‘The Headliners’ part 2: A preview of 30 events happening across NC in May

Keeping track with our initiative to spotlight North Carolina startup and tech events, WRAL TechWire’s weekly “Headliners” column is now divided into two parts—inside and outside the Triangle.

Following is a list of May meetups, conferences, workshops, socials and networking events happening in Asheville, Charlotte, the Piedmont Triad, and other areas throughout North Carolina.

To find out what’s happening this month in the Triangle, check out this post.

Another post previews hot events coming up in June. Recurring monthly meetups are also featured in a separate post.

These columns accompany our interactive calendar of tech and startup events. If you’d like to suggest an event to be added to the calendar, feel free to send me an email.

WomanUP Workshop: Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

May 7, 8-10:30 p.m. @Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville

This event, hosted by the Asheville Chamber of Commerce aims to provide insight on how to create a healthy workplace environment for everyone. Panelists include Jackie Grant of Roberts & Stevens, Jessica Leaven of Grimes Teich Anderson LLP, Carol Steen of Mountain Area Health Education Center, Inc., and Robin Sersland of Our Voice.

Flywheel Idea Tap

May 8, 5:30-7:30 p.m. @Flywheel Coworking

Idea Tap is an opportunity for local startups to present their products/services to an audience and receive feedback on how to refine their pitches. The format involves: a five-minute pitch, a five-minute Q&A and five minutes of audience feedback. This monthly event is always free.

Tech After Five Charlotte

May 8, 5:30-7:30 p.m. @BlackFinn Ameripub

With the aim of connecting local tech communities, this monthly event brings together IT professionals, service providers, startups and entrepreneurs for an event of networking and peer-to-peer exchange of ideas. Tickets are divided into five categories: tech professional, jobseeker, tech startup, recruiter and other/non-tech.

WS Black Chamber of Commerce – City of Winston Salem

May 8, 6:30-7:30 p.m. @Winston Salem State University Enterprise Center

The Forsyth Tech Small Business Center and the Winston-Salem Black Chamber of Commerce invite current and future entrepreneurs to join together at the Winston-Salem State University Enterprise Center to discuss how the two organizations can help grow their businesses.

Red Hat Summit 2018

May 8-10 @Moscone Center in San Francisco

Join the 14th annual Red Hat Summit for two days of exploring topics surrounding cloud computing, platform, virtualization, middleware, storage and systems management technologies.

Charlotte PitchBreakfast

May 9, 8-11 a.m. @The Garage at Packard Place

A handful of Queen City-based companies will headline May’s Charlotte PitchBreakfast, presenting their products and services for a total of five minutes, after which they will answer questions from the audience and a panel of experts. The goal of PitchBreakfast is to give startups a comfortable environment to test out pitches they can later present to investors.

1 Million Cups Asheville

May 9, 9-10:30 a.m. @The Collider

Asheville’s entrepreneurial community meets weekly to hear local startups’ pitches and support one another in continuing to grow. For this week’s event, 1 Million Cups Asheville is being hosted at The Collider.

Demystifying the Patent Process

May 9, 3-4 p.m. @The Garage at Packard Place, Charlotte

At this workshop, John Sotomayor, patent attorney and co-founder of SotoIP, will guide participants through the patent process—from planning to filing to following up to building a patent portfolio.

Venture Café Thursday Gathering

May 10, 5-8 p.m. @Bailey Power Plant in Winston-Salem

Held on a weekly basis, this Venture Café event series provides all sorts of programming for Piedmont Triad entrepreneurs and innovators. Every Thursday evening, the community gathers for networking, panel talks, workshops, presentations, product demos, interviews, and more.

Creative Startups Accelerator Info Session: Venture Cafe

May 10, 6-7 p.m. @Venture Cafe

Applications are live for Creative Startups Winston-Salem’s eight-week virtual business accelerator. Drop by this info session to hear an overview of the program and learn how to apply. The application deadline is June 3.

Innovation & Cinema: Space Jam

May 11, 8:30-10:30 p.m. @Bailey Park in Winston-Salem

The Wake Forest Innovation Quarter is hosting a showing of Space Jam to kick off its outdoor film series, co-presented by a/perture Cinema.

Application Deadline: NC IDEA SEED Micro-Grant Pilot Program

May 14, 5 p.m.

Applications are officially open for NC IDEA’s Micro-Grants Pilot Program. Grants—$1,000 to $10,000—will be awarded to early-stage companies seeking to validate and advance their ideas. Recipients will receive mentorship and assistance from NC IDEA and access to its network.

Flywheel Coworking Indeavor Club Lunch

May 15, 12-1:30 p.m. @Flywheel Coworking

Indeavor, a networking club offered to all Flywheel Coworking members, is an opportunity to get to know fellow entrepreneurs and swap helpful resources with one another. The lunches are held on the third Tuesday of every month at the the Center for Design Innovation in Winston-Salem.

Joules Catalyst Cohort 3: Eight Cleantech Pitches Changing the World

May 16, 4-6 p.m. @Hilton Charlotte Center City Ballroom

This event features pitches from the latest cohort of the Joules accelerator, plus presentations from industry guest speakers and a cocktail reception hosted at the Gas Power Conference.

7th Annual Gas Power Conference

May 16-17 @Hilton Charlotte Center City

This conference convenes leaders and representatives of the U.S. power industry to discuss the most important issues facing the natural gas-fired generation market.

Packard Place Public House (Formerly #CLTStartupSocial)

May 16, 5:30-8 p.m. @Packard Place

On the third Wednesday of every month, the Queen City’s entrepreneurial community joins together for an evening of networking and connections over free beer and snacks.

Power Up Breakfast with Charlotte’s Innovation Ecosystem

May 17, 8:30-9:30 a.m. @Innovate Charlotte Venture Hub

Join for a conversation over breakfast with the economic development and entrepreneurship community of Charlotte.

Building A Website That Gets Your Brand Noticed

May 17, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. @Winston Starts

At this workshop, participants will learn how to design an engaging, user-friendly website that represents their brand well.

Venture Café Thursday Gathering

May 17, 5-8 p.m. @Bailey Power Plant in Winston-Salem

StartUp Grind Triad: Female Founders Month Fireside Chat Part 1

May 17, 5:30-8 p.m. @Jay Hurt Hub for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Davidson

In celebration of Female Founder’s Month, the newly expanded Startup Grind Triad is hosting two fireside chats featuring Tech Talent South CEO and Co-Founder Betsy Idilbi. This is Part 1 of a two-part program. Part 2 will be held in Winston-Salem on May 22.

The Techstars Experience: 3 Female Founders Share Their Story

May 18, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. @Camp North End Hygge, Charlotte

Three Charlotte entrepreneurs—Dina Carey of Milkful, Haley Bohon of Skillpop and Meggie Williams of The Waggle Company—return from the latest class of Techstars Austin to share the experience with the Queen City community.

Certified Global Business Professional Workshop at UNCW

May 21-22 @UNCW Swain Center

In this workshop, participants will learn the knowledge and skills needed to compete in today’s marketplace with a Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) credential.

Connect X & Autonomous Vehicles

May 21-24 @Charlotte Convention Center

The Connectivity Expo (Connect X) showcases the latest innovative connectivity solutions driving the future of communications. Sessions will cover a range of topics, from private LTE networks to macro cells to innovations in infrastructure to connected property. Keynote speakers represent industry-leading companies including Dish, Verizon, NASCAR and AWS.

StartUp Grind Triad: Female Founders Month Fireside Chat Part 2

May 22, 5:30-8 p.m. @Flywheel Coworking

In celebration of Female Founder’s Month, the newly expanded Startup Grind Triad is hosting two fireside chats featuring Tech Talent South CEO and Co-Founder Betsy Idilbi. Part 1 is in Davidson on May 17, and this event will be part 2.

RIoT XXV – Smart Cities of the South

May 23, 5-7:30 p.m. @Charlotte Convention Center

RIoT’s 25th event is all about how public/private partnerships are adopting Internet of Things to revolutionize parking, transit and other areas of public importance. Food and drinks will be provided.

Venture Café Thursday Gathering

May 24, 5-8 p.m. @Bailey Power Plant in Winston-Salem

Application Deadline: Innovate Charlotte Pilot Program

May 28

Innovate Charlotte, an arm of the Charlotte Regional Fund for Entrepreneurship, is seeking applicants for its upcoming pilot program, which aims to serve entrepreneurs looking to bring their startups to the next level. Five companies will be admitted to the three-month mentorship program.

Hatch AVL Pitch Party

May 30, 6-8 p.m. @Hatch AVL

Entrepreneurs are invited to test and develop their pitch at this monthly event hosted by Hatch AVL. Presenters will receive helpful feedback from the audience, and the best-voted pitch will land a spot at 1 Million Cups Asheville.

Skookum Volcano Tour

May 31, 12-1 p.m. @Skookum Charlotte

Join an open tour of the Skookum office to get an introduction to the tech and ideas powering the community. The Skookum team will be available for any questions or comments participants may have. Lunch will be provided.