When you walk through the doors of Sparq, there’s a steady hum of activity: clacking keyboards, dripping espresso machines, conversations huddled around laptops, the distant squeak of a dry erase marker in a conference room. It’s an unhurried, focused pulse of purposeful work that steadily moves between the individual desks, conference rooms and gathering spaces.
Amidst this thrum of activity, a new partnership is taking shape to evolve Sparq into a practical resource base and networking ground for Winston-Salem’s entrepreneurs.
Sparq, which began in 2023 as a needed coworking space within the Innovation Quarter (iQ), now includes larger suites, private offices and Sparq Labs, rentable lab space for life science startups. Through Sparq, the iQ serves members with amenities and events aimed at creating community and supporting their growing companies. Its new partnership adds increased resources for local and regional entrepreneurs, founders and small business owners.
The iQ is collaborating with Vision to Venture, a nonprofit organization dedicated to growing Winston-Salem’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Together, Vision to Venture and the iQ are fostering a space where young companies can learn from experts about everything from using AI to navigating the legal complexities of starting a business, participate in hands-on workshops and prepare themselves for long-term growth at their own pace.
“I’ve always been struck by Winston-Salem’s historic commitment and enthusiasm to propel new ideas forward. This alliance mentality is rooted in connectivity over competition and a genuine hope for a better tomorrow,” says Kami Leslie, director of community development and events with Vision to Venture.
This new programming has no strings attached. Traditional accelerator programs, while an important part of any entrepreneurial ecosystem, don’t fill every gap. Accelerators come with deadlines, benchmarks and time commitments. What many entrepreneurs need is the right advice or a new connection at the right time, rather than a full-time program, to boost their business to the next level. The partnership between the iQ and Vision to Venture works to help fill those gaps.
Compounding Connectivity and Collaboration
Earlier this year, Sparq surveyed members to learn about immediate and long-term needs. The survey revealed a widespread desire for more structured, consistent programming to support entrepreneurs throughout their journeys.
“We began investing our time in intentionally listening to what resources our members needed, and finding ways to make their goals more supported and achievable,” says Jessica Aveyard, membership and operations manager at Sparq.
Aveyard assessed that members were looking for more than just networking events – they were eager for opportunities to dive deeper into intensive problem solving with experts inside and outside of their respective fields.
That’s where Vision to Venture came in.
Mike Buckovich and Kami Leslie of Vision to Venture were top of the iQ’s list for spearheading practical entrepreneurial programming after their experience collaborating on a Techstars Startup Weekend in 2025. Techstars is a global startup accelerator program that pairs early-stage entrepreneurs with venture capital for rapid scalability, and their Startup Weekend program was met with enthusiasm within the Winston-Salem community.
“Through our partnership with Vision to Venture, we’re able to tap into knowledge experts across fields, connecting founders with stakeholders, industry partners or resources around sourcing capital. That’s how we’re broadening our support system and building it to scale,” says Lindsey Schwab, the assistant vice president of districts ecosystem development for Advocate Health’s innovation districts.
Schwab has been part of the iQ since its early days, helping to shape programming and placemaking, and now fills an integral role in the growth and development of innovation districts supported by Advocate Health.
For Schwab and others in the iQ, Vision to Venture brought extensive experience and insight into the kinds of programs and resources that entrepreneurs need to be successful – specifically entrepreneurs in Winston-Salem.
To support entrepreneurs, Vision to Venture creates programming rooted in responsiveness, practical problem solving and mentorship from industry leaders. Throughout their work, Vision to Venture has been connected with organizations like Greater Winston-Salem, Inc., Winston-Salem Starts and Center for Creative Economy to promote the flourishing of small and large businesses across the city.
“We’re heavily integrated with nonprofit organizations in the city that empower and benefit underrepresented communities. It’s integral to show that innovation and growth are available to anyone in our community and that the iQ is a centralized space for them to flourish,” Leslie says.
As a pair, Vision to Venture and the iQ are complementary, and Sparq, as the entrepreneurial and startup hub of the iQ, is the perfect spot to host it.
Resources Built for the Long-Haul
The new programming at Sparq is designed to meet entrepreneurs wherever they are on their trajectory. It’s an approach baked into Vision to Venture’s DNA.
“Our approach is identifying where founders struggle both at the start of their entrepreneurial journey and the challenges they face mid-way through their journey,” Buckovich says. “Entrepreneurs need help beyond making their first pitch. Instead, we aim to equip founders with disciplines, strategies, and a mindset that can sustain them throughout their journey.”
To support entrepreneurs, Sparq programming consists of three different series of programs, each providing practical help for people starting and running their own businesses.
Sparq Speaks
Sparq’s Speaker Series will be hosted quarterly in the Crane Room. This speaker series is free and open to the public and will feel like a fireside chat with industry leaders and experts. Topics will vary, and each event will be followed by a time to network. Registration for the event is required.
Sparq Works
Sparq’s monthly workshops will focus on hands-on, practical applications. Workshop facilitators will provide expertise in their fields with a goal of providing practical steps that are immediately applicable to a business. Hosted every month on the second Tuesday from 12 to 2 p.m., workshops are free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Ask an Expert
Every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sparq will hold office hours for its members. Each week will feature an expert who will help these members (from Sparq Coworking, Sparq Suites and Sparq Labs) with specific questions they face. Appointments are 40 minutes long and must be made in advance.
“Our hope is that Sparq programming will expand its purpose beyond its walls and really bring in the larger community. We have intentionally crafted these programs to be as accessible as possible and to support our vision for an inclusive innovation economy,” Schwab says.
Participants will receive practical resources from a monthly workshop, get exposed to broader ideas or strategies through visiting speakers and move toward specific troubleshooting via weekly office hours.
Ultimately, the goal is to identify the existing gaps within the entrepreneurial ecosystem, empower individuals with targeted resources and structured support, and strengthen entrepreneurial mindsets that can stand the test of time.
A Sought-After Resource for Life Sciences
Central to the iQ’s purpose is supporting the development of life science and health innovations. Sparq Labs, the arm of Sparq that provides affordable, flexible lab space for life science R&D and commercialization, creates a place for life science entrepreneurs and startups to grow. Like other entrepreneurs, they have a need for supportive programming–including some tailored specifically to their industry, which the iQ is uniquely able to provide.
“Professionals within the life science industries need larger support systems tied to business acumen that can help translate their ideas across industries and help them land the right investors,” says Isaac Perry, the head of biotech and life science ecosystem development for the iQ.
Perry oversees the biotech and life science ecosystem within the iQ, connecting life science companies and entrepreneurs with key resources and potential investors and working alongside Greater Winston-Salem Inc. to recruit companies to come into the iQ.
Some of the topics and workshops for this new programming will center on topics relevant to life sciences. Plus, the iQ’s ties to well-established businesses and leaders within the city as well as the Wake Forest University School of Medicine positions this partnership as an invaluable resource for those in the initial stages of business by pulling experts into the room that entrepreneurs and startups may not usually have access to.
A New Hum of Activity in Winston-Salem
The crux of the iQ’s partnership with Vision to Venture is providing a physical infrastructure in Sparq for a creative, entrepreneurial environment to flourish.
“To me, success [in this partnership] is hearing that founders are using what they learned in a workshop, a connection from a speaker event turned into a real partnership or a new member identified the right resource to overcome a challenge,” Schwab says.
Vision to Venture shares the same desire for practical outcomes, not just for individuals but also for the community as a whole.
“Through this programming partnership and iQ’s determination to become a hub for entrepreneurship, my goals are to create measurable value for the city of Winston-Salem,” Buckovich says.
“Successful innovation always draws from the exposure of diverse thoughts and opinions and open communication. Creating a space where ideas can be presented without fear gives way to an environment where innovation can really happen,” Perry says.
By creating that space through Sparq, iQ and Vision to Venture want to connect and support innovators. Then the buzz of Sparq will not just signal productivity, but also be an echo of an entrepreneurial community that is flourishing.
Learn more about entrepreneurship and innovation in the iQ in the News section of the website.
