Loudoun County is home to an entrepreneurial environment that encourages and nurtures innovative concepts by established businesses and startups throughout all stages of the business cycle. To offer a clear financial pathway to getting new ideas off the ground, the Loudoun County Economic Development Authority (EDA) and Loudoun Economic Development Department developed the Innovation Challenge, an annual pitch competition that offers $150,000 in total prize money for entrepreneurs to take their business to the next level.

This year is the third annual Innovation Challenge, and we have an incredibly strong mix of applicants who are pioneering new initiatives and investing heavily in Loudoun County as an area that offers high growth opportunities through unique infrastructure, a talented workforce, and abundant natural resources. An impressive list of over 60 highly qualified applications will be narrowed to a group of twelve finalists who will participate in the live pitch portion of the Innovation Challenge on September 24 at the CIT Building. Finalists this year represent some of the finest Loudoun County entrepreneurs in the Agri-Tech, Information and Communication Technology, Clean Energy, and Highly Specialized Manufacturing industries:

Agri-Tech: Kappa AgTech, Wheatland Spring Farm & Brewery, Worm Works
Clean Energy: Black Hydrovac, Flying Ship Company, Fuel & Tire Save Systems Company
Highly Specialized Manufacturing: Birdie Everything, FireBot Suppression, Periscope Aviation
Information and Communications Technology: Capango, CodeLock Inc, Gigasheet

Learn more about the competition at LoudounInnovationChallenge.com