials. The Innovation Quarter is one of the fastest growing urban-based districts for innovation in the United States with more than 3,000 people working in over 50 companies and numerous academic departments and with more than 1,800 students undertaking advanced education and workforce development annually. The Innovation Quarter currently comprises over 2.5 million square feet of inspirational office, laboratory and educational space on its 145 developable acres. In addition, there are several hundred apartments, lofts and condominiums within or close by the Innovation Quarter.
About Forsyth Tech
Forsyth Technical Community College (www.forsythtech.edu) provides students with flexible educational pathways to a competitive workforce for the community and global economy. The college offers associate degrees, diplomas and certificates in more than 200 programs of study, including programs that promote personal and professional development through non-credit courses and seminars, as well as customized training for business and industry. Forsyth Tech is the fifth largest community college in North Carolina and serves more than 35,000 students with approximately 1,500 full- and part-time faculty and staff.
Forsyth Tech’s Small Business Center is dedicated to helping small businesses in Forsyth and Stokes counties succeed by providing high-quality, readily accessible assistance to existing and prospective small-business owners.
About the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem of Forsyth County
The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem of Forsyth County is an alliance of public and private institutions dedicated to aligning the people, talents and energies in the area’s growing innovation community. Its members are the Center for Design Innovation, Center for Creative Economy, City of Winston-Salem, Flywheel, Forsyth County Public Library, Forsyth Tech Business & Industry Services, Forsyth Tech Small Business Center, Kernersville Chamber of Commerce, Lewisville–Clemmons Chamber of Commerce, Mixxer, Piedmont Angel Network, Salem College Center for Women in Business, Small Business & Technology Development Center, Venturealization, Wake Forest Innovations, Wake Forest Innovation Quarter, Wake Forest School of Business & Wake Forest Entrepreneurship, Winston-Salem Black Chamber of Commerce, Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce and Winston-Salem State University S.G. Atkins Enterprise Center
