WILMINGTON –  Cucalorus Connect, the two-day business, technology and innovation conference,gets rolling Thursday afternoon in downtown Wilmington.

The event, added to the Cucalorus film festival four years ago, explores where technology and creativity collide, including topics such as artificial intelligence, data driven health care, and  the role of meaning in brand, big data, and entrepreneurial resilience.

The conference started as Carolina Connect in Asheville, then Coastal Connect, both started by Jim Roberts, who has promoted entrepreneurship, startups and networking statewide for decades.

Dan Brawley, chief instigating officer  of Cucalorus, tells WRAL TechWire the Connect conference evolved when “Several people in the community reached out to me five years ago and suggested Cucalorus could be a catalyst in sharing with the world that Wilmington is an up and coming tech hub. They didn’t want to wait 20 years to build a brand, so it worked out.”

It was a good match for several reasons, Brawley said. “Film making is on the cutting edge of technology, so film makers are already tuned in to a big chunk of what’s happening  in innovation and technology.” Many film makers are also entrepreneurs who have to raise funds to make their movies.

The lineup of speakers this year is organized in five dynamic tracks: Healthtech, Gigtech, Fintech, Startups, and the Community Brew. Connect examines storytelling as an essential tool for business success and focuses on promoting technology-driven, traded-sector employers as the spark for economic growth in Southeastern North Carolina.

Thursday afternoon Connect events open with  “The Blockchain Revolution,” at 1 p.m., a GigTech workshop, and more. “GigTech: AI and Sharing Economy,” follows at 2 p.m., then “Fintech and the Digital Consumer at 3:15.

The keynote address is combined with fast-paced Rocket Pitch competition. Starups will have 90 seconds with one slide to win audience votes.

The All Conference Keynote, “Speaking the Same Language: Connecting with Technology Brands Today,” features Susan Ellis, director of Brand and Corporate Social Innovation, SAS and Charlie Fink, futurist and Forbes Columnist.

AI a focus Friday

Many Connect sessions focus on artificial intelligence, including: “AI, It’s All About the Data,” Friday, with Bill Stuart, senior staff data scientist with GE.  It will identify the major challenges and solutions facing companies using AI.

Also Friday afternoon, Curry Guinn, professor and chair, Department of Computer Science, at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and Julian Keith, professor & chair, Department of Psychology, UNCW look at “AI, the Third Generation of Computing.” They will discuss where current AI technologies stand in relation to our human capabilities to learn and reason.

Rocket Pitch

Rocket Pitch Startups presenting are:

  • Atlantic Biotechnology supports sustainable ornamental aquaculture to decrease the need for wild reef harvests. A pioneer innovator in propagating and arresting early life stages to make culturing of elusive species possible.
  • Drumwaiter by Product Airlift Systems, Inc. sells a product that levitates bulk material to the operator.
  • myBeeHyve   is a management system unlike any other, built specifically to address the needs of the growing network marketing community.
  • NEATCap Medical, a medical device development and manufacturing company with a primary focus on neonatal health care and especially for preterm infants. Its first product is NEATCap, a passive noise protection system for premature infants.
  • opiAID leverages AI to AID in the fight against opioid abuse. With wearable health technology, opiAID will be capable of improving the coordination of care and improving outcomes for those suffering with addiction.
  • QuoteQuest is a proprietary platform that connects buyers and suppliers of construction materials and services.
  • Student Success Agency bridges support services to the digital world to modernize how school districts provide students the necessary services they need for academic, career and life success.
  • Support The Port Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non profit organization that aims to enhance, cultivate and provide a renewed sense of community ownership and excellence for underserved communities through the arts, philanthropy and scholarship.

One of the most interesting features is the 10×10 Challenge, which pairs 10 entrepreneurs with 10 filmmakers to make a 4-minute promo video in five days. The films run on Sunday. Brawley said that many companies have used the videos they make at the festival as their primary marketing tool, making them available on their web sites. “It’s also a great learning tool.” The companies and film makers have to keep the videos very short (about 90 seconds) so they learn to tell their story quickly.

10×10

10×10 challenge companies presenting 4-minute videos Sunday are:

  • The BarTrack product reduces thousands of lost dollars that result when beer pours through a tap. BarTrack pours the perfect beer, increases revenues, and improves efficiency with real time analytics to track inventory.
  • KWH Coin is a digital currency that converts renewable distributed energy resources to digital tokens on a unique blockchain.
  • CISME Instruments measures the health and vitality of reef-building corals which are threatened by climate change, overfishing, and other anthropogenic stressors. “CISME” (Coral In Situ Metabolism) is designed to make quick, non-destructive, health measurements in situ.
  • NOOZ.tv is a revolutionary crowdsourced News and Opinion “video”​ platform that promotes local businesses on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.., and all with hyper-local content provided by NOOZcasters.
  • opiAID is developing the first technology assisted therapy leveraging advanced data science (AI) to dramatically aid in the fight against opioid abuse.
  • Panacea Brewing Company, based in Wilmington, brews craft kombucha, a probiotic living beverage. In 2016, Panacea Brewing launched from the Burgaw Incubator Kitchen.
  • RUBY ASSATA is a bold accessories brand rendered in ladylike lines and bright, uncommon leather color combinations. Beautifully handmade, redefining pretty by mixing the romance of mid-century etiquette ideals and 21st century street smarts.
  • Sandbar Oyster Company a North Carolina-based collaboration between a marine scientist and a commercial fisherman, has developed a revolutionary approach to growing oysters, building oyster reefs and protecting shorelines.
  • SaniBrands Corporation is an “antibacterial for oral health.” The company’s signature product is known commercially as Defense Sport mouthguard rinse. It is the only patented product in the US that kills bacteria and germs on removable oral devices.
  • SWELLEnterprise, a product of SWELL Systems, Inc. is an all in one business management application that is designed to put enterprise-style functionality in the hands of solopreneurs, agencies and small teams at an affordable cost.

Full Cucalorus schedule.