Prince William County’s Department of Economic Development (PWCDED) is celebrating Business Appreciation Month. The 2022 theme Re!magine recognizes the resiliency, ingenuity, and creativity of the Prince William County business community.
Explore the programs, resources, and support options for small businesses and entrepreneurs in Prince William County. An entire ecosystem has emerged over the past several years, making our community a significant draw for people establishing new businesses.
Re!magine Your Success
Not sure where to begin? Start with our Small Business & Entrepreneurs webpage. Refresh your plans and ensure you cover all your bases with these 15-step business basics.
Small business owners can schedule a one-on-one meeting with Clarice Grove, PWCDED’s Small Business Development Manager, to get connected with the right resources. We want our business owners to know that we are here to help them succeed and expand.
Seeking funding? In addition to conventional pathways, PWCDED’s IGNITE grant program will award up to $50K in cash grants to selected high-growth companies and tech catalyst organizations in the next evaluation phase. Stay tuned for more information this summer!
Need top talent? Workforce is on the top of everyone's list, so make sure to bookmark our workforce webpage.
- The award-winning ELEVATE program returned in March and is running through October 2024. ELEVATE your staffing with a job portal for employers as well as low-cost solutions to train current employees to meet competitive market standards. Jobseekers can find free training and certifications from a network of education partners.
Get to know our sister Prince William County agencies:
Re!magine a Neighborhood Location
Located in Neabsco Commons in Woodbridge, Brickyard CoWork exists to create thriving, collaborative communities for entrepreneurs, small business owners, startups and remote workers who need them.
Brickyard is an asset to Prince William County businesses because it provides great flexibility and allows business owners to be more strategic with their professional space. They offer a variety of solutions and can adapt to your business needs, including students, side businesses, solopreneurs, government contractors with small teams, realtors, and folks with temporary office space needs,
On the other side of the county, Prince William County has two incubator spaces in Manassas at Innovation Park, including the Prince William Science Accelerator, a startup incubator for biotech and life science companies. Geared towards early-stage companies, the accelerator offers eight unique wet lab spaces and six wet lab bench spaces in the 10,000 square foot facility.
Also located in Innovation Park, the Virginia Serious Games Institute (VSGI) Excellerator, a business incubator located on the George Mason University Science & Technology Campus, was funded in part by Prince William County and provides
- Access to leading commercialization and marketing channels
- Student development talent
- Research faculty
- Industry experts
- Mentors
- Business counseling support
- The exposure to funding opportunities with foundations and equity partners
The VSGI is the only one of its kind on the East Coast and one of only four global affiliated facilities established to primarily support early-entry entrepreneurship into the game design industry—an $80 billion industry, growing 7% annually.
Re!magine Your Community
Expand your networking and keep informed about everything going on in the Prince William County's entrepreneurial ecosystem through the PWCDED Events Calendar.
The Mason Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides more than 100 hours of free one-on-one counseling services in Prince William, Fairfax, and Arlington counties every month. This SBDC is part of George Mason University and receives backing and support from the Mason Enterprise Center, the Virginia SBDC Network, and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Serving Prince William County, the City of Manassas, and City of Manassas Park, the Prince William Chamber of Commerce is back to in-person events and has a robust events calendar.
Members can tailor their chamber experience, stay involved and stay informed in areas of interest to their business. Joining specific council groups can help grow members’ leadership skills, and the chamber offers focused networking opportunities as business owners work alongside professionals with common interests.
Based on the notion that entrepreneurs discover solutions and engage with their communities over a million cups of coffee, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation developed 1 Million Cups in 2012, as a free program designed to educate, engage, and inspire entrepreneurs around the country.
The Prince William chapter of 1 Million Cups holds its meetings at Centerfuse in the City of Manassas every Wednesday. Participants network from 8:30 to 9:00 a.m. and then a presenter addresses a pertinent issue facing business owners.
Finally, the life sciences and biotechnology community networking is strong in Virginia. The NOVA Bio Hub unites a robust, interconnected, collaborative community of academic, industry, government, and healthcare professionals.
- The Institute for Biohealth Innovation at George Mason University hosts NOVA Bio Hub events along with a slate of academic networking events.
