Guest Blog

        Hi, my name is Yihong Li. I am the founder of Tottico, a name inspired by the Greek word for “local.” I’ve spent the past ten years working across different parts of the textile industry, from product development to supply chain operations. During that time, I saw how much craftsmanship, skill, and economic opportunity the U.S. lost as production shifted overseas. Those experiences shaped my belief that local manufacturing still has a place, not only for quality and speed, but for community and sustainability. Tottico grew out of that conviction and my desire to build something rooted in intention, transparency, and local impact.

                       What’s up y’all, my name is Carlton Perry but most just call me Carl. I am a sophomore music business major here at West Virginia University. On top of that, I am the CEO and founder of CLEF, a mobile app where venues and event organizers can hire musicians for their event or occasion. 

                             Hi, I’m Ethan Weaver, a freshman here at WVU studying applied artificial intelligence and finance. My business is Truss AI, we are an AI service business that focuses on the service business solely in West Virginia. In the service industry, a missed call is a missed customer. I’m building Truss AI to solve 'revenue leakage' for West Virginia contractors. We’re developing a 24/7 AI triage system that ensures every lead is captured and categorized, even when the owner is on a job site without cell service.

Courtesy of NASA/Bill Stafford.

              My name is Eva Toor and I am a recent graduate from West Virginia University. I am the founder of Toor Equestrian LLC, which is a business in the horse industry, and we’ve got a whole line of products with the goal of keeping riders safe and stylish at the same time. Our flagship product, the tiny tack room saddle stand, is actually just about to launch and we’re very excited about it. 

                       The name Two Birds comes from our family names; Melanie is a Martin (Purple Martins) and Greg a Finch (Gold and Purple Finches). Two Birds was just a great combination of our names for our farm. Primarily, our farm is a choose and cut Christmas tree from. This comes from family tradition, going and cutting a Christmas tree was one of the high points of Christmas for me. My wife and I are really strong believers in families and promoting fun, healthy activities for families to do together.

                      My name is Nola Todd, and I am the founder of Goldenrod Kitchen, a small food pop-up and catering business offering vegan and vegetarian breakfast food and baked goods.

                  Hey, I’m Logan Cuvo, founder of Best Dam Tape. We’re in the business of making the stretchiest, stickiest, and most durable hockey tape out there. Trusted by teams like the Anaheim Ducks, Ohio State, and Princeton, our mission is to give hockey players gear that performs when it matters most—and we’re proud to innovate with eco-friendly options like beeswax puck wax.

                                 My name is Angelo Crino, and I own Crino Cuts LLC, a professional knife and tool sharpening service that started in Annapolis, Maryland. I am a freshman at WVU, currently majoring in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. One hard lesson I had to learn early on was to put publicity before profit. I see a lot of young entrepreneurs such as myself talk a lot about money before they think of making connections or marketing. Money and value are two different kinds of transactions, and highly discounted or even free services have a ton of value, especially early on in the life of the business. 

                                        I am Calijah Burton, a senior entrepreneurship major and the proud owner of Burton's Bakery. Today, I want to share the invaluable lessons I've learned on my entrepreneurial journey, particularly the impact of the LaunchLab in shaping the success of Burton's Bakery.