Innovation Day | DMV Small Business Week
This is a DMV Small Business Week Anchor Event.
It is FREE and open to the public!
What if innovation felt as close and tangible as your own neighborhood? Not just a keynote. Not a pitch. A space you can walk into and say: “I could build something like this.”
Innovation Day is an all-access experience that invites the public to see, touch, and engage with what's being built by local founders, technologists, and community-minded builders.
At the center of the event is the Inspiration Showcase, hosted inside the MLK Library’s Fabrication Lab. It is a pop-up, hands-on demo hall where DMV-based founders will be showing real tools in real time—built not for the Fortune 500, but for your block, your business, your community.
But that’s just the beginning.
We're also curating a lineup of 5 workshops, panels, and small-format sessions throughout the evening—designed to spark ideas, surface solutions, and make innovation feel both practical and personal.
Whether you’re:
A small business owner looking to grow
A teen imagining your first product
A community leader seeking new ideas
Or simply curious about what’s next in the region...
You’ll leave with tools, language, and collaborators.
Confirmed Highlight:
Inspiration Showcase
4:00–8:00 PM | Fabrication Lab (Lower Level)
Founder-led interactive demos open to the public.
No sales. No pitches. Just hands-on tech and human stories.
Want to be part of it?
→ RSVP now to stay in the loop when the full schedule drops.
→ Apply to demo your product or platform in the showcase: APPLY HERE
Hosted By:
Threshold & DC Public Library
Threshold’s Tech for Small Business Cohort
Levern Currie, Drivingo
Taylor Volpe, Split
Randall Noval, Catalyst Commons
About DMV Small Business Week (DMV SBW)
DMV Small Business Week (May 4–10, 2025) is a new regional initiative created to celebrate and strengthen the real small business ecosystem across the District, Maryland, and Virginia.
In a region where commerce moves freely across borders—but support and programming is often siloed by jurisdiction—this initiative is designed to reflect how people actually live, work, and build: together.
Throughout the week, you'll find:
Events, workshops, and public activations hosted by founders, communities, and ecosystem partners
Campaigns that elevate small businesses and the infrastructure they rely on
Opportunities to connect across zip codes, sectors, and systems
DMV SBW is organized by Threshold’s Tech for Small Business Cohort.
The Tech For Small Business Cohort
This is a group of local founders building tools and momentum for small businesses and neighborhood economies across the region.
Levern Currie, Drivingo
Taylor Volpe, Split
Randall Noval, Catalyst Commons
Supported by The Yard
The Yard: Eastern Market is the official coworking sponsor of Threshold’s Tech for Small Business Cohort, the group of founders organizing DMV Small Business Week and powering Innovation Day.
Their generous support provides dedicated workspace, meeting rooms, and collaboration space throughout the campaign—giving our cohort room to think, build, and launch in the heart of DC.
Learn more about The Yard’s stunning workspace in Eastern Market here: THE YARD LINK
DMV Small Business Week is not just a celebration.
It’s a platform.
And it’s just getting started.
Be sure to subscribe to the DMV SBW Calendar here: CALENDAR LINK