WRAL TechWire has been tracking the growth of the local startup scene through our exclusive Triangle Startup Guide. Today, we’re highlighting the guide’s list of communities, networks and membership organizations for local entrepreneurs.
This section of the guide covers local groups entrepreneurs can join to make new connections and find support, mentorship and camaraderie among fellow members of the startup community. The list includes some of the Triangle’s largest organizations, such as the North Carolina Technology Association (or NC TECH), the Council for Entrepreneurial Development, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, and the Chambers of Commerce in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary.
The list also includes niche groups that focus on specific industry segments, such as the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster (for clean energy startups), RIoT (for Internet of Things startups), and Digital Health Impact + Transformation (for local health tech startups).
WRAL TechWire’s exclusive Triangle Startup Guide features a list of communities, networks and member organizations for local entrepreneurs.
While this section hasn’t grown substantially this year as networking events have slowed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been some notable additions we’d like to highlight:
One such newcomer is the NC Life Sciences Virtual Networking Group, which launched on LinkedIn earlier this year to connect local entrepreneurs and professionals in the life sciences industry. The group meets regularly online to network and share ideas. The next event is coming up on Dec. 10.
https://wraltechwire.com/event/virtual-life-science-winter-celebration/
Another new addition to the list is #BlackDollarNC. Launched last year, #BlackDollarNC is an online “rolodex” of hundreds of black-owned or operated businesses across North Carolina. The directory is searchable through a broad range of categories, from health and fitness to hemp and clothing to graphic design to real estate. Read more TechWire coverage of #BlackDollarNC here.
#BlackDollarNC, Wake Tech, others rally to make up for ‘equity gap’ in relief funding
We also recently added Pitch Space, a member-based platform where early-stage, seed-stage and growth-stage startups can publish their pitches for an audience of investors in the Southeast. Every month, startups can apply to present their pitch in a live-streamed event. The platform launched in July and is run by Flywheel Coworking, a startup incubator and coworking space based in Winston-Salem.
We continue to make regular additions to the Triangle Startup Guide. If we missed a resource you think we should add, please feel free to submit it for inclusion. You can email me directly, tweet me @shannoncuthrell or use this contact form.
