FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sep. 4, 2019

Start Peninsula is pleased to announce that it will return for its eighth annual event in Hampton. Start Peninsula will be held Nov. 1-3, 2019 at the McGrew Towers Conference Center, 24 Indian Road, located on the Hampton University campus. Start Peninsula has been held annually in different Peninsula localities since 2012.

The Start Peninsula main event is a weekend-long event to stimulate entrepreneurial growth in the local community by connecting early stage businesses to validation, opportunities and resources. Start Peninsula combines a pitch competition with business education throughout the year and is also a celebration of our local entrepreneurial ecosystem. Dozens of entrepreneurs connect with business leaders and mentors during this exciting event that showcases early stage businesses.

“We are excited to host Start Peninsula at Hampton University. Start Peninsula has proven to be a valuable entrepreneurship initiative on the Peninsula and we are thrilled to welcome early stage businesses to pitch at this year’s event,” said Chuck Rigney, Director of Development for the City of Hampton.

Early stage businesses are invited to apply to pitch at Start Peninsula. If a business is invited to pitch at Start Peninsula, they must pay a fee of $75 before Oct. 1 or $100 after. Thirty businesses will be invited to pitch on Friday, Nov. 1 and three winners will be selected on Sunday, Nov. 3. Winners will receive $5,000 to fuel their business growth and free access to local resources.

In 2018, Start Peninsula was hosted by the City of Newport News at the Applied Research Center. The winners included Safety Nailer, Senior Runs and Nuekie. Since 2012, an average of 27 businesses have pitched their ideas each year during the event.

Experienced business professionals are invited to sign up to participate in the event as mentors by applying online. Mentors should have experience in marketing, sales, technology, finance, risk management, law, human resources or business ownership.

Start Peninsula 2019 is hosted by the City of Hampton, in partnership with the Cities of Newport News, Williamsburg and Poquoson, and the Counties of James City & York. For more information about Start Peninsula please visit its website, Facebook page or their FAQ page.

Media Contact:
Dan Girouard
757-727-6237; dgirouard@hampton.gov

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