The Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce today announced that they will host three events at Innovate Newport as part of Rhode Island Startup Week, a state-wide themed week organized by RIHub, to bring together entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders to connect and collaborate.

Executive Director Erin Donovan-Boyle stated, “We are excited to partner with some extraordinary organizations to bring a full schedule of programming to the Region’s entrepreneurs dedicated to supporting the ecosystem with connectivity to investors, growth sectors and innovation!” 

The Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce provided the following details on each event;

The first event at Innovate Newport will take place on Monday, October 3rd from 10-11 a.m., with the Blue Venture Forum on the state of investment in blue technology.  Guests will hear directly from investors about why they invest in blue tech firms, which companies and technologies are priorities, how to secure investment and other emerging opportunities in the sector.

On Wednesday, October 5th from 4-5:30 p.m., in collaboration with the University of Rhode Island Research Foundation, attendees will hear from a panel of experts who will share how industry, government, non-profit and academic partners are building on existing regional, national and global assets to make Rhode Island and Southern New England the leading global center of the Blue Economy.

Finally, on Friday, October 7, from 1-3:30 p.m. the Chamber will host a Startup Pitch Competition at Innovate Newport with Social Enterprise Greenhouse. The Pitch Competition will allow 10 startup businesses from all different sectors to make a 3-minute pitch to a panel of judges, in order to compete for a comprehensive prize package that includes a $1000 cash prize from the Chamber, 1 year free Chamber membership, legal, marketing, and business support start up services. 

“Storytelling is a compelling way to let people know about your business. Each entrepreneur will be able to share a little bit about what inspired them, where they see their business heading, and challenges they face” says Mollie Frazer Williams, Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the Chamber. Guests are invited to attend the presentation and to learn about all of these new ventures starting in their own community on this final day of Rhode Island’s Startup Week, which has been designated as Newport Day.

For more information about any of these events or to register, please visit NewportChamber.com/events.