Huntington, WV – February 28, 2024 – The West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem is thrilled to announce that Victor W. Hwang, Founder and CEO of Right to Start and a world-renowned champion of entrepreneurship, will deliver a keynote address at this year’s West Virginia Entrepreneurship Economic Conference. The conference will be held on April 9th at the Mountain Health Arena in Huntington, West Virginia as part of Bridging Innovation Week.
Victor Hwang brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the conference, having shaped the economic lives of millions of people worldwide through his advocacy of entrepreneurship. His work has positively impacted over 300 communities, cities, states, companies, and even entire countries, helping them achieve greater economic prosperity.
Victor Hwang is author of the landmark book, The Rainforest, which offers a now-broadly influential theory that explains the nature of innovation ecosystems and how their principles can be employed to develop human networks to generate extraordinary creativity and output.
A lawyer and entrepreneur himself, he was previously Vice President of Entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation, where he led initiatives that impacted over 200,000 entrepreneurs. He is now Founder and CEO of Right to Start, the national nonprofit organization championing entrepreneurship as a civic priority. Right to Start aims to level the playing field by amplifying the voices of everyday entrepreneurs, mobilizing grassroots efforts, and engaging with policymakers at all levels.
“We are beyond thrilled to announce Victor Hwang as a featured keynote speaker at this year’s West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Conference,” said WVEE Co-Chair, Amber Ravenscroft. “Victor’s thought leadership has contributed to the rise of ecosystem-building nationally and beyond, and we look forward to learning from him how to continue to advance the state’s entrepreneurship efforts.”
“West Virginia has an enormous opportunity to lead the nation in advancing entrepreneurship statewide,” said Victor W. Hwang, Founder and CEO of Right to Start. “I look forward to attending the conference and to being in Huntington, whose leadership in entrepreneurship is now evident to all in the newly opened Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation at Marshall University.”
Bridging Innovation Week is the state’s premier entrepreneurship event. The annual symposium advances entrepreneurship-led economic development by providing connection and education to business owners, current and prospective entrepreneurs, and entrepreneur serving organizations (ESOs) throughout West Virginia. For more information and to register, visit www.wvbusinesslink.com.