From food to fiber, energy to technology, and beyond, the WNC region is making great strides in cultivating thriving local businesses that create quality jobs. On Oct 27, at a special Blue Ridge Entrepreneurial Council forum called Venture Local, we'll spotlight success stories, promote opportunities for new ventures, discuss best practices, and as all BREC forums do, connect entrepreneurs with each other, investors and the resources they need to succeed.

Held at the Asheville Renaissance Hotel downtown, from 1-5pm, Venture Local is designed to help business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs and potential investors understand the growing "local" movement in the US and the AdvantageWest region, and find ways to take advantage of the phenomenon. After a full afternoon of discussion and idea-sharing, the event will end with a farm-to-table networking reception from 5-6pm. Registration is just $20 for the entire event.

In addition to providing up-close-and-personal time with some of the region's leading entrepreneurs, we're particularly excited and honored to bring a stellar lineup of nationally recognized speakers to this event:

Christine Ageton, Managing Director for the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, a nonprofit comprised of 80 regional networks in the US and Canada that are connecting independently owned, local businesses to address their communities’ toughest challenges in the smartest ways. As one of the fastest growing networks of socially responsible businesses, the goal of BALLE is to achieve prosperity by building values-based regional economies.

Erin Erenberg, Business Development with IndieGoGo, a "crowd funding" platform that draws on the power of social media and web 2.0 to fund creative projects that might otherwise lack the capital to advance their idea. With IndieGoGo, you design a project (always keeping 100% ownership), create a funding pitch, offer unique perks or tax deductions to your contributors in lieu of offering profit, and then get the word out. IndieGoGo especially supports entrepreneurial startups.

Kevin Jones, Co-Founder of Social Capital, a multi-platform organization dedicated to the flow of capital towards social good. SOCAP recognizes that a new form of capitalism is arising that requires our ability to direct the power and efficiency of market systems toward social impact, leading to a more balanced set of "returns."

David McConville, President of the Buckminster Fuller Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the development and deployment of solutions which radically advance human well-being and the health of the planet's ecosystems. David is co-founder of The Elumenati, a full service design and engineering firm based in Asheville, specializing in the development of immersive visualization environments inspired by Fuller's Geoscope. Currently a PhD candidate in the Planetary Collegium, David collaborates with numerous community initiatives to develop systems-oriented solutions to energy, environmental, and educational challenges.

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