A panel discussion with Gat Caperton, Scott Widmeyer, and Dr. Mary Hendrix was part of the Country Roads Angel Network meeting in Shepherdstown this week. (PNN Photo)

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — Country Roads Angel Network held its 2025 meeting in Shepherdstown this week. The collaboration provides accredited investors the opportunity to invest in and mentor West Virginia-based start-ups.
At Wednesday’s meeting at the Bavarian Inn, CRAN announced its latest round of investments totaling $202,500 in three innovative startups in higher education, technology, and medicine.
The meeting coincides with the WV Entrepreneurship Ecosystem conference on the campus of Shepherd University. The gathering is billed as “the state’s premier entrepreneurship event that connects startups and
resource providers through education and collaboration opportunities.”

Shepherd University President Dr. Mary Hendrix talked about the opportunities for students:

The Bridging Innovation Week, billed as the state’s premier entrepreneurship event aimed at providing connection and education to business owners, current and prospective entrepreneurs as well as those who serve those organizations in the Mountain State:

 Hendrix and Berkeley Springs entrepreneur Gat Caperton were part of a panel discussion.

Caperton, whose company Gat Creek Furniture employs more than two hundred people in Morgan County, talked about the importance of investors in start up companies:

He talked about how investing in a startup allows them to invest in their people:

He talked about the importance of having partnerships with universities like Shepherd:

The angel network funding announced Wednesday from CRAN includes:
$70,000 to support Brite, a Morgantown-based startup geared to helping colleges and universities reduce student attrition by better understanding student needs using new methods of engagement via an app that
rewards students for sharing real-time feedback.
$52,500 to Growmentum, a Morgantown-based technology company. Growmentum has created a software platform that empowers commercial growers in the horticultural space to streamline operations,
reduce labor costs, and enhance efficiency.
$80,000 to Advanced Optronics, a medical sensor tech startup. AO’s convergence research will develop medical instruments that sense their own shape during complex surgeries with an initial focus on cochlear
implantation to address hearing loss.

With today’s announcement, CRAN in its five-year history has awarded nearly $1.5 million in funds to 11 developing enterprises focused on sustainability, food, health, higher ed, consumer, tech and the arts.
The CRAN funds have been matched by additional dollars totaling more than $15 million.

Following the panel discussion held at the Bavarian Inn on Wednesday, members of CRAN heard pitches from three start-ups seeking investment capital, including Tensa, a product being pitched by a former Charleston resident. 
In a CRAN press release CRAN Chair and Founder Kevin Combs said, “As we begin our sixth year, the CRAN journey has been successful because of our member base, great partners in philanthropy, government and higher education, and the talent that we see in the entrepreneurs who seek out CRAN for support.”
Combs thanked the Benedum Foundation and The Huntington National Bank for their support of the CRAN mission.

“We’re proud to partner with CRAN to scale Brite further. Their support—and the industry connections they’ve provided to potential customers and hires—has already made a huge impact on our business. As we grow
beyond West Virginia, their backing fuels our mission to help universities fight student attrition using new, first-hand data metrics from students that Brite provides,” said Nate Wimer, co-founder and CEO of Brite.

To date, Brite has had a presence on campuses in West Virginia at WVU, Marshall, Glenville State, Concord, Fairmont, and West Liberty. According to Wimer, plans for 2025 call for building out the Brite team and to
expand further at WV colleges as well as schools nationally.

CRAN’s support for Growmentum follows on the company receiving the 2024 Technology of the Year award. Drew Lytton, co-founder, said, “CRAN’s belief in us is incredible and so integral to our success as we grow and
move forward” according to the press release.

Co-founder Cody Childers, said Growmentum has “a solid team working together to solve challenging problems. And we can lead the way in putting West Virginia on the map for tech innovation.” 

The CRAN press release highlighted other partnerships stemming from Growmentum:

Spring Creek Growers, a Texas-based ag operation, is now working with Growmentum to build out a more efficient, data-driven and sustainable future for growers in Texas and beyond.

According to Jay Reddy, CEO of Advanced Optronics, the Pittsburgh company has strong ties to WV through its senior advisory team which includes a physician and a seasoned MedTech strategy expert.

“CRAN’s investment further strengthens this regional connection, and we look forward to leveraging their extensive network to connect with physicians and hospitals across the state, from academic teaching centers
to rural clinics, as we recruit clinical sites and prepare for the broad launch of our device,” Reddy said.

He added, “We are honored to welcome CRAN as investors in Advanced Optronics. Throughout the investment process, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know several CRAN members personally and have been impressed
by their enthusiasm, deep business expertise, and genuine support for our mission. I look forward to our continued collaboration as we grow our business and work to advance clinical practice together.”

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From West Virginia Business Link:

Bridging Innovation Week is the state’s premier entrepreneurship event. The annual symposium advances entrepreneurship-led economic development by providing connection and education to business owners, current and prospective entrepreneurs, and entrepreneur serving organizations (ESOs) throughout West Virginia.

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