If you’re thinking about heading to the Charlotte Venture Challenge Thursday where Red Hat founding CFO Manoj George and Klever Founder Phil Verghis are keynoting and seven local companies are competing, here’s an interesting take on the opportunities in that region from Raleigh investor Merrette Moore. This post is part of the news partnership between WRAL TechWire and ExitEvent.

Moore is the founder and managing director of Lookout Capital and Lookout Consulting, overseeing the day-to-day investment and consulting operations of the firm. He has over 15 years experience working in venture capital, private equity, investment and commercial banking. Firms he has worked with include Wachovia, Franklin Street Partners, MCNC, NC IDEA, and IDEA Fund Partners.

RALEIGH, N.C. – I am an unabashed Eastern North Carolina boy. I’m all about vinegar-based BBQ (B’s and Skylight Inn are the best eastern style joints in case you’re wondering), chopped cole slaw, pigs in a puppy, sweet tea, Natty Light (well, at least the idea that more of it is consumed here than the rest of the world combined), the Washington Redskins (back in the day, the closest thing we had to an NFL team), old colonial houses, tidewater accents, flat terrain, self-kicking machines (go check out the back of the parking lot at Angus Barn), the coast (especially Ocracoke), and small towns where everyone knows each other.

As a self-respecting Downeaster, I have always had a type of loathing for Western North Carolina that one has for a sports rival. I mean, that tomato-based sauce infected barbeque is disgusting and red cole slaw is flat out sacrilege. If I never had to drive on I-85 west of Burlington again, I would be the happiest man alive. And when I want to enjoy real skiing on real mountains, I’ll go to somewhere like Aspen or Park City.

However much my NC geographical theology might play into it, I have always looked at Raleigh, as the largest city in Eastern NC, and Charlotte, as the largest city in Western NC, as adversaries. The extent to which this is perception versus reality is debatable, I guess, but I think most people would agree at least that there is some sort of “we do our thing over here and they do their thing over there” kind of dynamic.

The entire post can be read online at ExitEvent.