RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – WRAL TechWire is interested in hearing readers’ opinions about our Triangle Startup Guide, a free resource package for beginner and seasoned entrepreneurs alike. Tailored to startup founders in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, the guide features local VC and angel funding sources, accelerators, mentorship programs, local coworking spaces, free networking events, and much more.

Nearly three years since launch, we would love to hear from you about:

  1. What do you like about the guide?
  2. What don’t you like?
  3. What can we do to improve it?
  4. How can we make it more relevant?
  5. Is there a new section of information you’d like to be added?
  6. How can we make it easier for you to submit information?
  7. What can we add or change that will encourage you to share it more with friends and colleagues?
  8. What do you think about the weekly updates that are published on Mondays? Are they helpful?
  9. Anything else on your mind that these questions don’t address?

Please send us any comments or feedback you might have. You can email me here.

Your weekly update

WRAL TechWire’s exclusive Triangle Startup Guide is continually growing with new resources for local entrepreneurs. Every week, we add new resources and information to keep content fresh and relevant.

Today, we added NEXT Venture Pitch to the Competitions, Grants & Other Funding section of the guide. This popular pitch event gathers entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors and business leaders from across the Carolinas. Held in Greenville, South Carolina, the half-day pitch competition is an opportunity for startups in the southeast to refine their pitch and gain attention from new investors.

Applications are live for the upcoming NEXT Venture Pitch 2021 program, held on Sept. 16 in Greenville. The winner will go on to pitch their company at this year’s Venture Atlanta showcase in October.

The application deadline is Aug. 15.

https://wraltechwire.com/event/application-deadline-next-venture-pitch-2021/

We also added the National Venture Capital Association’s model legal document resource to the Inspiration, Advice & More Resources section of the guide. The organization provides legal document templates to free up time for entrepreneurs and investors to focus on growing their ventures.

Designed to be used in venture capital financings, the legal model templates include items such as term sheets, stock purchase agreements, voting agreements, management rights letters, and more.

Other recent additions to the Triangle Startup Guide:

  • In the Competitions, Grants & Other Funding section, we added Duke MEDx’s High-Risk, High-Impact Challenge. Run by the university’s cross-disciplinary innovation initiative, MEDx, this program provides up to three awards ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 to early career researchers for interdisciplinary projects tackling human health issues.
    • The Launch Place recently unveiled its upcoming Big Launch Challenge pitch competition, noting that the program has awarded $159,000 to 14 companies over its eight-year history. We added this milestone to Big Launch Challenge’s line in the Competitions, Grants & Other Funding section.
  • In the COVID-19 Relief/Support section, we added the North Carolina Humanities’ American Rescue Plan, which is now accepting applications for two grant programs supporting nonprofit or governmental organizations experiencing pandemic-related hardships. The programs offer $5,000 to $20,000 to be used for either programming/projects or operating support. The submission deadline is July 15.
  • In the Accelerators & Mentorship Programs section, we added an update about Launch Chapel Hill: The startup accelerator recently announced that its program has supported 153 companies since its founding in 2013. The program’s graduates have generated over $69 million in revenue and raise $38.4 million in capital. They also employ more than 800 people. We added this milestone to Launch Chapel Hill’s line in the startup guide.
  • In the Competitions, Grants & Other Funding Sources section, we added DIG SOUTH‘s Wild Pitch competition and LaunchBio’s The Big Pitch program.
  • 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.

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.