The Entrepreneurship Center at the University of Charleston is committed to the ideals and spirit of entrepreneurship both on campus and in the business community. Our mission is to promote entrepreneurial development as an economic development strategy for our region and state. Our focus is to enhance and expand initiatives that support the creation and development of high-impact entrepreneurial opportunities.

The Entrepreneurship Center serves as an outreach center, actively participating in sustaining the economic health of the region in which our students graduate and seek challenging career opportunities. We provide support in three key areas.

• Measurable, direct impact on economic vitality of the region by supporting high-impact entrepreneurial start-ups, jobs creation, business expansion through innovative product and service development, and increased access to capital.
• Advocacy – promotion of entrepreneurial development via infrastructure initiatives
• Educational outreach to community and students

Venture Capital Financing is one way the Entrepreneurship Center supports economic vitality in the region. Through our partnership with Adena Ventures, Inc., the Entrepreneurship Center can assist start-up and early-stage businesses in obtaining operational assistance and securing and leveraging Adena's venture capital funds. Adena is a $34 million New Markets venture capital enterprise that was formed to provide equity capital and operational assistance to qualifying businesses in central Appalachia.

• In its five years of operation, the EC has provided in-depth operational assistance to over 25 companies that created 160 new jobs. The market value of this assistance totals almost $800,000.
• Together with other providers in the community, assistance to potential or actual Adena portfolio companies has topped $1.4 million.
• One company, Threewide Corporation, was recently recognized by the National Association of Realtors as a thought leader in technology, along with Google and Zillow.

In addition to our work with Adena Ventures, the EC recently launched the fundraising stage of a university-based venture fund, Golden Eagle 

Ventures, a $2 million investment fund that will provide seed money to entrepreneurial companies. Students who are interested in venture capital, small business or entrepreneurial start-ups will have opportunities to work with the fund in a variety of capacities. Opportunities are not limited to business majors. The EC encourages students from all majors and areas of interest to become involved. More on Golden Eagle Ventures can be found here.

The Entrepreneurship Center also offers entrepreneurs Counseling and Informational Services, as well as helping to connect start-up ventures to an extensive network of specialists, professionals and business owners throughout the state and region.  Services are provide on an individual, fee-for-services basis, to ensure that entrepreneurs are getting the specific support they need to reach their goal. Services are provided at no cost to UC students, faculty and staff who want to start a business. 

The Entrepreneurship Center further supports UC’s commitment to economic development by participating in activities that advocate entrepreneurial development at local, regional and statewide levels. The EC supports or participates in:

• A Vision Shared – West Virginia’s Economic Development Initiative
• West Virginia Small Business Development Center
• West Virginia Entrepreneurship Initiative
• Advantage Valley Entrepreneurial League System
• West Virginia Statewide Business Plan Competition
• West Virginia Conference on Entrepreneurship

We also work with the Entrepreneurship Centers at West Virginia University, Marshall University, and Concord University to enhance entrepreneurial learning opportunities for our students.

Educational Outreach is the final component of our services. The EC partners with other individuals and organizations to bring unique learning opportunities to students and the community, providing a complementary experience to classroom instruction. IdeaWorks: Business Thinking for a New Age is a recent example of an interactive event that mixed students with a variety of business professionals in a dynamic learning environment.  The Entrepreneurship Center partnered with GodbeyWorks, a consulting firm with global experience, and Maple Creative, a professional marketing agency, to deliver this day-long workshop.

Contact Information

For more information about the services of the Entrepreneurship Center at the University of Charleston, or to make a contribution to Golden Eagle Ventures, please contact Nora Myers.