Startup Champions Network (SCN) Heads To Charlottesville To Convene With Entrepreneur Ecosystem Builders In Virginia At The Tom Tom Founders Festival

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., April 10, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The first ever Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Conference at the Tom Tom Summit is happening Friday, April 12th in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Conference is one of six conferences at the Tom Tom Summit that gathers civic leaders, entrepreneurs, engaged citizens, and legendary innovators to explore what makes hometowns thrive in the 21st century.

As a national organization that engages and empowers ecosystem builders with tools and resources, Startup Champions Network (SCN) and its members from across the U.S. will descend on Charlottesville to celebrate the Virginia ecosystem and to lead conversations about the important role of ecosystem builders.

"SCN is pleased to see the work of ecosystem building being explored and celebrated at this year's Tom Tom Festival. As the conveners of ecosystem builders, our organization will share our unique approach to professional ecosystem building and show how a well-stewarded ecosystem can impact communities and economies across the United States. We're looking forward to being among other ecosystem builders and sharing stories and best practices. Look for our booth and check out some of the SCN Members who will be speaking at the conference." - Larkin Garbee, Co-founder and Interim Executive Director for the Startup Champions Network.

"Startup Champions Network brings best practices from a National perspective and will be a great resource. It's in the name - a network of startup champions. I want the best practices and recipe for success they can bring to the Commonwealth," said Robby Demeria, Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade for Technology for Commonwealth of Virginia. "A rising tide lifts all ships. As the state of Virginia continues to ascend in National rankings, we need every region to succeed in economic growth. Both major cities and rural communities can benefit from this strong network of black belt entrepreneurial ecosystem builders."

SCN has been working alongside the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation's ESHIP team and CO.STARTERS to seed leading practitioners from across the country and convene in beautiful downtown Charlottesville to share best practices, case studies, and metrics. SCN members speaking at the Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Conference include:

• Enoch Elwell, Founder of CO.STARTERS, and Cofounder of CO.LAB (Chattanooga, TN)
• Larkin Garbee, Interim Executive Director of Startup Champions Network (West Point, VA)
• Grace Belangia, Executive Director, theClubhou.se (Augusta, GA)
• Anika Horn, Chief Social Venturer, Social Venturers (Toronto, Canada)
• David Hirsch, Community Development, CO.STARTERS (Corte Madera, CA)
• Vanessa Roanhorse, CEO, Roanhorse Consulting, LLC (Albuquerque, NM)
• Tom Chapman, Managing Principal, Chapman & Company (Omaha, NE)
• Cecilia Wessinger, ESHIP Community Manager/ Ecosystem Builder, Mass Collaboration (Tulsa, OK)
• Brian Watson, Co-Founder & Director of Community Development, Proximity (Grand Junction, CO)
• Felecia Hatcher-Pearson, Co-Founder of Tribe Co-Work & Urban Innovation Lab +Blacktech Week, Code Fever Miami (Miami, FL)
• Fay Horwitt, Vice President of Community Innovation, Forward Cities (Durham, NC)
• Chris Cain, Director, Staunton Innovation Hub (Staunton, VA)
• Eric Parker, President and Founder, theClubhou.se (Augusta, GA)
• John McElligott, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, York Exponential (York, PA)
• Derrick Braziel, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, MORTAR (Cincinnati, OH)
• Todd Nuckols, Executive Director, Lighthouse Labs (Richmond, VA)

"With active member-leaders in all 50 states, SCN is proud to be the fastest growing organization of A-game entrepreneur ecosystem builders," stated Michael Binko, SCN co-founder and member of the Board of Directors and founder of Startup Maryland. "If you are already an ecosystem builder we want to hear from you, we want to help amplify your efforts/accomplishments and we want to encourage you to share and learn from your peers. If you are curious about the craft of ecosystem building we also want to hear from you as we have programs and initiatives that groom pathways to building sustainable, inclusive and metrics-driven ecosystem models. If you are not able to join us at Tom Tom in Virginia, join the dialog online or at other SCN+partner events -- including twice-annual fly-in Summits -- throughout the year," added Binko.

Join Startup Champions Network for conversations on entrepreneurship and innovation at the 2019 Tom Tom Festival. Tickets are available at https://tomtomfest.com/entrepreneurial/.

About Startup Champions Network (SCN)
The mission of Startup Champions Network is to provide builders of entrepreneurial ecosystems the connections, resources, and professional development they need to cultivate thriving and inclusive communities. The organization believes that thriving and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems should exist in all communities in order to drive economic opportunity and independence for all. Learn more at http://www.startupchampions.co

SOURCE Startup Champions Network