Keeping track with our initiative to spotlight North Carolina startup and tech events, WRAL TechWire’s weekly “Headliners” column is now divided into two parts—inside and outside the Triangle.
Following is a list of May meetups, conferences, workshops, socials and networking events happening in Asheville, Charlotte, the Piedmont Triad, and other areas throughout North Carolina.
To find out what’s happening this month in the Triangle, check out this post.
Another post previews hot events coming up in June. Recurring monthly meetups are also featured in a separate post.
These columns accompany our interactive calendar of tech and startup events. If you’d like to suggest an event to be added to the calendar, feel free to send me an email.
Application Deadline: NC IDEA SEED Micro-Grant Pilot Program
May 14, 5 p.m.
Applications are officially open for NC IDEA’s Micro-Grants Pilot Program. Grants—$1,000 to $10,000—will be awarded to early-stage companies seeking to validate and advance their ideas. Recipients will receive mentorship and assistance from NC IDEA and access to its network.
Asheville Chamber of Commerce: May Business Before Hours
May 15, 8-9 a.m. @Avenu Health
Build your contacts by networking with fellow business professionals at Business Before Hours. The host for this month’s event is Avenu Health. Come meet the team and learn how the company is changing the game of primary care.
Collider Lunch & Learn: Evaluate a Startup Investment
May 15, 12-1 p.m. @The Collider in Asheville
Learn how to evaluate a startup investment deal in this workshop hosted by The Collider. Isaac Pino, an investment manager at Huckleberry Capital Management, will lead the session, showing attendees what investors need to know before investing and what entrepreneurs need to do to attract investors.
Flywheel Coworking Indeavor Club Lunch
May 15, 12-1:30 p.m. @Flywheel Coworking
Indeavor, a networking club offered to all Flywheel Coworking members, is an opportunity to get to know fellow entrepreneurs and swap helpful resources with one another. The lunches are held on the third Tuesday of every month at the the Center for Design Innovation in Winston-Salem.
1 Million Cups Asheville
May 16, 9-10:30 a.m. @The Collider
Asheville’s entrepreneurial community meets weekly to hear local startups’ pitches and support one another in continuing to grow. For this week’s event, 1 Million Cups Asheville will feature a presentation from FernLeaf Interactive CEO Jeff Hicks.
Joules Catalyst Cohort 3: Eight Cleantech Pitches Changing the World
May 16, 4-6 p.m. @Hilton Charlotte Center City Ballroom
This event features pitches from the latest cohort of the Joules accelerator, plus presentations from industry guest speakers and a cocktail reception hosted at the Gas Power Conference.
7th Annual Gas Power Conference
May 16-17 @Hilton Charlotte Center City
This conference convenes leaders and representatives of the U.S. power industry to discuss the most important issues facing the natural gas-fired generation market.
Packard Place Public House (Formerly #CLTStartupSocial)
May 16, 5:30-8 p.m. @Packard Place
On the third Wednesday of every month, the Queen City’s entrepreneurial community joins together for an evening of networking and connections over free beer and snacks.
Power Up Breakfast with Charlotte’s Innovation Ecosystem
May 17, 8:30-9:30 a.m. @Innovate Charlotte Venture Hub
Join for a conversation over breakfast with the economic development and entrepreneurship community of Charlotte.
Building A Website That Gets Your Brand Noticed
May 17, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. @Winston Starts
At this workshop, participants will learn how to design an engaging, user-friendly website that represents their brand well.
Collider Lunch&Learn: Finding & Persuading the Right Investors To Fund Your Startup
May 17, 12-1 p.m. @The Collider in Asheville
Learn how to attract investors at this workshop led by Porter Bayne, founder, fundraiser and head of product for Antenna and co-founder and bootstrapped fundraiser of Potlukk.
Venture Café Thursday Gathering
May 17, 5-8 p.m. @Bailey Power Plant in Winston-Salem
Held on a weekly basis, this Venture Café event series provides all sorts of programming for Piedmont Triad entrepreneurs and innovators. Every Thursday evening, the community gathers for networking, panel talks, workshops, presentations, product demos, interviews, and more.
StartUp Grind Triad: Female Founders Month Fireside Chat Part 1
May 17, 5:30-8 p.m. @Jay Hurt Hub for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Davidson
In celebration of Female Founder’s Month, the newly expanded Startup Grind Triad is hosting two fireside chats featuring Tech Talent South CEO and Co-Founder Betsy Idilbi. This is Part 1 of a two-part program. Part 2 will be held in Winston-Salem on May 22.
The Techstars Experience: 3 Female Founders Share Their Story
May 18, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. @Camp North End Hygge, Charlotte
Three Charlotte entrepreneurs—Dina Carey of Milkful, Haley Bohon of Skillpop and Meggie Williams of The Waggle Company—return from the latest class of Techstars Austin to share the experience with the Queen City community.
Application Deadline: Ventureprise Launch NC IDEA Program
May 20
Ventureprise, a winner of NC IDEA’s ecosystem grant, invites early-stage startups in Charlotte and Western North Carolina to apply to its customer discovery program, Ventureprise Launch. It covers all the components an early-stage entrepreneur should need to build their business, from opportunity assessment to business model generation to forming a commercialization strategy.
Certified Global Business Professional Workshop at UNCW
May 21-22 @UNCW Swain Center
In this workshop, participants will learn the knowledge and skills needed to compete in today’s marketplace with a Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) credential.
Connect X & Autonomous Vehicles
May 21-24 @Charlotte Convention Center
The Connectivity Expo (Connect X) showcases the latest innovative connectivity solutions driving the future of communications. Sessions will cover a range of topics, from private LTE networks to macro cells to innovations in infrastructure to connected property. Keynote speakers represent industry-leading companies including Dish, Verizon, NASCAR and AWS.
Collider Lunch & Learn: Startup Killers (And How to Avoid Them)
May 22, 12-1 p.m. @The Collider
At this workshop, serial entrepreneur and angel investor Tom Ryan will provide an overview of the most common sales landmines and offer tips on how to deal with them.
StartUp Grind Triad: Female Founders Month Fireside Chat Part 2
May 22, 5:30-8 p.m. @Flywheel Coworking
In celebration of Female Founder’s Month, the newly expanded Startup Grind Triad is hosting two fireside chats featuring Tech Talent South CEO and Co-Founder Betsy Idilbi. Part 1 is in Davidson on May 17, and this event will be part 2.
RIoT XXV – Smart Cities of the South
May 23, 5-7:30 p.m. @Charlotte Convention Center
RIoT’s 25th event is all about how public/private partnerships are adopting Internet of Things to revolutionize parking, transit and other areas of public importance. Food and drinks will be provided.
Venture Café Thursday Gathering
May 24, 5-8 p.m. @Bailey Power Plant in Winston-Salem
Held on a weekly basis, this Venture Café event series provides all sorts of programming for Piedmont Triad entrepreneurs and innovators. Every Thursday evening, the community gathers for networking, panel talks, workshops, presentations, product demos, interviews, and more.
Application Deadline: Innovate Charlotte Pilot Program
May 28
Innovate Charlotte, an arm of the Charlotte Regional Fund for Entrepreneurship, is seeking applicants for its upcoming pilot program, which aims to serve entrepreneurs looking to bring their startups to the next level. Five companies will be admitted to the three-month mentorship program.
Collider Lunch & Learn: Guerrilla Usability
May 29, 12-1 p.m. @The Collider in Asheville
Learn all about Guerilla Usability studies at this workshop hosted by The Collider and led by Dave Michelson, an applied research software designer at UNC Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center.
Hatch AVL Pitch Party
May 30, 6-8 p.m. @Hatch AVL
Entrepreneurs are invited to test and develop their pitch at this monthly event hosted by Hatch AVL. Presenters will receive helpful feedback from the audience, and the best-voted pitch will land a spot at 1 Million Cups Asheville.
Skookum Volcano Tour
May 31, 12-1 p.m. @Skookum Charlotte
Join an open tour of the Skookum office to get an introduction to the tech and ideas powering the community. The Skookum team will be available for any questions or comments participants may have. Lunch will be provided.
Venture Café Thursday Gathering
May 31, 5-8 p.m. @Bailey Power Plant in Winston-Salem
Held on a weekly basis, this Venture Café event series provides all sorts of programming for Piedmont Triad entrepreneurs and innovators. Every Thursday evening, the community gathers for networking, panel talks, workshops, presentations, product demos, interviews, and more.
