🎟️ Tickets Are Now on Sale for the 2026 IMPACT Summit!

Mark your calendar for October 1, 2026, and join us at Premiere Theaters Oaks 10 in Melbourne for weVENTURE Women's Business Center's annual IMPACT Summit, our largest business development conference designed to help you invest in your personal and professional growth.

This year's theme, Chart Your Path, will inspire attendees to explore new possibilities, strengthen leadership skills, and connect with fellow professionals from across the Space and Treasure Coasts.

Event Preview

✨ Pathways to Possibility: Lisa Crites, Inventor of the Shower Shirt and author of Beautifully Unbroken– A Life Changing Invention Born of Loss, Cancer, Courage & Faith

Join patented inventor and author Lisa Crites as she shares her journey from idea to innovation. Discover what it takes to bring new ideas to life and be inspired by the power of creativity, persistence, and entrepreneurship.

✨ Pathways to Growing Beyond Your Backyard: Kelly Seidl, Kelly's Homemade Ice Cream

Learn how a beloved local business expanded beyond a single location. Kelly will share insights on growth, scaling operations, and building a brand that reaches new markets.

✨ Pathways to Leadership: Brigadier General (Retired) Irene M. Zoppi Rodríguez

Drawing from a distinguished military career, Brig. Gen. Zoppi Rodríguez will share lessons on resilience, leadership, and navigating a career journey that is rarely a straight line. Every step, challenge, and opportunity contributes to the leader you become.

Plus, attendees will have the opportunity to network with business and community leaders and cheer on the finalists competing for funding through the IMPACT Grant Program.

🎫 Tickets are on sale now! Learn more and reserve your seat. Don't miss this opportunity to chart your path toward new possibilities, meaningful connections, and lasting impact. ✨

Help your Women's Business Center! Not only does taking classes through the Verizon Digital Ready platform unlock your ability to apply for their grants and gives you valuable knowledge for your business, it also helps weVENTURE WBC!

The countdown is on! Last week it was 100:

We only need 80 more people to take a course and complete the survey at the end (10 minutes or less for many courses!) and Verizon will award weVENTURE WBC with an additional $5,000 grant! This helps us to be able to continue delivering quality free coaching and more!

You can register to take courses HERE.

Thank you!!

If you're ready to stop spinning your wheels and finally build a plan that drives real growth, the HOPE2Women Summit is your chance to step away from the day-to-day and finally work ON your business, not just in it.

You'll leave with a completed growth plan designed to help you double your revenue over the next 12 months, practical tools you can put to work immediately, and a community of ambitious founders building alongside you.

Led by Coco Sellman, this isn't another conference, it's a working summit designed to give you the clarity, strategy, and accountability to scale!

📅 September 15–17 | Denver, CO

💰 Use code WEVENTURE for $100 off

🔗 Get your ticket today: hope2women.org/summit

Current Program Offerings:



• Now accepting applications for IGNITE 360 Transitions and Advantage Programs
• The next CEO Peer Group starts in August - FULL - get on waitlist for 2027
• The next Startup Peer Group starts in September
• The next Pathways Business Launch Class starts in October
• Get on the waitlist now for the next ATHENA cohort in Spring 2027

Upcoming Events & Trainings

Applications for IGNITE 360 Mentoring Program are accepted on a rolling basis.

AUGUST:

Tue., Aug 18: Boost Your Business with IMPROV with Kelly Swartz (In Person- FULL)

Sat., Aug 22: Wine Women & Shoes Pop-up Event at Audi Melbourne (In Person)

Weds., Aug 26: Access to Capital Workshop with TD Bank (In Person. Optional: Bring your own Brown Bag Lunch - We know you are busy and this is lunch hour, so feel free to make it a lunch and learn! )

Thu., Aug 27: ATHENA Leadership Program for currently enrolled (new cohort in 2027!)

SEPTEMBER:

Thu., Sep 3: IGNITE 360 Startup Peer Group cohort begins (Virtual)

Weds., Sep 9: Maximizing Your Ad Spend: A Retargeting Strategy That Works (Virtual)

Tue., Sep 15-17: Hope2Women Small Business Summit (In Person, Denver, CO. Use code WEVENTURE for $100 off!)

Thu., Sep 24: ATHENA Leadership Program for currently enrolled (new cohort in 2027!)

ONGOING: Self-paced Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Courses (Virtual)

LOOKING AHEAD - SIGNATURE EVENTS:

Thu., Oct 1: IMPACT Summit (In Person)

Tue., Mar 16, 2027: Women Who Rock Awards (In Person)

Sat., Jun 12, 2027: Wine, Women & Shoes - Westin Resort, Cocoa Beach (In Person)

weVENTURE | weventure.fit.edu | 321-674-7007



Serving Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin Counties.

Funded in part by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

El servicio en español está disponible. Llame o envíe un correo electrónico para coordinar su consulta gratuita. 



weVENTURE at Florida Institute of Technology | 150 W. University Blvd. | Melbourne, FL 32901 US