Groundwork Labs spring session will begin on April 13, with an application deadline of March 5.

We will be holding informal information meetups about the program around the Triangle the week of February 2:

  • Raleigh Monday, February 2, noon at HQ Raleigh (310 South Harrington Street)
  • RTP Tuesday, February 3, 4:30 PM at The Frontier – Canyon Conference Room (800 Park Offices Drive)
  • Durham Thursday, February 4, 4:30 PM at Groundwork Labs – American Tobacco Campus (334 Blackwell St.) 

If a company is applying for an NC IDEA grant, you can simply check a box on that application and you will be considered for Groundwork Labs. Alternatively, companies can use the application form on the Groundwork website.

Groundwork Labs is a program to help early stage startups reach their next goal. We share many characteristics of an accelerator: mentoring, connections, and advice over an intense two to four month period. But we do not take an equity stake or make an investment. We offer our program at no charge through the support of NC IDEA, a not for profit whose mission is helping startups in North Carolina.

Since launching in February 2012, more than 80 companies have been through our program. Eight of those companies have won NC IDEA grants and ten have been accepted into accelerators including Tech Stars and The Startup Factory. Fifteen of our companies have in total raised more than $2.5 million in equity funding and been awarded $1.4 million in grants.