Ignite Staunton celebrates innovation, community spirit, entrepreneurs
It’s time to celebrate community-centered innovation in Staunton. This Thursday, a winning entrepreneurial idea will be given a chance to flourish with a $5,000 grant award.
This fall, Staunton Creative Community Fund teamed up with Mary Baldwin College to launch an innovative, community-spirited entrepreneurial event called Ignite.
The Ignite Staunton events, which were held on the third Thursday of September, October, and November, was an information exchange designed to foster and inspire Staunton’s creative community. During an Ignite session, the audience listened to new ideas from the area’s creative, technical, and business communities. Local entrepreneurs were invited to take the stage to pitch a current project or favorite idea. Each presenter got five minutes to make their case … and $5,000 in seed money if their idea was selected as the final winner after the three rounds of presentations. Continue reading “Ignite Staunton celebrates innovation, community spirit, entrepreneurs” »
Ignite Staunton to meet on Thursday
Ignite Staunton brought together odd minds, young ideas, and inspired energy to celebrate the creative potential of our local community. Come hear how local residents are changing the face of business, food, transportation, and investment within our communities. Their short, yet lively, conversations celebrate the evolution of ideas to action, and provide inspiration for new approaches to our local economy.
The topics for the Ignite Staunton event scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 15, include Rethinking Business: Home Grown Style with Michael Reeps (Staunton Fresh) and Suzi Carter (Friendly City Food Co-op), Moving Forward: The Choice for Public Transportation with Nick Swanson (Staunton Green) and Justin Van Kleeck (Staunton Creative Community Fund), Bringing it Home: Household Economy meets the New Economy with John Methany (Nu-Beginning Farm) and Adam Campbell (New Community Project), and Investing Locally: Reclaiming our Local Economy with Robyn Stegman (Mary Baldwin College Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement) and Joelle Hackney (Staunton Creative Community Fund).
The event will begin at 6 p.m. at a new location – above the Wine Cellar, right next to Blue Mountain Coffee, at 10 Byers Street,Staunton.
Info: StauntonFund.com.
Idea time: SCCF to host second Ignite event
This Thursday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. at Darjeeling Café, Staunton Creative Community Fund and Mary Baldwin College will host the second of three Ignite® Staunton events.
Ignite is a fast-paced event started by Brady Forrest of O’Reilly Media and Bre Pettis of Makerbot.com. This event, which has been hosted in cities like Seattle, Helsinki, Paris, and New York, is a fun and fast-paced open-mic where presenters share their creative ideas for five minutes to an enthusiastic audience. Staunton is not only the smallest city to host an Ignite event, but also the first in Virginia.
With a uniquely Staunton flavor, Ignite Staunton will be hearing from presenters speaking about a variety of community-centered passions, ideas, and inspirations. This Thursday’s Ignite Staunton event will hear community members speak on everything from outdoor music venues, to youth education projects on a working farm, to initiatives to address hunger in Staunton. These events are held at Darjeeling Cafe on the third Thursdays of September, October, and November. The event opens at 6pm with presentations beginning around 7 p.m. These fun and fast-paced Ignite Staunton events are interactive and audience members will have the opportunity to provide feedback for the Ignite presenters and to vote for the People’s Choice Award of the night. Staunton Creative Community Fund and Mary Baldwin College will be giving away over $5,000 to help winning concepts become a reality in our community.
