WRAL TechWire’s exclusive Triangle Startup Guide is continually growing with new resources for local entrepreneurs. Whether you’re looking for VC or angel funding, local coworking spaces or free networking events, the Triangle Startup Guide has all the resources you need to take your venture to the next level.

Every week, we add new resources to keep content fresh and relevant. Today, we added two regional pitch competitions to the Competitions, Grants & Other Funding Sources section of the guide:

We added the Wild Pitch competition hosted by DIG SOUTH, an organization serving tech startups across the South. Taking place at the annual DIG SOUTH Tech Summit, the Wild Pitch program allows early- and growth-stage startups to present their pitch to a panel of judges and a live audience for a chance to win prizes and potentially attract future investors and partners.

Last week, DIG SOUTH announced that applications are live for this year’s Wild Pitch edition, held at the 2021 DIG SOUTH Tech Summit next month in Charleston. Startups can apply here.

https://wraltechwire.com/event/dig-south-tech-summit-2021/

We also made a new line for the upcoming Big Pitch competition, an annual program run by national nonprofit LaunchBio. Promising early-stage biotech startups in the West, South and Northeast regions of the U.S. present their pitch to a panel of investors for a chance to win cash prizes, consulting and patent services, and other opportunities. Durham startup IMMvention Therapeutix made it to the final round of the inaugural Big Pitch event in 2020.

The 2021 Big Pitch program will be held on July 22:

https://wraltechwire.com/event/launchbios-the-big-pitch-virtual-competition/

Other recent additions to the Triangle Startup Guide:

  • In the Inspiration, Advice and More Resources section, we added a link to the Council for Entrepreneurial Development’s newly released 2020 Innovators Report. The annual report provides an overview of North Carolina’s innovation economy and includes the latest data on funding, deal flow and exits. The 2020 edition reports a record $3.4 billion raised by 187 North Carolina companies across 223 deals.
  • And in the Free Events & Meetups section of the guide, we added a line for the Raleigh Creative Entrepreneurs Meetup, a new event series from local working space Raleigh Founded. First launched in March, the meetup convenes local creative entrepreneurs and storytellers to share their latest ideas and projects in a fun networking environment.
    • In the Free Events & Meetups section, we also added a line about events offered by First Flight Venture Center, a life science startup incubator in Research Triangle Park. It hosts regular lunch and learns, interactive presentations and workshops for life science entrepreneurs and innovators.
  • In the Accelerators and Mentorship Programs section, we added Duke University’s Summer Blockchain Innovation Program. Organized by the Duke Pratt School of Engineering, Duke Innovation and Entrepreneurship, HackDuke and Rev, this new program offers an opportunity for students to build, test and launch their innovative blockchain solutions.
  • In the Competitions, Grants & Other Funding section, we added the Carolina Challenge Summer Immersion program, which recently launched out of UNC Chapel Hill’s Entrepreneurship Center. An offshoot of the annual Carolina Challenge competition, the summer program will provide networking, workshops, coaching and up to $2,000 in funding per team to help student entrepreneurs to continue their journey of building their ventures.
  • In the Inspiration, Advice and More Resources section, we added a link to NC State Entrepreneurship’s YouTube channel, where you’ll find pitches and interviews featuring student founders, 101-style videos on topics like market research and networking, and overviews of startup programs and other resources for innovators on campus.
    • We also added We Get Real AF (WeGRAF), a weekly podcast hosted by two Triangle women: Susanne Robinson and Vanessa Alava. We Get Real AF, which stands for Women and Girls in Emerging Tech, XR, AI and Futurism, spotlights emerging trends in science and technology and interviews the women powering them.

If we missed a resource you’d like added to the Triangle Startup Guide, please feel free to suggest it for inclusion. You can email me directly or use this contact form.