Ashland Incubator Announces Their First Accelerator Program

The Dominion Energy Innovation Center, located in Ashland, is an affiliated innovation center of Activation Capital that supports early-stage companies by providing them with the collaborative space, guidance, and resources needed to fuel their growth. Founded in November 2009, the Dominion Energy Innovation Center supports great ideas across a wide spectrum of industry sectors in addition to its focus on building the renewable energy sector in Central Virginia. Founding partners of this program include the signature sponsor, Dominion Energy, as well as Activation Capital, the Town of Ashland, and Hanover County.

Typically they would have 7-10 people working in their space every day, with education or networking events every other week that brought up to 25 people into the building. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, that's been limited and they are still learning how to shift their mentoring and networking programs online.

New programs are still in the works and they’re doing outreach as best as they can. Excitement is brewing about the Hanover webinar series Dominion Energy Innovation Center is doing with the county, Ashland, the Hanover Chamber, MAP, and the Downtown Ashland Association.

Their coffee club has turned into a weekly virtual event, and they’re working on a couple of other online sessions for June. They have also announced their first accelerator program, which is a major milestone for this organization. They're accepting submissions now from startups around the state who want to work with Dominion Energy and other partners.

To stay up-to-date on DEIC initiatives, check their calendar of events or visit their website at www.dominnovation.com. They’re also always looking for speakers, mentors, and partners.