BLACK RIVER INNOVATION CAMPUS · IMAGINE VERMONT
Imagine a Vermont where every student, job-seeker, and entrepreneur has a path to opportunity. We’re building it.
BRIC builds programs and partnerships in STEAM education, workforce development, and entrepreneurship to grow Vermont's innovation economy. We make sure that small towns, like Springfield, VT, have a seat in every conversation.
INSPIRE
STEAM education
PreK–12 students & educators
1,680
students reached
TRAIN
Workforce development
New entrants & career changers
50+
enrolled in career certificates
LAUNCH
Entrepreneurship
Founders & early-stage startups
$17M+
raised by Actuator companies
Rural Vermont can’t wait.
BRIC exists because the data does. The workforce is aging out, talent is leaving, and the programs that could change that aren’t yet running together as a pipeline.
15K vs 5K
Vermont retirements per year vs. high school graduates per year
8 of 14
Vermont counties with labor force declines greater than 10%
0
Programs in southern Vermont that move learners from PreK STEAM through funded founder — until now
INSPIRE
STEAM education for rural Vermont
Hands-on STEAM programs reach PreK through Grade 12 across schools, libraries, and out-of-school programs — sparking curiosity in robotics, AI, virtual reality, coding, and design. Modern tools, in places that wouldn’t otherwise have access.
- 20 summer camps in 2026
- K–12 LEGO STEAM library
- drone soccer
- VRmont Studios
- SEEDVT internship pilot
- Educator PD
1,680+
STUDENTS REACHED
56
EDUCATORS IN PD
15
CAMPS IN 2025-26
TRAIN
Workforce development that pays
Career-track training in emerging tech skills connects rural Vermonters — new entrants, career changers, and current workers upskilling — to certifications, paid internships, and jobs with regional employers.
- Google Career Certificates (IT, Data, Cyber, PM, UX)
- Cisco IT & Cybersecurity with paid internships
- Partnerships with VT DOL, HireAbility VT, area CTEs
50+
IN CAREER CERTIFICATES
4
2026 INTERNSHIPS PLACED
3+
STATE-LEVEL PARTNERS
LAUNCH
Actuator: rural entrepreneurship that works
BRIC’s signature program. Ten-week cohorts, three times a year. 1:1 mentorship, structured curriculum, and connections to capital, customers, and statewide partners — for founders building in Vermont, from Springfield to Bennington to Boston and NYC.
- 3 cohorts/year
- Mentor-in-Residence + Entrepreneur-in-Residence
- Partnerships with UVM, Dartmouth, VTSU, Norwich, VMC
- Pitch events & demo days
123
STARTUPS
$17M+
RAISED
18
PATENT HELD
32
PRODUCTS LAUNCHED
Federal grants launched BRIC. They won’t sustain it.
We’re raising $3M over three years to keep this pipeline open for every Vermonter. Every student, every job-seeker, every founder. From $100 monthly gifts to lead gifts of $500K, every contribution builds rural Vermont’s opportunity infrastructure.
$900K
STEAM education & workforce
3-YEAR NEED
$1.2M
Entrepreneurship support
3-YEAR NEED
$900K
Operations & sustainability
STAFF, PARTNERSHIPS, SYSTEMS
Three voices, one pipeline.
Actuator’s support goes far beyond resources — it fosters a spirit of partnership and growth instrumental to our early successes.
Soumya Roy · Founder & CEO, UpLevel Foods
LAUNCH
VRmont Studios will not only provide students with practical experience but also support them financially, making it easier to engage fully in their career development.
Kristen Wilson · RVTC IT Instructor · Director, CSTA-VT
INSPIRE & TRAIN
BRIC is a key UVM go-to partner helping advance Vermont’s tech economy and extend our research efforts into southern Vermont.
Tricia Coates · Director, UVM Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships
PARTNER
Built in Springfield. Open to all of Vermont.
BRIC's home is the historic Park Street School — a 90,000 sq ft Live-Work-Learn campus in downtown Springfield. A $7M restoration is underway, and our VRmont Studios location opened at 23 Main Street in January 2026. The finished multisite campus will combine coworking, STEAM education facilities, artist studios, and 23 apartments to support entrepreneurs and learners on site.
Find your path.
BRIC’s work is built with public, philanthropic, and academic partners across the state and the country.
