SCN Summit 2026 Schedule

Explore the sessions, activities, tours, parties, and more of this year's Startup Champions Network Fall Summit

Agenda

Explore the lineup

Tuesday, September 29

5:00 PM

Doors open

Other, No. 303 – Main Space

5:30 PM5:45 PM

Welcome from Mayor Avula

Talk, No. 303 – Main Space

Danny Avula

5:45 PM6:00 PM

SCN Summit Kickoff

Keynote, No. 303 – Main Space

Mark Lawrence

Debbie IrwinAAshley Ray

6:00 PM7:00 PM

The Genesis of the Ecosystem: The founding of an accelerator no one believed in

Panel, No. 303 – Main Space

Larkin Garbee

Todd Nuckols

Anika Horn

7:00 PM8:00 PM

Activities + Networking

Networking, No. 303 – Main Space

8:00 PM10:00 PM

Afterhours Fun

Other

Wednesday, September 30

8:00 AM9:00 AM

Breakfast + Networking

Networking, No. 303 – Main Space

8:00 AM8:45 AM

SCN Basecamp

Workshop, No. 303 – Upstairs

9:00 AM9:15 AM

Day 2 Kickoff

Talk, No. 303 – Main Space

9:15 AM9:45 AM

Intro to the ecosystem

Talk, No. 303 – Main Space

Heather Lyne

Odie Donald II

9:45 AM10:30 AM

Ecosystem Journeys

Talk, No. 303 – Main Space

Ayanna McMullen

10:30 AM10:45 AM

Break

Transition

10:45 AM12:15 PM

InterCultural Unity

Workshop

Paulo Gregory

12:15 PM12:30 PM

Move to lunch panels

Other

12:30 PM1:30 PM

Lunch Panels

4 sessions at this time — pick one.

12:30 PM1:30 PM

AI as an On-Ramp: Expanding Who Gets to Build

Panel

Will Willis

Ida Pierce

Stuart Chambers

Odean Maye

Dr. Garret Westlake

12:30 PM1:30 PM

Art as Infrastructure: Richmond's Creative Economy

Panel

Hamilton Glass

Adrienne Cole Johnson

Ashley Hawkins

Nicole Jones

12:30 PM1:30 PM

Founder Mobility Index: A New Way to Measure Ecosystem Health

Fireside Chat

Debbie Irwin

James Warren

12:30 PM1:30 PM

The Money They Didn't Tell You About: A Fireside Chat on Funding Models

Fireside Chat

Rasheeda Creighton

Phil Ray

Yoti Jabri

1:30 PM2:00 PM

Head back to No 303

Other

2:00 PM3:30 PM

Ecosystem Tours

4 sessions at this time — pick one.

2:00 PM3:30 PM

1717 Innovation Tour

Tour

2:00 PM3:30 PM

Jackson Ward Rooted & Rising Tour

Tour

2:00 PM3:30 PM

VCU DaVinci Center + Hatch Richmond

Tour

2:00 PM3:30 PM

Studio Two Three Tour

Tour

3:45 PM5:45 PM

Roses & Thorns

Workshop

6:30 PM8:00 PM

Dinner with Locals

Other

Vernon Foster

Faith Wilkerson

Casey Bell

Jimmy BuddAAshley Williams Hillman+5

8:00 PM10:00 PM

Afterhours Fun

Other

Thursday, October 1

8:00 AM9:00 AM

Breakfast + Networking

Networking

9:00 AM9:15 AM

Day 3 Kickoff

Talk, No. 303 – Main Space

9:15 AM10:10 AM

Moving Insights to Action: A Playbook for ESO and Government Collaboration

Panel, No. 303 – Main Space

Catherine Read

Chelsi Bennett

Heather McDougall

Zoe Tishaev

Sarah Brooks

10:10 AM10:20 AM

Break

Other

10:20 AM10:45 AM

Ecosystem Exchange: Set-up

Workshop

10:45 AM12:15 PM

Break-outs

Workshop

Nicolai Shuman

Liz KincaidAAdam SleddTTati Pena

Ayanna McMullen+6

12:15 PM12:30 PM

Start formalizing your ideas before lunch

Workshop

12:30 PM1:30 PM

Lunch

Other

1:30 PM2:00 PM

Ecosystem Exchange: Share-out

Workshop

2:00 PM3:00 PM

Fun with Coalition Theater

Workshop

3:00 PM3:15 PM

Kindness Worldwide

Other

KKevin SmithMMichael Binko

3:15 PM3:30 PM

Break

Other

3:30 PM4:00 PM

What did we learn?

Other

4:00 PM4:30 PM

SCN Announcements

Talk

4:30 PM5:00 PM

Fun surprise

Other

5:00 PM7:00 PM

Block Party

Other

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