HQ Raleigh, the downtown Raleigh entrepreneurial community that broke ground yesterday on the site of a 43,000 square foot expansion, has launched a new Strategist in Residence Program to coach startups of all stages within the workspace. Hopper will also facilitate the ThinkHouse program for young area entrepreneurs.

Greg Hopper, a local entrepreneur and management and innovation expert, has been selected as the first Strategist in Residence at HQ Raleigh.

Hopper is the Founder and CEO of Strategic Edge Executive Resources, which trains business leaders and their teams to think more strategically and create new growth opportunities. He has been an Adjunct Professor at Duke University since 2009, where he created and teaches the graduate course “Competitive Strategy in Technology-based Industries.”

Through the new Strategist in Residence Program, Hopper will be based at HQ Raleigh one day per week, where he will assist entrepreneurs with business development and strategy.

Extensive experience

Hopper was selected for this inaugural residency program due to his extensive experience in business strategy, product development, and innovation, and his past founding and working with Fortune 25 and small-to-mid-sized companies within a wide range of industries.

His first company, Austin-based Internet startup Netpliance, raised over $140M in its IPO and was later acquired by 3Com. Following that success, Hopper spent 11 years as the President and CEO of Netanium Strategic Consulting, which provided marketing and innovation management strategy to executives at organizations such as IBM and Galaxy Diagnostics.

He also worked as a Senior Product Manager at major RTP companies including NetApp and Bioventus before founding his current venture, Strategic Edge Executive Resources. He belongs to the IEEE, PDMA, and the Association for Strategic Planning (ASP).

Over 140 startups in the space

There are currently over 140 startups scaling within the space, a number that is slated to at least double when the expansion opens in early 2017. Hopper will also be available by appointment to other Triangle-area startups that are not currently members at the shared workspace.

In a statement, Hopper said, “At HQ Raleigh, our job is to help our member companies scale up, and create economic vitality for the Raleigh area. In addition to mentoring traditional startups, I’m intrigued by the future possibility to work with entrepreneurial teams from larger companies that can tap into the resources of HQ to create new growth opportunities. I’m excited to bring my passion for strategy and teaching to HQ Raleigh.”

“Having someone like Greg as a regular resource at HQ is a huge value add for our community. We are always looking for ways to better support the startups here at HQ and giving them the tools to implement smart strategy could really move their companies forward quickly,” says HQ Raleigh Director of Community Engagement, Liz Tracy.

In addition to serving as the new Strategist in Residence at HQ Raleigh, Hopper will facilitate the 2015-2016 ThinkHouse program, a living and learning accelerator for young entrepreneurs. Through this role, he will assist in curriculum development and provide mentorship and instruction to the ten Fellows participating in the nine-month accelerator.

On the web:

http://hqraleigh.com/

http://thinkhouse.us