The Chamber’s Partnership for Economic Growth (C-PEG) is launching its application process for Startup Martinsville-Henry County for the Fall 2023 round. Startup Martinsville-Henry County is an entrepreneurial mentoring program with an intensive eight-week entrepreneurial boot-camp program for startups and four-week boot-camp for growing companies. The application process is competitive and requires that applicants agree to the program guidelines. September 8 is the application deadline.

Partners include C-PEG, City of Martinsville, Henry County, the Campbell Family Group and the George W. Lester, II fund through the Martinsville Area Community Foundation. Additionally, Appalachian Power is a sponsor of Startup and Grow Martinsville-Henry County, and American National Bank is the small business sponsor for Chamber and C-PEG events.

Since 2015, when the initiative originally began as Startup Martinsville in the Uptown Martinsville area with a Community Business Launch grant from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, the geographic area has grown to include the entire footprint in the City of Martinsville and Henry County thanks to support from both locales and private sector funding. C-PEG received additional grant funding from the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission which awards a dollar-for-dollar match to businesses from the targeted sectors including agribusiness, technology, small-scale production, manufacturing, and health care businesses.

To date, the initiative has successfully graduated 314 individuals from its training programs, awarded 74 businesses with over $571,724 in cash and in-kind funding.  These businesses have created over $5 million in new capital investment and created over 270 new jobs.

C-PEG partners with Patrick & Henry Community College to deliver the entrepreneurial boot camp sessions as well as Longwood’s Small Business Development Center, and the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation as well as a host of staff from the City and County, local entrepreneurs and business experts.

“I’m excited by the response we have received from the community since our Spring awards presentations. We have collected contact information from nearly 60 interested business owners from various industry sectors. The competition for the next class should be interesting,” stated Brenell Thomas, C-PEG Executive Director.

All interested participants are encouraged to complete the application packet that is available online at www.martinsville.com/startup by the deadline of September 8, 2023.