Recognition, funding, publicity and now expert advice for building a startup keeps coming for Tatiana Birgisson, the creator of fast-growing Mati Energy drink. She soon will head to Silicon Valley for the Blackbox Connect program.

Birgisson met with ABC News this week for a story that is expected to air next week. That international publicity opportunity came after the former Duke student won the Google Demo Day showcase for startups and secured $100,000 in funding from Steve Case.

Now comes Blackbox, which is a two-week residence program, what organizers call a “bootcamp” with training, workshops and chances to meet with potential investors. The program is sponsored in part by Google for Entrepreneurs.

The march of Mati toward success, with its products being sold in a growing number of markets, began when Birgisson was a student at Duke.

The American Underground offers a nice snapshot breaking down the progress Birgisson has made:

“Mati began when Birgisson joined The Cube (formerly known as InCube) at Duke University, an incubator brought together entrepreneurially inclined students to live together in a house. Her first customer was Durham startup, Shoeboxed.

“After growing her customer base, Birgisson entered the Duke Start-Up Challenge, and MATI won top honors as the best undergraduate startup.

“After graduating, she joined the American Underground where she found the resources she needed to grow her company.  

“One of those resources was the SOAR Triangle, a local initiative backed by Google for Entrepreneurs to help female-led startups win qualified funding through close mentorship. SOAR selected Tatiana as a SOAR Fellow.

“She also took home a $50,000 grant from American Underground-based NC IDEA, a grant program for high-growth technology companies in North Carolina.”

Later came the Google showcase – and Steve Case.

What’s next?

Says Adam Kelin of American Underground: “The opportunity to connect Mati with Blackbox came through the Google for Entrepreneurs partnership. These kinds of opportunities will bring even more momentum and top tier coaching to Tatiana and her team.”