We build entrepreneurs and get startups funded through three core initiatives: mentorship, financing, and events.

Learn more using the menu above or keep scrolling for highlights on the Asheville Startup Ecosystem.

Learn More about Venture Asheville’s Incubators:

Inspire, Elevate, and Insight.

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Join our newsletter to stay up to date on Asheville’s startup community. Whether it’s companies that are hiring, startups receiving funding, events bringing the startup community together, or status updates on major initiatives like gig fiber for our city or climate tech at The Collider, Venture Asheville’s newsletter connects you to emerging developments that are propelling our startup community forward.

 

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Asheville Angels Celebrates 10-Year Milestone and Rebranding VentureSouth Asheville

News Release For Immediate Release  January 30, 2024 Asheville Angels Celebrates 10-Year Milestone and Rebranding VentureSouth Asheville  Key...

Part 7: Looking Beyond the $150M Impact

Welcome to our series taking a Deep Dive into Venture Asheville.   This is the final installment, Looking Beyond the $150M Impact. You can find all...

Part 6: Engaging an Event Driven Ecosystem

Welcome to our series taking a Deep Dive into Venture Asheville.  You can find all the posts in this series linked here: How Venture Asheville Built...

Part 5: TheE13 and Experience Portfolios

Welcome to our series taking a Deep Dive into Venture Asheville.  You can find all the posts in this series linked here: How Venture Asheville Built...

Part 4: Peer-Facilitated Mentorship

Welcome to our series taking a Deep Dive into Venture Asheville.  You can find all the posts in this series linked here: How Venture Asheville Built...

WHAT WE DO

Venture Asheville grows Asheville’s startup community and connects high-growth entrepreneurs to talent, mentors and investors through unique programming and events. We measure progress in terms of high-growth ventures created, seed and venture capital invested and high salary jobs generated. We’re excited about Asheville’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. We think you will be too.

METRICS

Jobs Created

Local Impact

Startups Funded

Capital Raised

STARTUP SCALING

Our Elevate program enables startup founders to navigate the practical, day-to-day challenges of scaling their ventures while developing their skills as effective managers, CEOs and leaders. It also positions and prepares them to raise early rounds of capital.

Ventures selected into Elevate benefit from Team Mentoring, modeled on the world-class MIT Venture Mentoring Service.

This programming offered a framework and foundation that we used over and over again in our decision making processes. Moreover, the connections made through the program have been invaluable. Networking with peers and industry leaders not only sparked strategic partnerships but also opened doors to opportunities that would have been otherwise inaccessible. Truly, we wouldn’t be where we are today without Venture Asheville. 

— Laura Jorgensen, Co-Founder & CEO of Fuel Goods

STARTUP JOBS

In times past, Asheville has had a BYOJ (Bring Your Own Job) reputation. That outdated concept no longer applies to our startup city. Whether you’re a biz dev manager, an Internet of Things engineer, a front end programmer, a research analyst, or a digital marketing manager with growth hacker chops, you’ll find that companies in Asheville are increasingly looking for your skill sets.

The Venture Asheville Job Board is a great way to begin your search. While you’re there, sign up for updates to hear about new jobs in Asheville as soon as they’re posted.

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COMMUNITY EVENTS
WEEKLY EVENT SERIES: One Million Cups of Coffee

On Wednesday mornings Asheville’s startup community gathers downtown for One Million Cups of Coffee (1MC). Each week 1 to 2 startup founders present their business to an audience of like-minded entrepreneurs, investors, professionals, and supporters of AVL’s growing startup scene. Venture Asheville is a founding sponsor of 1MC, which is free and open to the public. Plus, there’s free coffee. Get details.

Startup funding

STARTUP FUNDING

Asheville Angels, Venture Asheville’s angel investor network, is composed of 30 investors who meet monthly to evaluate investment opportunities in promising startups and early-stage ventures in Asheville and across the Southeast. Learn more about funding your startup through Asheville Angels.

Formed in October 2014, Asheville Angels to date has funded 33 startups: Plum Print, Brightfield Transportation Solutions, 6AM CityBaebies, GoPivot, ActivED, PharmRightAtlas Organics, Emrgy, Sensory AnalyticsTarget PharmaSolutions, FarmShots, VendorRegistry, and Proterra.

Asheville Angels is a local chapter of VentureSouth, a recently rated top 10 Angel Group in the nation.

STARTUP RESOURCES

While Venture Asheville supports and specifically cultivates high-growth ventures headquartered in Asheville pursuing national and global markets, we also strive to ensure that local  small business and lifestyle entrepreneurs can quickly find and access other local support resources that can increase their opportunities for success. Our startup resources map is a great way to get started.

See our Startup Resources section for even more ways to get connected.

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