Calling all entrepreneurs or want-to-be business owners, it’s time once again for The Gauntlet, billed as Virginia’s largest business program and competition. WFIR’s Denise Allen Membreno has more.
The 12th annual Gauntlet Business Program and Competition starts it’s 10-week course on February 3. Annette Patterson, president of the Advancement Foundation which puts on the Gauntlet, says the program is for anyone at any level of business knowledge and success.
“We have entrepreneurs who want to start a brewery,” says Patterson. “We have entrepreneurs who are doing service type businesses, all kinds of main street businesses, cupcake shops, all of those sorts of things. It could be somebody that just has an idea. They’re not sure what they want to do. Or they could already be in business, you know, a year, five years, 10 years, and be looking to grow.”
There is also a second pathway called The Quest, specifically designed for Tech businesses. There are online question and answer sessions tonight at January 27th from 6 to 7 pm. Here’s a link to register for those sessions. https://theadvancementfoundation.org/the-gauntlet
The 12th Annual Gauntlet Business Program and Completion to start February 3
Next month business owners and those with an idea for a business throw their hats in the ring the prizes offered by the Gauntlet Business Program and Competition. WFIR’s Denise Allen Membreno reports.
Are you running a business and wanting to grow that business? Do you have an idea you know will be a success? Then you are the demographic the Gauntlet Business Program and Competition wants to reach. Over its 12 years The Gauntlet organizers say it has grown into the largest business program and competition in Virginia. Annette Patterson, president of the Advancement Foundation which organizes the Gauntlet…
“The Gauntlet program in particular starts February 3rd with an orientation class online,” says Patterson. “We have about 10 weeks of activities and online classes leading up to the awards ceremony, which is scheduled for April 23rd. This year, we’re also introducing a second track called the Quest. It’s focused on scaling high growth potential tech.”
Get your questions answered at two online Q and A sessions tonight and January 27th from 6 to 7 pm. Here’s a link to register for those sessions. https://theadvancementfoundation.org/the-gauntlet
What is the Gauntlet?
According to the Advancement Foundation, for more than 12 years they have been connecting entrepreneurs to the training, mentorship, and resources needed for success.
As the entrepreneurial landscape across Southwest Virginia continues to evolve, The Advancement Foundation has refined its long-running business competition into two distinct pathways: Gauntlet and Quest.
Gauntlet now focuses on businesses built to serve a local or regional customer base, whether storefront, service-based, mobile, or run from home. Quest supports scalable, tech-enabled, innovation-driven ventures designed to reach cross-regional or national markets.
The Gauntlet is The Advancement Foundation’s business competition is designed to support entrepreneurs building or strengthening Main Street–focused businesses, including retail, service, food & beverage, and other community-facing ventures across Southwest Virginia, with a focus on the Roanoke Valley, Alleghany Highlands, and Rockbridge County.
The program helps entrepreneurs move from ideas to action—building sustainable, functional businesses through steady progress, practical learning, and supported implementation.
The post Virginia’s largest business program and competition readies for another year first appeared on News/Talk 960-AM & FM-107.3 WFIR.
