Ecosystem builders from 18 states, 16 Virginia communities, and 56 organizations convened in my neighborhood for the Startup Champions Network Fall Summit. Looking back on the last six months of planning and pulling it off, I can't help but feel proud. Proud of the local planning team, proud of everyone who said yes, and proud of Richmond.

When Debbie Irwin and I asked the SCN Board to let us host, we wanted to show ecosystem builders from across the country what we see every day: a city that shows up for its entrepreneurs and the people who support them. I think we achieved that goal.

Richmond showed up

It wasn’t just SCN members who showed up, it was some of my favorite Richmonders who came for a day or dug in with us for the entire summit. They helped share that love of place and story I’ve been sharing all along, opened up their spaces, played dinner host, and dug in to problem solve.

We were able to occupy so many unique spaces throughout the summit because Richmonders are so welcoming and excited to show off their city. We held panel discussions over lunch in local restaurants, we took tours and held programming in Startup Virginia, Studio Two Three, CNTR, VCU da Vinci Center, Black Iris, and Hatch. Heather Lyne herded a group of 20 on the Pulse, showing visitors our free, rapid transit option. We also had seven local hosts sponsor Dinner with Locals, where they took a small group to their favorite restaurant to share a meal. One of my favorite parts? Every night a small group of us landed at GWARbar for a nightcap to discuss the day.

The City made this a priority as well. Mayor Danny Avula's proclamation and opening remarks set the tone for the entire summit, CAO Odie Donald welcomed everyone on day two, and Bryonna Head from Richmond EDA spoke to attendees as a sponsor of Roses & Thorns. We even had Councilwoman Jones on our planning team, fully engaged for our three days. Speaking personally as a Richmonder, I felt a deep sense of pride watching our city show up like that.

And can we talk about those letters? Each letter that spelled our RICHMOND was decorated by a different ESO in the community, representing the coming together of our ecosystem. They now live at City Hall. The RVA letters were painted by three Richmond artists who are deep community builders here; R = Hamilton Glass, V = Nico Cathcart, A = Davi Leventhal.

The sessions

Our local planning team poured everything into showcasing Richmond and pulling together a full summit experience: Debbie Irwin (co-host), Larkin Garbee, Heather Lyne, Nicole Jones, Rasheeda Creighton, and Anika Horn.

It was so great to join forces with Anika Horn to celebrate the launch of her book, It Takes A Valley. She also organized an incredible panel, sharing the story of how this startup ecosystem started thanks to the grit and persistence of Larkin Garbee (one of our SCN’s founding members) and Todd Nuckols. It was an incredible full circle moment as Larkin is the reason I am part of SCN and the reason I am an ecosystem builder. Many of the stories in Anika’s book are about Richmond and/or SCN members. I highly recommend grabbing your copy.

Right to Start, Institute for Justice, and the City of Raleigh brought an incredible workshop that helped ecosystem builders identify barriers within their city infrastructure and then taught them how to advocate about it. I know this was hugely helpful for Richmond, and the city is already actively engaged in learning from that feedback. I hope builders who attended get the same response in their ecosystems.

The Ecosystem Exchange was an incredible session where I got to see a room full of experts working on challenges across the sectors in Richmond, facilitated by 17 different ecosystem builders. Heather Lyne and I are synthesizing what came out of the session into a report we'll share back with everyone who took part. We also heard from our sponsor, Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation, who shared the state model they’ve developed to support the ecosystem.

The Summit finale was probably one of my favorite ways to end an SCN Summit: with a little laughter, and some fun. I brought in my friends at the Coalition Theater downtown to do some improv, and then surprised everyone with a brass band, who second lined us from No 303 to our final destination: a block party at Xponent21.

From attendees

Here are some things attendees had to say about the experience.

“Last week was my first SCN Summit, my first time in Richmond, and a week of many other firsts. Gemini kept recommending SCN. So I visited the website, read all the words about community, collaboration and belonging... and rolled my eyes a little. It sounded almost too good. Then I got to Richmond and I realized there really are a lot of people like me. People who care deeply about entrepreneurs, not because it sounds good in a mission statement, but because they have chosen to do the difficult, often invisible work of making the environments around them better.

‘Champions’ is actually an appropriate name. Warriors might be another. What struck me most was the lack of competing interests and ego. People listened. Shared openly. Made introductions. Challenged one another. Offered help. Admitted what had not worked. And laughed a lot. There was a sense that while we may approach the work differently, we are building toward something bigger than any one organization.

There is still a lot of work to do. But I left Richmond hopeful. SCN reminded me that business and heart do not have to sit on opposite sides of the table. Ambition and generosity can coexist. We can build things that work and still care deeply about who gets to participate, who gets heard and who gets lifted along the way. In many ways, this is the America I believed in when I chose to become a citizen. Different people. Different backgrounds. Different ideas. Still willing to build something together. By the end of three days, it did not feel like a work conference. It felt a little like coming home.

Thank you for the vulnerability, openness, honesty, laughter and generosity. I came home with new friends. Some already feel like family and I will carry all of you forward with me, like colorful threads, as I continue weaving whatever this beautiful fabric becomes. If you work in entrepreneurship, venture development or ecosystem support, I have two recommendations: Join Startup Champions Network. And bring your real self.” - Abiola Taylor


“Startup Champions Network gives me hope for a better future. I had the joy of attending their summit in my hometown of Richmond, VA last week and was blown away by the smart, talented, compassionate ecosystem builders who are dedicated to creating communities for creative problem solving. My heart is full, brain is firing, and my hands are ready to dig in and make things happen.” - Andrea Goulet


“I attended my first Startup Champions Network (SCN) summit in 1.5 years and I was reminded of why this community is so special - it's convergence of people and place. This was summit #7 for me and Richmond lived up to the role of host city in spectacular fashion.” - Kevin Carter


“I am quite impressed both with the vitality and comradery of the Richmond entrepreneur support leaders and the dedication and forward-thinking of the national Startup Champions Network.” - Tim Strege


“Startup Champions Network ‘26 Summit was a recharging event. It educated me in subtle but dynamic ways with an experience that could only be constructed by people who champion complex and adaptive systems daily. I could share how champions are supporting the deep-seated needs of founders through and post-exit. I could share how state innovation agencies are leaning towards ecosystem-builders to assist with pipeline challenges. I could share how VIPC developed its new and adaptive ecosystem funding strategy.” - Aaron Taylor


“I spent this past week in Richmond, Virginia at the Startup Champions Network Summit with my people. We convened Ecosystem Builders from around the country to connect, explore the local ecosystem, learn from each other, give back to local organizations doing the work, and just have an amazingly fun time. SCN Summits are genuinely my favorite summits/conferences/events to go to. It’s a big family reunion where we hang out, have deep conversations, and catalyze the change we want to see in the world. Nowhere else can I walk into a room, say I’m an Ecosystem Builder, and have everyone understand what I mean. It’s a sense of belonging that I hope everyone feels in their life. So grateful and appreciative of SCN and the local hosts who put on this Summit for all of us.” - Richard Lin


“Thanks to Startup Champions Network for selecting Richmond as the destination for their Fall 2026 Summit. We are always excited to tell the story of how Virginia's innovation and startup ecosystems are driving growth and impact across our Commonwealth!” - Connaway Haskins, VIPC

Want the full recap from attendees who were there? Check out The Ecosystem Builder Show.


Thank you

This summit was community-funded, and our sponsors made it possible. Thank you to VIPC, our lead sponsor, along with Richmond Region Tourism, the City of Richmond, Activation Capital, VCU Tech Transfer and Ventures, Good Company, Kindness Worldwide, Inncuvate, the City of Raleigh, Foundations EDC, Social Venturers, and Agora Media. And thank you to our Dinner with Locals sponsors: Peoples Advantage FCU, the Metropolitan Business League, JPMorgan Chase, Endurance IT, Shockoe, Arnold Kim, and Phil Ray.

I'm equally grateful to the SCN Board, especially Mark Lawrence, for agreeing to let Debbie and me host. Mark sponsored, called in favors, helped raise sponsorships, traveled to Richmond twice, and talked me off the ledge more than once. We had an amazing summit because of his support. During the summit, he officially passed the baton as Chair to Eric Parker. Mark has been a huge part of SCN, giving so much of his time to the organization. I am truly grateful for his work. Same goes for board member Paulo Gregory, who stepped down after serving for so many years on our InterCultural Unity committee. Paulo has led a huge transformation of our organization’s culture, putting his unique perspective into our core programming. Thank you, Paulo and Mark.

To everyone who purchased a ticket and joined us for some or all of the summit: THANK YOU! If you want to relive it, here's the photo album from our board members and photographers (BIG shout out to Board Member Austin Lopesilvero).