COUNTRY ROADS ANGEL NETWORK ANNOUNCES 3 NEW INVESTMENTS IN WEST VIRGINIA STARTUPS

Morgantown – Country Roads Angel Network (CRAN), West Virginia’s first accredited angel network, today announced its latest round of investments totaling $195,000 in three West Virginia–aligned enterprises:

• JarHead Kitchen Inc. (Alderson, WV) – A $100,000 investment to support JarHead’s expansion from farming into a canning and co-packing facility. The new facility will enable the company to preserve and distribute products beyond the region while also serving other small producers who lack access to processing infrastructure—strengthening the local food system and supporting fellow entrepreneurs.
• Plug-In Promotions (Hurricane, WV) – A $45,000 investment in Plug-In, a company focused on transforming in-venue marketing through digital table tents for bars and restaurants. These devices replace traditional paper displays with dynamic digital screens, offering venues a flexible way to promote specials, events, and partner content while creating new advertising revenue streams. CRAN’s investment is being leveraged alongside more than $300,000 from other investor groups, with a goal of deploying 2,500 devices nationwide by late 2026.
• Small Town Universe – A $50,000 investment in a documentary centered on the National Radio Quiet Zone and the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia. The funding will support national and global marketing efforts for the film, which follows four residents of Green Bank and explores life in one of the quietest places on Earth.

Kevin Combs, CRAN’s executive chair, highlighted the diversity of this latest investment round.

“CRAN’s mission is to support entrepreneurs driving innovation and creativity across West Virginia. This portfolio reflects that—from JarHead’s focus on sustainable agriculture, to Plug-In’s use of technology to modernize marketing, to Small Town Universe’s powerful storytelling about life in Green Bank and its contrast with today’s hyper-connected world.”

Since its founding in 2020, CRAN has invested approximately $2 million across nearly 20 startups, leveraging an additional $20 million from other funding sources.

“CRAN’s investment in JarHead Kitchen is enabling us to scale our operations with larger equipment that requires three-phase power,” said Natasha Zoe of JarHead. “This expansion will allow us to hire three additional local employees at livable wages with benefits, increase purchases from West Virginia farmers, and offer co-packing services that help small producers bring value-added products to broader markets.”

Seth McClain of Plug-In added:

“CRAN has been an incredible resource throughout our journey. Their financial support, along with their connections across West Virginia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, has been invaluable as we bring Plug-In to market.”

“CRAN’s support has allowed Small Town Universe to extend far beyond a traditional festival and broadcast life,” said Katie Dellamaggiore. “Their investment is helping us build a national screening and impact campaign, bringing the film to science centers, schools, museums, and communities across the country while positioning it for long-term distribution opportunities.”

More information is available at: https://www.smalltownuniversefilm.com/