2026 IgniteWV Finalists

We are proud to announce the finalists for the competition! The top five scoring businesses from each track were selected by judges to move forward with their ideas and compete in the final round of competition held on April 29th, 2026, during Bridging Innovation Week.

AT Woodwork

Austin Taylor, Founder

AT Woodwork is a custom woodworking business specializing in one-of-a-kind furniture, built-ins, and precision CNC and laser-engraved pieces. Every project begins with a detailed 3D rendering, ensuring clients have a clear vision of the final product before construction begins. Built on craftsmanship, communication, and long-term quality, AT Woodwork was created to offer a personalized alternative to mass-produced, cookie-cutter furniture. With more than 80% repeat customers and growing demand, the business is poised for expansion.

Drone Assist Services

Walter Veselka, Founder

Drone Assist Services is a West Virginia–based company using drone robotics to safely and efficiently handle high-risk property maintenance tasks. The company specializes in vegetation management, high-rise pressure washing, and aquatic invasive plant control, eliminating the need for scaffolding and rappelling while reducing danger to workers. Already operational, Drone Assist Services holds active contracts with West Virginia University for dormitory pressure washing, the United States Army Corps of Engineers for dam maintenance, and the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources for noxious plant management in state parks and lakes. The company has also completed multiple projects for local farmers and supported the carbon sequestration industry.

Goldenrod Kitchen

Nola Todd, Founder

Goldenrod Kitchen is a locally owned breakfast and lunch café in Charleston, created to fill a gap in the city’s market for unique, locally inspired morning and midday dining options. What began three years ago as an idea, and later a series of pop-ups in Charleston and Morgantown, has grown into a brick-and-mortar space set to open soon. The café features scratch-made baked goods, handcrafted beverages, and distinctive local dishes designed for residents and visitors seeking fresh, healthier alternatives.

Laurel Fork Farm LLC

Marsha Waybright, Founder

Laurel Fork Farm, founded by third-generation farmer Marcia Waybright, is a historic West Virginia destination blending heritage, hospitality, and hands-on education. The property has welcomed guests from over 70 countries and nearly every U.S. state to learn traditional Appalachian skills and experience sustainable farm living. What began as a small bed and breakfast has evolved into a thriving educational hub. Laurel Fork Farm sustainably grows much of the food served to guests while offering immersive classes that preserve regional traditions and self-sufficiency practices. As demand has outgrown the current space, the organization is seeking support to build a dedicated educational facility. This expansion will allow year-round programming, create local jobs, strengthen rural businesses, and further position the farm as a leading destination for cultural preservation and sustainable living in West Virginia.

Mountain Sky Drones

Josh Poling, Founder

Mountain Sky Drones, founded by Josh Polling, is a veteran-owned drone services company based in Morgantown. The company provides advanced aerial solutions for farmers, landowners, and government partners, including 2D and 3D mapping, thermal imaging for pet and livestock recovery, aerial photography, and testing of emerging drone technologies through government contracts. Mountain Sky Drones is seeking to add a state-of-the-art agricultural spray drone to its fleet, enabling precision crop spraying for hay, corn, and other crops. This technology helps farmers increase yields, reduce fuel and maintenance costs, minimize environmental runoff, and cut per-acre expenses by up to 50% compared to traditional methods. The company also plans to support environmental initiatives such as invasive species control and acid mine drainage mitigation. With strong revenue potential and a commitment to safety and innovation, Mountain Sky Drones aims to help shape the future of agriculture across West Virginia.

FarmerzTool Technology Inc

Tafara Ushendibaba, Founder

FarmersToolz is an all-in-one livestock management software built specifically for small-scale farmers. Founded by Tafara, who grew up on a family farm, the platform was created to solve the challenge of managing farm data efficiently without relying on expensive or fragmented digital tools. FarmersToolz replaces paper records, whiteboards, and scattered spreadsheets with a centralized system that not only handles record keeping but also integrates with sensors, RFID readers, and third-party software. With an affordable monthly subscription and a 31-day free trial, the platform makes modern agricultural technology accessible and easy to adopt. Since launching, FarmersToolz has onboarded 40 farms and generated over $5,000 in revenue, with plans to scale nationwide and support hundreds more farmers.

GreenMatter

Kassidy Blatt, Founder

GreenMatter, is a West Virginia–based company producing sustainable, hemp-based packaging solutions. The business addresses the growing pollution crisis and rising consumer demand for eco-friendly alternatives by creating products such as hemp packaging peanuts, cardboard boxes, and bags that decompose in just 3–6 months instead of centuries. GreenMatter partners directly with local hemp farmers, creating new market opportunities within the state while supporting small, eco-conscious businesses seeking healthier packaging options.

Human Creative

Tiffany Ward, Founder

Human Creative is a certification service designed to verify that creative works are produced by humans, not AI. Through live monitoring technology, the company certifies written content, graphic design, audio, and physical artwork at the point of creation, offering a more reliable alternative to traditional AI-detection tools that analyze finished products and often produce inaccurate results. Certified works receive an electronic “Certified Human Content” seal, providing proof of human originality and protecting creators’ credibility. Currently in beta testing with professors, teachers, and individual users, and endorsed for use in academic research, Human Creative is preparing for a full market launch in early 2026.

Storefront

Jacob Burcham, Founder

Storefront is a software platform that enables businesses to sell directly to AI agents. As consumers increasingly use tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity AI to research products and make purchasing decisions, brands often lack visibility into how they are represented or the ability to process AI-initiated transactions. Storefront gives merchants control over how their brand appears in AI-driven conversations and provides the infrastructure needed to convert AI interactions into sales without changing their existing e-commerce systems. Designed for modern e-commerce brands selling high-consideration products or services, Storefront transforms AI from a black box into a measurable, optimizable sales channel.

Tuscarora Climbing

Andrew Leich, Founder

Tuscaro Climbing, founded by professional climber and guide Andrew Like of Coopers Rock State Forest, is developing an innovative belay device called the Recoil, designed to improve climbing safety, particularly during rappelling, when most climbing accidents occur. Traditional tube-style belay devices, widely used since the 1960s, do not prevent climbers from lowering off the end of the rope. The Recoil introduces two novel safety features: a sliding centerpiece that pinches the rope and a geometry-based auto-locking mechanism. If the user lets go, runs out of rope, or a climber falls, the device flips into a vertical orientation and automatically locks, reducing the risk of catastrophic error.