Innovate Charlotte

🎉 Exciting news from the Queen City! 🎉 Congratulations to two incredible local founders, Erin Devine Martin of Pump For Joy and Charlotte Ketelaar of Capwave AI, on receiving NC IDEA Micro Grants! 🌟 Each of these talented entrepreneurs has been awarded $10,000 to help validate and advance their innovative ideas. This grant not only provides funding but also includes an eight-week customer discovery and product launch program, setting them up for success! We can’t wait to see the amazing things that Erin and Charlotte will achieve. Let’s cheer them on as they take their ventures to the next level! 🙌💼 #SupportLocal #Entrepreneurship #NCIDEA #CharlotteInnovation #CLTFounders

🎉 Join us for Talent Jam on November 20! This event offers a fun and innovative approach to finding your next role or top candidate. Enjoy dynamic 60-second pitches from Charlotte’s top talent seeking new opportunities, along with emerging startups like Lucid Bots and Joyntly presenting their open positions. Don’t miss out—register today to discover your next role or candidate without the hassle of sifting through resumes! 🚀 https://bit.ly/4egagh7 #CharlotteJobs #CLTJobSearch #CharlotteHiring #CLTStartups #CLTTalent #JobOpportunitiesCLT

🌟 Mark Your Calendars Charlotte, lots of events and deadlines are coming up!🌟 🗓️ October 30: Doing Good While Doing Well Explore the power of impact investing and how women are leading positive change. Join expert speakers for insightful discussions. https://bit.ly/4eRIfx7 🗓️ November 1: LaunchCLT's Mentor Program Applications are open for the final cohort of 2024! Pair up with experienced mentors and gain invaluable insights. Apply today! https://bit.ly/3BI7MtT 🗓️ November 3-4: Access 2 Capital Boot Camp Join a 2-day intensive summit to master business finances, covering accounting, budgeting, and forecasting. Gain practical skills to enhance your business plan! https://bit.ly/3C2O7oI 🗓️ November 4: CATS Pitch 2024 Founders of for-profit businesses, this is your chance! Submit a 3-minute recorded pitch to win one of three CATS prize packages. Don't miss out! https://bit.ly/4eZPmUk 🗓️ November 7: Embedded Finance Panel Dive into the challenges and strategies of integrating financial products with experts from Method. https://bit.ly/4hlAtxc 🗓️ November 8-10: Techstars Startup Weekend Transform your ideas into action at this immersive startup experience in Concord. Connect with mentors, investors, and learn to launch your business in just three days! https://bit.ly/3XazojQ Don’t miss out on these incredible opportunities to network, learn, and grow! 🙌✨ Marcia Dawood Amy Jacobs Matt Cuddy Erica Madden ASPIRE Community Capital Manuel Campbell The Hurt Hub@Davidson Elizabeth Brigham Brad Schmitt Austin Daniels Flywheel Coworking #CharlotteEntrepreneurs #StartupEvents #ImpactInvesting #LaunchCLT #Techstars #CLTFounders #CLTEvents

Thanks to all the Founders who came out and joined us for our Founder Game Night - it was an incredible evening of fun and competitive games! A big congratulations to our winners, Alex Smereczniak, Reid Williams, and Christine Nicodemus, and Django Degree for taking home the prize for best costume as the Tech Reaper! Thank you to Andrew Ashur of Lucid Bots for graciously hosting us in his incredible warehouse, and to Mark McDowell of LaunchCLT and Ashley Dellinger of Evinex for sponsoring the evening. Your support made this event truly memorable!

Join us this Thursday for gALPHA Charlotte's Pitch Night at THREE @ One South! Come support Charlotte's entrepreneurial community and meet the inaugural cohort of gener8tor's gALPHA program. You'll have the chance to hear their business pitches, vote for your favorite, and celebrate the next generation of emerging founders in our city. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect and engage! https://bit.ly/3UiLVjg #gALPHACharlotte #PitchNight #CharlotteEntrepreneurs #StartupCommunity #EmergingFounders #Gener8tor #BusinessPitch #Innovation #Networking #SupportLocal

🌍✨ Calling all organizations and event organizers! We invite you to be part of Charlotte's Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), happening from November 18-24, hosted by the City of Charlotte, Innovate Charlotte, RevTech Labs Foundation, and NC IDEA. GEW is a worldwide celebration of innovators, entrepreneurs, and startups, designed to foster growth and connection within both local and global entrepreneurial ecosystems. This year, Charlotte will shine as a hub for founders, investors, community leaders, and startup enthusiasts through a series of dynamic events. It’s a fantastic opportunity to spotlight what the Queen City has to offer, while providing valuable insights, networking, and support for all participants. If you’re organizing an event that promotes entrepreneurship, innovation, or collaboration, we want to hear from you! Submit your event to be included in this exciting week of celebration and connection. Submit your event today: https://bit.ly/3U9Y0Hc 🚀 #GlobalEntrepreneurshipWeek #CharlotteEntrepreneurs #InnovateCharlotte #StartupCommunity #Networking #Entrepreneurship #GEW2023

🌟 Get ready for Talent Jam on November 20! 🌟 We're excited to showcase some of the brightest local tech and creative talent ready to pitch their skills. This isn't your typical networking event—Talent Jam is all about connecting innovative companies with the talent they need in a dynamic, engaging way. Join us for an electrifying atmosphere where companies and job seekers take turns delivering 60-second pitches in an open-mic format. It’s a fantastic opportunity to discover Charlotte’s top talent and make meaningful connections. Don’t miss out—register now and secure your chance to find your next superstar hire! 🚀https://bit.ly/4egagh7 #TalentAcquisition #HiringNow #JobOpportunities #TechTalent #CreativeTalent #RecruitmentEvent #FindYourNextHire #CharlotteJobs #JobSeekers #StartupTalent

🌟 Exciting Events for Women Entrepreneurs! 🌟 🎉 October 16: gWen (Growing Women Entrepreneurs Network) presents Oktoberfest—a casual meetup to celebrate the incredible women who are making waves and breaking barriers here in Charlotte. Don’t miss this fun celebration! https://bit.ly/3BN68HG 💡 October 22-23: Dive into Breaking Barriers: Female Founders & The Emotional Side of Venture Investing hosted by The Startup Station. This unique online event is perfect for early-stage female founders gearing up for fundraising. https://bit.ly/3BGfGEj 🚀 October 23: Join us for the Low Down session at in Uptown Charlotte, hosted by BrainTrust. Learn about their innovative program and how it helps 6-figure businesses scale to 7-figures and beyond! https://bit.ly/4f8EEve 🎙️October 24: Attend gALPHA Charlotte Pitch Night, where the inaugural cohort of emerging founders will showcase their innovative startups developed during a four-week accelerator program, with top pitches vying for a chance to shine during Global Entrepreneurship Week! https://bit.ly/4h3s9lv 🌍 October 30: Innovate Charlotte is teaming up with Evinex, UBS, and University of North Carolina at Charlotte for Do Good While Doing Well: How Women are Investing in Impact. This inspiring in-person event features expert speakers and discussions designed to empower your investing journey. https://bit.ly/3MDNXWN 📅 November 1: Don’t forget! This is the deadline for Hello Alice's Tech x Women Boost Camp. This program equips female founders with the tools and tips to master financial health and secure funding for their ventures. Let’s support and uplift each other! 💪✨https://bit.ly/47ScTE1 #WomenEntrepreneurs #Empowerment #CharlotteEvents #BreakingBarriers #InvestInWomen Ashley Everett Ashley Gautreaux Jenny Tacka (formerly Farias) Charlotte Ketelaar Morgan Stanley Sherry Deutschmann Sara Garces Roselli Ashley Dellinger Marcia Dawood Amy Jacobs Wavian Li gener8tor

LaunchCLT CLT has announced that applications for their Mentor Program are now open! This is an incredible chance for founders looking to take their ventures to the next level. 🗓️ Application Deadline: November 1 Their unique team mentoring methodology pairs you with a dedicated group of volunteer mentors, ensuring a rich, supportive experience tailored to your needs. With a commitment to confidentiality and a focus on avoiding conflicts of interest, our mentors provide guidance that empowers you to scale your business and maximize impact. This program is ideal for founders who have validated their ideas and achieved initial traction. If you're ready to grow and want to connect with experienced mentors who can help you navigate your entrepreneurial journey, we encourage you to apply! 👉 Learn more and apply here: https://bit.ly/3BI7MtT #LaunchCLT #Mentorship #Entrepreneurship #StartupGrowth #ApplyNow Matt Cuddy Erica Madden

The past couple of weeks have continued the trend of amazing events and initiatives in support of innovators and entrepreneurs in Charlotte and beyond!🚀 The #gALPHA Charlotte cohort and members of the local founder community met with the Charlotte Legal Initiative to Mobilize Businesses (CLIMB) for a Legal 101 for #Startups workshop. Thanks to Wavian for organizing and to Casey and Jamie for your partnership!💼🤝 I stopped by Kingsmen Software to say hey to Kevin and Greg before their #AI in Action series before heading over to join StealthX and Defiance Ventures for their dinner series. Thank you Drew and John for the opportunity to join this great group of innovators!💡🍽️ This week, I attended the Venture Atlanta Conference, one of the largest venture capital events supporting the Southeast's most promising tech and innovation-led companies and founders. #Charlotte was well-represented with companies like Stork Exchange, Fashivly. Storybutton, BILDIT, Zinnia, Capwave AI, BatteryXchange, Inc. 🔋and more!🎤 City Startup Labs also celebrated their 10th anniversary this week. It was an honor to hear about the impact the organization has had in the community over the past decade and the amazing work they continue to do. Congratulations Henry on an incredible job well done!🥳 There were other meetings in the mix I can't quite post about just yet including an exciting addition to Global Entrepreneurship Week this November and a new collaboration to grow the investor pool in Charlotte. Follow our newsletter at #innovatecharlotte.org to stay up-to-date on all the latest goings on in the Charlotte startup community. Innovate Charlotte, City of Charlotte, Charlotte Economic Development, Ashley Everett, Rod Husk, Augustine Wiah, Amy Jacobs