The RISE Summit for Entrepreneurs and Innovators on Thursday, August 27, 2026 in Danville, VA will include networking opportunities and breakout sessions featuring amazing speakers to support entrepreneurs at each stage of business, from ideation to starting, growing, and scaling.

45 MINUTE SESSION

TRACK: ACCESS TO CAPITAL

This interactive workshop will discuss the different types of financial capital available to new and growing businesses and identify the typical requirements for each. Participants will have an opportunity to assess whether they are ready to access capital and what they need to get ready to grow.

Learning objectives for this workshop include:

• Identify for what purposes an entrepreneur needs financial capital to grow their business and how they would use it
• Identify the different types of financial capital available to businesses
• Determine if your business is ready for financial capital

Speakers: Carolina Medina and Stephen Davis, CIC – Community Investment Collaborative

Carolina Medina

Chief Lending Officer, CIC (Community Investment Collaborative)

Carolina Medina serves as Chief Lending Officer for CIC (Community Investment Collaborative), overseeing the loan program as well as office operational staff. Carolina has a passion for small businesses and enjoys working with entrepreneurs as they launch and grow their businesses. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Lynchburg College and enjoys working with CIC’s community of entrepreneurs.

To learn more about Carolina, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Stephen Davis

President, CIC (Community Investment Collaborative)

Stephen Davis joined CIC (Community Investment Collaborative) as its first President in April 2013. He brings a decade of experience in organization building, management, consulting and education. Stephen hopes to harness that experience to guide CIC in training, financing and mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurs in Central Virginia and Southern Virginia. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Master’s degree in Education from James Madison University.

To learn more about Stephen, connect with him on LinkedIn here.

The RISE Summit for Entrepreneurs and Innovators on Thursday, August 27, 2026 in Danville, VA will include networking opportunities and breakout sessions featuring amazing speakers to support entrepreneurs at each stage of business, from ideation to starting, growing, and scaling.

45 MINUTE SESSION

TRACK: ACCESS TO CAPITAL

This interactive workshop will discuss the different types of financial capital available to new and growing businesses and identify the typical requirements for each. Participants will have an opportunity to assess whether they are ready to access capital and what they need to get ready to grow.

Learning objectives for this workshop include:

• Identify for what purposes an entrepreneur needs financial capital to grow their business and how they would use it
• Identify the different types of financial capital available to businesses
• Determine if your business is ready for financial capital

Speakers: Carolina Medina and Stephen Davis, CIC – Community Investment Collaborative

Carolina Medina

Director of Lending Operations, CIC (Community Investment Collaborative)

Carolina Medina serves as Director of Lending & Operations for CIC (Community Investment Collaborative), overseeing the loan program as well as office operational staff. Carolina has a passion for small businesses and enjoys working with entrepreneurs as they launch and grow their businesses. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Lynchburg College and enjoys working with CIC’s community of entrepreneurs.

To learn more about Carolina, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Stephen Davis

President, CIC (Community Investment Collaborative)

Stephen Davis joined CIC (Community Investment Collaborative) as its first President in April 2013. He brings a decade of experience in organization building, management, consulting and education. Stephen hopes to harness that experience to guide CIC in training, financing and mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurs in Central Virginia and Southern Virginia. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Master’s degree in Education from James Madison University.

To learn more about Stephen, connect with him on LinkedIn here.