West Virginia ranks last in innovation. Meet the people trying to change that.
Among US states, West Virginia ranks near the bottom in innovation, but the leaders trying to change that aren't letting an uphill battle scare them.
It's trust and connections that build up the scene in the Appalachian state, not high-profile universities or standout unicorn startups, two people leading the West Virginia charge said during a session on rural ecosystem innovation at last week's 39th International Conference on Business Incubation.
The key, they said, is concentrating both on building the talent and making sure they stay in the region.
'West Virginia is historically an extraction economy, and we can't view our entrepreneurs as another extraction,' said Amber Ravenscroft, director of innovation at educational nonprofit the EdVenture Group.
Globally, the US ranks third in innovation, according to a 2025 Wallet Hub study. But within the US, West Virginia lands at No. 49. The only two states ranked lower are Louisiana and Mississippi, both other regions with large rural populations.
West Virginia is also not generally considered a great place to do business. West Virginia comes in at No. 40 in a 2024 analysis by CNBC, earning an 'F' in technology and innovation, workforce and access to capital. Its top ranking assets, earning an 'A+', were cost of doing business and cost of living.
Those low stats could drive out successful businesses looking for rapid growth. The strength of the innovation ecosystem depends on supporting entrepreneurs to stay in the region, according to Mark Burdette, program coordinator at entrepreneur network org West Virginia BusinessLink.
'A successful ecosystem is going to be measured by how well we identify and develop entrepreneurial talent,' Burdette said. 'We want to take this to the next level.'
The tech, funding and people who kickstarted the scene
The innovation ecosystem in West Virginia took off right before the pandemic, which Burdette said likely gave it the moment to thrive.
'The truth is in the timing of starting our ecosystem in 2019, if it wasn't for broadband and Zoom, it wouldn't have happened,' Burdette said. 'COVID was the catalyst that pushed us over the edge.'
The tech gave people from across the state a way to connect. Since the ecosystem's humble beginnings as a way to improve communication between innovation stakeholders, it's now grown into it's own entity.
The volunteer-run West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem network, organized by a group of more than 150 entrepreneurial service organizations, hosts monthly meetings, an annual convening and several subcommittees.
Two main funders made this happen: the Benedum Foundation, a philanthropic org, and the Appalachian Regional Commission, a federal partnership with 13 states to boost economic development.
While the ecosystem organization is now trying to get more state-level funding to support the work it's doing, it really thrives on support from a network of 25 to 30 smaller funders that keep its efforts accessible, according to Ravenscroft, who is also co-chair of the effort.
The West Virginia innovation ecosystem takes a wide approach to entrepreneurship to build trust among its members.
'You don't want people to self-describe as a small business owner and not see themselves as an entrepreneur,' Ravenscroft said. 'We make sure that if you have a small business … you are welcome in the ecosystem.'
Meeting entrepreneurs where they are
Despite West Virginia's relatively small population — statewide it's 1.7 million people, about the size of Phoenix, Arizona — sometimes a smaller geographic framework is more effective. It's more effective to connect people with their existing communities because if it's not local, people won't listen, Ravenscroft said.
'[The entrepreneurs] can access any of our statewide resources,' she said, 'but if it's not somebody in their local community that they can see … to them it's not accessible, even if logistically they can access it.'
Innovation ecosystem leaders like Ravenscroft and Burdette are the connectors who bring those scattered resources together. Part of that is quick communication, the team aims to respond to all inquiries from the network within 24 hours.
By making it clear they're not competing with the entrepreneurs and remembering the little things like community members' birthdays, the West Virginia ecosystem's growth so far has mostly relied on trust.
'West Virginia as a state has always been entrepreneurial,' Ravenscroft said. 'We can preserve and respect our past and also forge a path in our future.'
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