The sixth annual gathering will bring entrepreneurs, lenders and contracting specialists to Winston-Salem’s Enterprise Center Sept. 24–25.
WS Chronicle | Staff Report
Entrepreneurs seeking financing, government contracts or help growing their businesses will have two days to meet with lenders and business advisers when the Winston-Salem Women’s Business Center holds its sixth annual summit Sept. 24–25. The program includes a $6,000 pitch competition, workshops and a keynote address from NC IDEA President and CEO Thom Ruhe.
The Unlocking Opportunity Summit will take place at the Enterprise Center, 1922 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Its theme, “Capital, Contracts and Connections,” covers financing, securing business opportunities and building relationships with people and organizations that assist entrepreneurs.
Students can attend free, according to an additional announcement from organizers, who credited Notis Pagiavlas with making that possible. Pagiavlas is a professor of marketing at Winston-Salem State University whose work includes entrepreneurship education and community business development.
The event welcomes people considering their first business as well as owners of established companies. Although the Women’s Business Center focuses on supporting women entrepreneurs, its programs are open to all.
Financing, contracts and customers
Friday’s program, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 25, will give attendees opportunities to meet with lenders, contracting experts and business-assistance organizations. The schedule includes workshops, brief counseling sessions, a resource-partner expo and networking.
Aregnaz “Ari” Mooradian, deputy district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s North Carolina District Office, is scheduled to discuss SBA-backed financing and contracting programs, according to the event announcement. Organizers also plan to bring in traditional and nontraditional lenders, state and local contracting representatives, and regional organizations that support business development.
Three smaller sessions will address financial preparation, contracting and sales: “Capital Readiness — What Your Numbers Need to Say,” “Contract Readiness — From Capability to Contract” and “Sales Readiness — Marketing That Converts.”
The subjects reflect challenges reported by small businesses nationally. A Federal Reserve report released March 3 found that 42% of small employer firms that applied for financing received the full amount they sought, while 22% received none. Covering operating expenses and pursuing expansion or new opportunities were the most common reasons businesses sought financing.
The report also identified reaching customers and growing sales as the most frequently reported operational challenge. Its findings came from a nationwide, nonrandom sample of 6,525 businesses with employees surveyed in fall 2025, rather than a survey specific to Winston-Salem.
Pitch competition and business owners’ experiences
The summit opens with Pitch Night from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24. Organizers plan for 10 entrepreneurs to compete in startup/idea and established-business categories for a combined $6,000 in cash prizes. Each presenter will have five minutes to explain the business, followed by two minutes of questions from judges. Winners will be announced during Friday’s program.
The published application deadline for the competition was Sept. 1. Registration to attend the summit is separate from applying to compete.
Friday’s “Opportunities Through Bootstrapping” panel will feature business owners discussing their experiences starting and building companies. Scheduled participants include Winston-Salem Council Member Vivián Joiner and Celeste Beatty, a Winston-Salem native and owner of Harlem Brewing Co. Joiner represents the South Ward.
Other scheduled panelists are Q. Nicole Vanderhorst, founder and CEO of WH Farms Co.; Taylor Davis, founder of Troodie; and Christen Funderburk, owner of Lizzie’s All Natural Products, according to the program.
Ruhe will deliver Friday’s lunchtime keynote. He leads NC IDEA, an independent private foundation that provides competitive grants and programs for entrepreneurs and supports organizations working with businesses across North Carolina. The foundation’s work also includes the NC Black Entrepreneurship Council, which addresses challenges facing Black entrepreneurs in the state.
A local source of business assistance
The summit builds on services available through the Women’s Business Center throughout the year.
The center grew out of an SBA grant announced in March 2021 to the S.G. Atkins Community Development Corporation. The grant was intended to expand the Enterprise Center’s existing business-development work through additional staffing, classes, mentoring and assistance accessing financing. WSSU described the initiative at the time as a way to serve both businesses already operating at the incubator and entrepreneurs in the surrounding community.
Today, the center offers individual counseling, written business-plan reviews, help preparing loan packages, lender referrals and assistance with business certifications. Entrepreneurs can register for free, confidential advice on business planning, marketing, management and other needs outside the summit.
WSSU’s broader entrepreneurship work also connects students with business owners and community organizations. Its Center for Entrepreneurship uses business-plan competitions, mentoring and outreach to give students experience developing ventures while supporting entrepreneurs in the region.
Registration and student attendance
The SBA’s event calendar lists admission at $35 for Thursday’s Pitch Night and $75 for Friday’s summit. Registration information is available through the Unlocking Opportunity Summit’s Eventbrite page.
Organizers said they are also seeking additional sponsors. Students seeking free admission, prospective sponsors and others with event questions can contact Carol Davis at 336-554-7349 or Davisc@wssu.edu, the contact provided in the announcement.
