Max Knapp

Max Knapp, managing director of Wing 2 Wing Ventures and founding partner of BlackBear Capital, didn’t start his career by chasing a dream job. Instead, he focused on what he knew he was good at—working with numbers and problem-solving.

Knapp graduated high school during the 2008 recession and, valuing job security above all else, chose to pursue an undergraduate degree in accounting from West Virginia Wesleyan College.

After completing his undergraduate degree and a summer internship, Knapp realized accounting was not going to be his life’s pursuit. He used graduate school at Vanderbilt University as an opportunity to try something new and pursue a career in finance, a prominent interest of his.

“The fundamental issue we need to fix in West Virginia is the culture of pushing our students exclusively toward a secure and/or traditional career path,” Knapp says. “It wasn’t until I got to Vanderbilt that my eyes were opened to a career in entrepreneurship, venture capital or one of the many other fields worth exploring.”

The exceptional grit Knapp has carried through his business endeavors was learned through early jobs picking tomatoes at a local farm and working on Wall Street as an investment analyst. These roles not only instilled a deep sense of gratitude for his current career but also reinforced the belief that he had found the right path.

“Whether it was bending over in fields for six hours grabbing vegetables or looking at spreadsheets at a desk until 3 a.m., there was a level of resilience that needed to be met to be successful,”
he says.

Knapp considers two of his biggest mentors to be Brad Smith, Marshall University president and co-founder of Wing 2 Wing Ventures, whom he works alongside as managing director, and Frank Alderman, former founder and CEO of MedExpress.

“They both have an uncanny leadership ability, and I’ve been fortunate to be on the receiving end of their thoughtful feedback and guidance,” he says.

Knapp found that personal experience with entrepreneurship and running a business was a huge learning curve. BlackBear Capital, the successful investment firm he co-founded, happened to be his very first business, and he admits he was naïve to just how challenging the journey would be.

“There’s nothing that can truly prepare you for a battle with entrepreneurship,” Knapp says.

He found that the only way out of the obstacles of running a business was oftentimes trial and error while being resourceful enough to figure out complex problems. He says as an entrepreneur, you have to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Passionate about giving back, Knapp is involved in several community service endeavors. Currently, he is a board member and member of the investment committee for the CAMC Foundation, co-founding board member and advisor for the Coalfield Development SEED Fund, creator and co-chair of the Vision 2030 WV Chamber, volunteer for the Buckskin Council, member of the Clay Center’s Corporate Relations Sub-Committee, judge for IgniteWV and experiential learning partner for the WVU John Chamber School of Business and Economics.

“I got to where I am today by never being afraid to ask for guidance, always striving to build new, genuine relationships and constantly yearning for knowledge,” he says.

Knapp spends his time helping build up the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem,
and these efforts are rooted in a personal mission of his—to revitalize his home.