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Our training academy features recorded & live sessions from dozens of entrepreneurship support organizations (ESO) across Virginia's East Coast and includes traded sector commercialization instruction offered by VCU & intraregional ESO partners.
Participants obtain general business and industry-specific, capital acquisition and commercialization guidance from our tech, health/bio, manufacturing, professional and business services, and accelerator partners to help them launch or scale.
Graduates earn certificates of completion for each course and for completing the entire training academy. In addition, they have the opportunity at graduation to participate in our pitch competitions held during their graduation ceremonies and at out Opportunity Launch regional conferences.
This incubator program provides small businesses with live and on-demand training that will help prepare them for business launch, expansion, and capital access.
To enroll, simply click the enroll button and fill out the enrollment form. Training materials will be provided post your completion of at least 7 of the cohort training webinars. These training materials include:
1. Get Prepared to Launch Your Dreams -Business Launchpad workbook by Dr. Patrice Perry-Rivers. This is accompanied by a self-paced online certification portal and electronic version of the workbook.
2. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t by Jim Collins,
3. The Startup Playbook: Secrets of the Fastest-Growing Startups From Their Founding Entrepreneurs by David Kidder.
Commemorative Awards
Graduates of the program will also receive the following commemorative awards marking their successful program completion:
1. Training Program Certificate of Completion
You will have access to recorded training webinars and live ones (if offered) during the cohort to help you grow your business on topics ranging from developing your business model to raising capital.
Enrollees must register to access each of the live OR recorded courses. This enables us to track your progress.
Enrollees must complete at least 7 of the cohort training webinars in order to earn a Certificate of Completion for this program.
In addition to the live and recorded training webinars, enrollees will have access to "Get Prepared to Launch Your Dream - Business Launchpad," a self-paced certification workbook and online program that takes entrepreneur executives through:
-an assessment of the personal and managerial skills they possess to launch and operate a successful firm,
-business model/idea validation,
-personal net worth assessment,
-developing product descriptions and prices, target market identification,
-cost of goods sold calculation,
-operating expenses and profit and loss statement development.
Participants can optionally earn an additional certification for completion of the Launch Your Dreams workbook and online program. This would qualify them for application to other seed funding applications, pitch competitions, and incubator programs offered by our program or by our various partners.
Visit www.smallbusinessopportunitycenter.com,
click on the Training & Certifications tab, and select the Business Launchpad certification for more information or to enroll separately.
Post completion of all sessions, complete the final survey here on how the program benefitted you, and how it can improve.
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Grow your business based on what you learned!
LIVE TRAINING
WEBINARS & EVENTS
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
3 PM - 5 PM
RSVP HERE
TBD
In Person
RSVP HERE
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
2 PM - 3:30 PM
In Person
SBOC Office at the
VCU da Vinci Center
1229 W. Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23220
RSVP HERE
CITIES & COUNTIES IN WHICH TO LAUNCH YOUR BUSINESS
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STATEWIDE & GOVERNMENT SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT
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ECOSYSTEM SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
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ON DEMAND SMALL BUSINESS TRAINING WEBINARS
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PITCH COMPETITIONS & BAZAARS
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IN-PERSON
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
3:30 PM - 5 PM
SBOC Office at the
VCU da Vinci Center
1229 W. Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23220
IN-PERSON
May 8-July 10, 2026
Visit Entrepreneurs'
Pop-Up Shop Space
At the Simon Outlet Malls in Williamsburg, Virginia
Self-Paced Certification Program
Completion of this certification training in addition to the live and on demand courses offered as part of the Small Business Opportunity Center Program Cohort will earn you an additional certificate, provide you with access to a pitch deck, and qualify you to apply for seed investment funding offered through the Small Business Opportunity Center at Virginia Commonwealth University. To access this training, visit the Certifications tab and select Business Launchpad Certification at www.smallbusinessopportunitycenter.com .
For more information, contact:
The Small Business Opportunity Center
in the VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation
1229 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA
Email: info@smallbusinessopportunitycenter.com
www.smallbusinessopportunitycenter.com
