NC headliners: 40+ events to consider for your calendar this month

Here’s our latest wrapup of upcoming conferences, contests, workshops, application deadlines and socials happening across North Carolina in February.

Included are upcoming meetups, conferences, workshops, socials and networking events happening in Asheville, Charlotte, the Triad, Wilmington and other areas across North Carolina.

This post is part of our weekly column of upcoming events. To find out what’s happening this month in the Triangle specifically, check out part one of this week’s column.

Another post previews events coming in March. Recurring monthly meetups in the Triangle are listed here.

These columns are an extension of 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.

Application Deadline: IdeaFest Pitch Competition

February 18

The Launch Place’s 6th Annual IdeaFest Business Pitch Competition on March 21 will host 20 startups who will compete for a total of $10,000 in prizes.

NC IDEA LABS Applications Open

February 18

NC IDEA LABS is a four-week program that helps early-stage entrepreneurs with customer discovery, validation, decision-making and growth planning. Subsequent mentorship and resources are offered to participants who achieve significant progress in the program. Applications are due by March 11.

Lunch & Learn: IoT in the Small Things

February 19, 12-1 p.m. @Advent Coworking

Join Tom Ewing of Smashing Boxes for an interactive discussion on the practical applications of IoT, and its impact on the end user.

Innovation Quarter Town Hall

February 19, 5-7 p.m. @Biotech Place

Learn what’s next from the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter in 2019 at this special town hall. Key stakeholders are in the speaker lineup, including Graydon Pleasants of Innovation Quarter, Olga Pierrakos of Wake Forest University’s Department of Engineering, Anthony Atala of Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Stan Jewell of Renfro, Karen Barnes of Venture Café Winston-Salem and Ryan Schmaltz of METL at UNC School of the Arts.

Charlotte Regional Business Alliance Power of Women Meetup

February 19, 5:30-8 p.m. @Goodwill Opportunity Campus

Presented in partnership with Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, the next Power of Women Meetup features stories from three women participating in the Economic Mobility Collaborative at Goodwill. Food and drinks provided.

7 Marketing Tips in the Age of Entrepreneurship

February 19, 6-8 p.m. @Piedmont Community College, Caswell Campus

Learn how to find and evaluate key customer demographics, analyze strengths and weaknesses of your business and your competitors’ business, and determine your target market using the “seven P’s” of marketing.

BLKTECHCLT: Decision Sprint

February 19, 6-8 p.m. @BLKTECHCLT @The Nest

This workshop will show participants how to run Decision Sprints, a fast-paced alternative meeting model.

Launch Greensboro IdeaLaunch

February 20, 8-9 a.m. @Co//ab

The Triad startup community is invited to attend Launch Greensboro’s free IdeaLaunch program, which features a series of four-minute pitches from local startups, along with opportunities to network with fellow entrepreneurs and innovators in Greensboro.

Charlotte Regional Business Alliance Middle Market Series

February 20, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. @The Employers Association

This event features a panel of business leaders with experience in buying and selling abroad. Speakers include Dyke Messinger of Power Curbers & Power Pavers, Crystal Miller of the U.S. Department of Commerce, international transport consultant Clement Schrader and Patrick Weaver of First National Bank. The panel will be moderated by Dan Fogel of SP3 Capital.

Introduction to the Charlotte Startup Community

February 20, 4:30-5:30 p.m. @Packard Place

Those unacquainted with the Queen City startup scene are invited to attend a free orientation to the community presented by StartCharlotte. The event will offer attendees introductions and networking, along with connections to local resources, events, companies, programs, investors, and more. Food and drinks will be provided. The Packard Place Public House will follow.

Venture Cafe at HQ Greensboro: Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities

February 20, 5-8 p.m. @HQ Greensboro

This is the first in a series of free events created by a new partnership between HQ Greensboro and Venture Cafe Winston-Salem. Sessions will cover eBay’s retail revival, basics of IP law and an overview of the Minority and Women Business Enterprise Center.

Packard Place Public House: Keg-Side Chat w/ Ryan Stone

February 20, 5:30-7 p.m. @Garage at Packard Place

Packard Place’s next Public House event features a talk with Ryan Stone, president and co-founder of Morrisville-based SmartSky Networks.

Intro to the Asheville Startup Scene

February 20, 6-7:30 p.m. @Venture Asheville

Join Jeff Kaplan, director of Venture Asheville, and co-founder of Supportedly, Stephanie Kissel, for an introduction to Asheville’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Tickets are free. Drinks provided.

CATALYST for SBIR/STTR

February 21, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. @UNCC, Barnhardt Student Activity Center

The Small Business Technology & Development Center is hosting a free, half-day session on the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding programs.

Tax Prep for Creative Entrepreneurs

February 21, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. @Center for Design Innovation

This workshop helps creative entrepreneurs handle their taxes and finances. Tickets are free for Center for Creative Economy-Swerve members and $20 for non-members. Lunch provided.

SciTech Lecture Series: Clinical Trials Enterprise in the 21st Century

February 21, 4-5 p.m. @Forsyth Tech, Strickland Auditorium

This month’s SciTech Lecture Series is presented by Jennifer Byrne, CEO of Javara.

Silicon Hollar: Design Thinking Ideation Workshop

February 21, 5-6 p.m. @Ransom

Business owners and students wanting to explore ideation and how to tap into entrepreneurial creativity are invited to attend this helpful workshop.

Venture Café Thursday Gathering

February 21, 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.

Blockchain LKN Labs: Crypto Talks Thursdays

February 21, 6-9 p.m. @Hurt Hub for Entrepreneurship & Innovation

This weekly meetup is an opportunity for fellow blockchain enthusiasts in the Lake Norman area to join together for beer, coffee, tea or food to discuss all-things-blockchain. Topics rotate every week.

Team RWB Leadership Seminar w/ Mike Erwin

February 22 @7:30 a.m. in Pinehurst

This one-day leadership seminar is presented by Mike Erwin, CEO of The Character & Leadership Center and author of Lead Yourself First.

Marketing Summit

February 22, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. @Bermuda Run Country Club

At Marketing Summit, five local presenters will lead sessions on online marketing and promotional tools, offering effective and cost-efficient strategies attendees can take to their work. Ticket includes breakfast and lunch.

Train the Trainer: SBIR/STTR Grant Funding Seminar

February 22, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. @UNC Charlotte

Hosted by First Flight Venture Center, this full-day seminar will explain how startups can obtain funding from the SBIR/STTR grant programs for entrepreneurs, covering strategy, preparing competitive proposals, internal procedures, and more.

PercCollider Climate Coffee Hour

February 22, 4-5 p.m. @The Collider

The weekly PercCollider event convenes Collider members for networking and collaboration over drinks.

BLKTECH Presents: Career Development Boot Camp

February 23, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. @BLKTECHCLT

This interactive workshop led by Latesha Byrd of Byrd Career Consulting will cover job search strategies, salary negotiation, resumes and more.

Business of Farming Conference

February 23 @AB Tech Conference Center, Asheville

Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s annual conference brings together professional farmers to network and share resources to grow their businesses.

Lunch & Learn: Instagram for Your Business

February 25, 12-1 p.m. @HQ Greensboro

In this free workshop, participants will learn how to curate engaging content for their Instagram business account, and understand insights and analytics to run targeted ads on the platform. The session will be led by Ranata Reeder, owner of Reeder Communications, LLC.

Combating The Opioid Crisis: Finding Strategies That Work

February 25, 5-7 p.m. @Dickinson Avenue Public House, Greenville

Join Fred Wells Brason II, founder/president/CEO of Project Lazarus, and Gary A. Zarkin, distinguished fellow in RTI’s Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice Research Division for a discussion on strategies for addressing the opioid crisis.

Lunch & Learn: Buncombe County’s Clean Energy Future

February 26, 12-1 p.m. @The Collider

At this lunch and learn, Sophie Mullinax of Blue Horizons Project will share the details behind this collaborative initiative between the the City of Asheville, Buncombe County, Duke Energy and local businesses.

Biz & Brews Happy Hour

February 26, 5-6 p.m. @Focal Point Coworking

Focal Point Coworking is hosting Asheville professionals and entrepreneurs for an hour of networking over snacks, local beer and cider.

Cape Fear Women In Tech: HODL—The Cryptocurrency Market

February 26, 5:30-7 p.m. @tekMountain

Entrepreneur and marketing specialist Bambi Weavil will present a session on the opportunities of the digital currency market.

Free Workshop: Web Development Essentials

February 26, 6-9 p.m., Charlotte, NC (venue TBD)

Tech Talent South Charlotte is hosting a free, three-hour 101 workshop covering HTML, CSS and Bootstrap. Learn the fundamental tools needed to build your own website.

Tech Talent South Charlotte: VR Party

February 26, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Come explore Virtual Reality—learn how it works, what it can do, and try it out for yourself.

Data Literacy Info Session

February 27, 6-7 p.m. @HQ Greensboro

In this free workshop, data analyst Bonny McClain will show participants how to use top visual analytics programs such as Tableau, Python and R.

Federal Proposal Writing Workshop (Hickory)

February 28, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. @NC Center for Engineering Technologies

At this free workshop, government counselors from the North Carolina Procurement Technical Center will guide participants through the process of completing their next federal proposal. This event is part of a state-wide series hosted by the Small Business & Technology Development Center. More dates and locations here.

UNC Charlotte Biohacking Series, Feat. Marina Levina

February 28, 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. @UNC Charlotte

UNC Charlotte’s Center for Professional and Applied Ethics is hosting an informative discussion with Marina Levina, Ph.D., an associate professor of Media Studies at the University of Memphis.

Startup Grind Davidson: Fireside Chat w/ Josh Moe of Odigia

February 28, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. @Hurt Hub@Davidson

Join Startup Grind Davidson for lunch and a fireside chat with Josh Moe, co-founder of edtech startup Odigia.

Skookum Volcano Tour

February 28, 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.

4 Smoking Hot Industries with 4 Local Award Winning Startups

February 28, 4-6:30 p.m. @Ironclad Brewery

Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington’s latest event features a conversation with four entrepreneurs who are leading award-winning startups—Karl Riccanek of Lapetus Solutions, Sara Rose Harcus of Dmanna, Jeff Guard of Brilliant Sole and Kyle Trivisonno of EcoTek Industries.

Venture Café Thursday Gathering

February 28, 5-8 p.m. @Bailey Power Plant in Winston-Salem

BLKTECHCLT Learning Lab: Getting Funding for Your Business

February 28, 6-8 p.m. @BLKTECHCLT

This workshop will cover what lending institutions look for when examining applications, how to prepare to apply and helpful resources. The lesson will be led by Ron Fisher, business development officer at Carolina Small Business Fund.