Valley Venture Mentors’ Community Night Is Back in the Building

SPRINGFIELD — Valley Venture Mentors (VVM) will begin to host its monthly in-person community nights starting Wednesday, July 14 at the Springfield Innovation Center. Whether a potential mentor, an entrepreneur, or just ‘startup-curious,’ an ideal way to experience VVM is to dive into a night of conversation, networking, and community building.

The evening will begin at 5 p.m. with VVM’s first social gathering since March 2020, and light refreshments will be served. Attendees will then hear pitches from local entrepreneurs and startups immediately followed by breakout sessions in which the VVM community will have an opportunity to provide feedback. The event will conclude with a casual networking session until 8 p.m.

VMM community nights, entrepreneurial roundtables, office hours, and workshops with mentors have been entirely virtual for the past year, but its leaders believe there is no replacement for in-person networking and feeling the energy of entrepreneurship and innovation, so they are looking forward to getting back to normal.

“This day could not have come soon enough,” said Chris Bignell, interim CEO. “We are excited to welcome the VVM community back to the Innovation Center and look forward to re-establishing the high-quality programming and events that have been the hallmark of VVM’s positive impact on local entrepreneurs.”

Added Community Engagement Manager Hope Ross Gibaldi, “after months of virtual events, we are thrilled to take this step back towards normalcy. Nothing can replace the value of in-person networking and connecting as a community. Bringing together entrepreneurs, mentors, ecosystem partners, and community members is VVM’s strong suit, and we couldn’t be happier to be back together again.”