Main Street

Your business serves your community.

Main Street is designed for businesses that serve and strengthen their local communities. This track is intended for traditional, community-focused businesses that primarily operate within a specific geographic area through a physical storefront, service-based location, or locally connected e-commerce platform. Whether you’re opening a retail store, restaurant, café, salon, tattoo studio, art gallery, or professional service business, or launching an online business that serves a local customer base, the Main Street track is for entrepreneurs building businesses that contribute to their community’s economic growth and long-term success.

Competition Guidelines

Round One:

Each team must designate one Team Leader who will serve as the primary point of contact and submit the team’s entry through VentureDash, IgniteWV’s online competition platform. VentureDash is where all competition materials, forms, and supporting documents will be submitted throughout the competition.

• Each Team Leader may submit one entry per competition year.
• Teams may add or remove members at any point during the competition.
• Building a team with diverse skills and experience is strongly encouraged.

To complete Round One, teams must submit the following through VentureDash:

1. Registration Form

Complete the required team registration form through VentureDash.

2. Public YouTube Pitch Video

Teams are required to create and upload a public YouTube video that is 90 seconds or less. Private or unlisted videos will not be accepted. The YouTube link must be submitted twice through VentureDash on the registration and competition sections. Do not share details about any invention or process that is not yet protected. Once something is shown publicly, you may lose the ability to patent it later. If you are unsure whether your idea is protected, talk to the Office of Innovation and Commercialization before you record your video. 

Round One submissions will be evaluated by a panel of experienced business professionals using a standardized scoring rubric. Only the required 90-second public YouTube video will be scored. 

Round Two: 

Teams selected from Round One will participate in a virtual interview with the judging panel. During the interview, teams will have the opportunity to further discuss their business concept, progress, and vision while answering questions from the judges. Following the interviews, the top five teams from each competition track will advance to the Final Competition. Finalists will be announced in February 2027.

Finalist Requirements:

Teams selected as finalists will participate in several development opportunities before the in-person competition. All finalist teams will receive personalized coaching through IgniteWV. Finalists are required to:

• Meet regularly with an assigned coach.
• Prepare and refine their final presentation.
• Participate in scheduled coaching sessions.

As part of the Final Competition, finalists are required to participate in the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (NSF I-Corps) program unless they have previously completed a qualifying West Virginia regional I-Corps program. This four-week virtual program is designed to help entrepreneurs validate their business ideas through customer discovery, strengthen their value proposition, and refine their business model. Participants who successfully complete the program may be eligible to receive up to $3,000 in travel funding to attend conferences, trade shows, or meet with prospective customers. For questions regarding the I-Corps program, please contact studentandfacultyinnovation@mail.wvu.edu.

Round Three:

Finalists will deliver a live, in-person presentation followed by a question-and-answer session with judges. Final presentations are open to the public and will include a live Q&A session with the judges. Requirements include:

• Participation in practice presentations.
• At least one team member must present.
• Every finalist team will receive a $1,000 travel stipend.

Awards & Funding:

IgniteWV awards $75,000 in total prizes across three competition tracks:

• $25,000 awarded to the Main Street Track
• $25,000 awarded to the Venture Track
• $25,000 awarded to the Deep Tech Track

Award amounts are contingent upon annual fundraising and the availability of program funding.

IgniteWV does not take equity in participating businesses in exchange for technical assistance funding. While IgniteWV does not broker investment deals, finalist teams gain valuable exposure to potential investors, industry leaders, and strategic partners throughout the competition. Businesses receiving technical assistance funding have 365 days from the award date to submit the required documentation to receive their full award.