DURHAM – The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) has named Hunter Young Connections to Capital manager of its strategic investor-entrepreneur matching service, Connections to Capital.
Jay Bigelow, director of entrepreneurship has been running the curated and targeted service. He will work with Young to connect NC entrepreneurs with investors nationally.
CED’s Connections to Captial service launched in 2015.
Young brings diverse finance and investment experience to the position. He was an investment banker with Barclays in New York, exccuting M&A and capital markets transactions for companies that included Serta, Newell Rubbermaid, and Berkshire Hathaway. In North Carolina, he was vice president and director of portfolio relations at Hargett Hunter Capital Partners in Raleigh.
Hunter Young
“This opportunity with CED is a way for me to use my experience and skill set to support entrepreneurs with big ideas by helping them raise capital,” said Young. “In previous roles, I have worked with founders to evaluate business plans, understand capital needs, and figure out if companies are fundable. I look forward to applying that experience in getting to know the entrepreneurs and building relationships with investors.”
CED tracks over 1,800 NC entrepreneurial companies and fosters direct connections with over 250 investors across the U.S. The Connections to Capital team makes an average of 4 introductions each week. To date, seven NC companies have raised a collective $57 million with help from investor introductions made by CED.
“So far I have been most impressed with the interest from investors outside of the region. Since starting a few weeks ago, I have connected with investors from Florida to New York who want to stay updated on the entrepreneurial activity here. It’s a strong sign that interest in our region is robust and growing,” said Hunter.
Bigelow said they have trips planned to meet with investors in Atlanta and Boston.
