RALEIGH – If recent reports turn out to be true and Raleigh hasn’t made the final cut for Amazon’s second headquarters, there’s no reason to take it personally.

At least, that’s what Backstage Capital CEO and co-founder Arlan Hamilton believes.

Delivering the keynote to a packed audience at Innovate Raleigh this Friday, she only had words of praise for the Oak City.

More than 500 people packed into the Raleigh Convention Center’s ballroom to listen to Backstage Capital’s Arlan Hamilton, a keynote for Innovate Raleigh this Friday.. Copyright Capitol Broadcasting.

“There is an openness here that is very important that not every city has,” she told a 500-strong crowd gathered at the Raleigh Convention Center. “It feels like people are willing to work together.

“There are a lot of cities that are getting a ‘no’ right now. Everything happens for a reason. Maybe it would have been too disruptive.”

Those consoling words take on more weight when you consider that in three years, Hamilton went from being broke and homeless to running a venture capital fund that has invested $5 million in more than 100 companies founded by underrepresented entrepreneurs.

Digital LinCS makes a pitch

Of those investments, she says, 10 percent have come from companies that she met right here in the Triangle as part of various accelerator programs.

And that figure is climbing. Even as she left the stage, she took a 20-minute pitch from local tech company, Digital LinCS, outside in the hall’s corridors.

“They’re looking good,” she told WRAL TechWire shortly after the impromptu meeting. “I bumped them to the front of the line of our accelerator process. So they’re going to get to present to our accelerator team ahead of 1800 applicants because they impressed me so much.”

As for the rest of Raleigh’s ecosystem, she said just keep doing what you’re doing. “More and more talking to each other, and opening up lanes for people who are underrepresented and underestimated. It’s really important,” she said.

The silver lining

Hamilton wasn’t the only one who had a positive spin on the Amazon rumors.

Jason Widen, HQ Raleigh cofounder, said that while it would have been a great addition to the area, it’s certainly not the final word.

“Pendo is one of the fastest growing companies in our city, quickly approaching 400 employees. There are other high-impact, growth companies that are growing here organically,” he said during one of the summit’s session breaks.

“I don’t think it’s going to change the fact that this region is definitely headed in the right direction. “On its own, Raleigh is growing and cultivating its own startup companies. We will continue to be a prosperous city.”

Need more proof? He pointed to the recent deal that will see tech giant IBM buy Red Hat, the world’s leading provider of open source solutions headquartered in Raleigh, for a cool $34 billion.

“It opens up a lot of new markets for Red Hat and what they’re trying to do. Overall, it makes the community stronger,” he said.

Will the next Amazon be born in the Triangle?

Innovate Raleigh’s executive director Bridget Harrington was also fairly confident.

“I’m encouraged that the next Amazon is going to be born right here in Raleigh, probably in the next few years,” she said. “I’m seeing great energy and enthusiasm from the funders, as well as from the founders.”

Innovate Raleigh’s executive director Bridget Harrington. Copyright Capitol Broadcasting. ARR

She did admit, however, that seed funding is a concern.

“We need to get more funding in the hands of our early-stage entrepreneurs without a doubt. It’s the fuel for growth,” she said. “We’re looking at strategies on how to do just that. With things like Red Hat and IBM happening and Epic Games, there’s a lot of funding that we can hopefully keep in our community.”

No Amazon. But what about Apple?

OK, Raleigh might have lost Amazon. But what would it mean if we also came up short with regards to Apple?

Since June, WRAL TechWire and WRAL have been reporting that the Triangle is one of two sites Apple is considering for its new campus. As of yet, no official word has been released on the final decision.

“My feeling is a Apple is a better fit than Amazon,” said Sig Hutchinson, Wake County County Commissioner. “I see that their brand and what we represent are totally aligned. From that standpoint, I’m excited about Apple. I don’t have any insider information, but I think they’re coming.”

Wake County Commissioner Sig Hutchinson. Copyright Capitol Cities. ARR

Many industry insiders believe Raleigh’s lack of transit hampered its bid for Amazon. But Hutchinson said the city is working to actively address those concerns.

“We’re doing a $2.3 billion transit plan in Wake County. We’re rolling out a $2.1 billion light rail system in Orange and Durham. That’s about $5 billion that we’re going to invest in transit in the next 10 years,” he said. “We’re on our way. If you look at our cost of living and where we are, we are catching up to some of the larger players such as Seattle and DC, which have been around and doing this work for 50 years. We’re just coming online.”

Chris Heivly, a local fixture on the startup scene and Techstar’s entrepreneur-in-resident, also remained hopeful.

More than 500 people packed into the Raleigh Convention Center’s ballroom to listen to Chris Heivly discuss entrepreneurial development at Innovate Raleigh this Friday. Copyright Capitol Cities. ARR

“This is a moment that we have to kind of uplift in a major way, and these opportunities don’t come every day or even every year.“[If we lose Apple], it won’t stop the nice steady momentum, but it won’t be the accelerator that we’d like it to be.”