RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – With weekly updates to keep content fresh, WRAL TechWire’s Triangle Startup Guide offers a timely resource package for anyone looking to start or grow a business in the Triangle area.

Since the pandemic started in March 2020, we have maintained a section of the guide dedicated to COVID-19 relief and support for startups and small businesses in the area. (Scroll down to the bottom of this page to see the full list of resources.)

Today, we added the Business Recovery Grant Program, a new grant available to North Carolina small businesses dealing with pandemic-related losses.

The program consists of a hospitality grant for hotels, restaurants, bars and other food service and accommodation businesses, as well as arts, entertainment and recreation businesses.

A reimbursement grant is also available for other businesses that have not received funding from other relief programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Program or the Job Retention Grant.

Applications launched last week and will close on Jan. 31. Businesses can read more about the program and learn how to apply here.

Other recent additions to the Triangle Startup Guide

Every week, we update the guide with new resources for local entrepreneurs for our exclusive Triangle Startup Guide.

If we missed something, please feel free to suggest it for inclusion. You can email me directly or use this contact form.

Here’s a review of additions we’ve made in recent weeks:

  • In the “Inspiration, Advice & More Resources” section of the guide, we added the Tech Innovation Index, a new report from the North Carolina Technology Association (NC TECH). The annual publication provides a detailed snapshot of how the state’s metro areas compare to other top metros nationwide, measuring tech innovation across three broader categories: talent supply, talent demand and innovation. The inaugural report, released earlier this month, ranked two Triangle metro hubs—Durham-Chapel Hill and Raleigh-Cary—within the top 10 metro areas in the U.S.
  • In the “COVID-19 Funding, Assistance & Resources” section, we added a few Small Business Administration programs with deadlines coming up on Dec. 31: Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), Targeted EIDL Advance and Supplemental Targeted Advance.
  • In the “Competitions, Grants & Other Funding Sources” section of the guide, we added NC State University’s upcoming Make-A-Thon program, in which student teams are tasked with creating the best solution to a sustainability challenge. At the end of the weekend, participating teams will pitch their ideas to judges and local companies for a chance to win cash prizes. This year’s competition, held Jan. 27–30, will offer $2,000 to the winning team, $1,000 to the runner-up and $500 to the third-place winner. The deadline to register is Jan. 16.
  • In the “Accelerators and Mentorship Programs” section, we added LaunchWENDELL—a new 10-week program from the Town of Wendell and Wake Technical Community College that aims to support entrepreneurs and small business owners in Wendell. Applications for the first cohort are open through Dec. 1, and classes are set to kick off in January 2022. Participants will be assigned a mentor from the business community to guide their business development strategy.
  • We added the Southern Opportunity And Resilience (SOAR) Fund to the COVID-19 resources section of the guide. The program provides low-interest loans of up to $100,000 to small businesses and nonprofits in 15 states across the southeastern region, including North Carolina. To qualify, small businesses must be experiencing pandemic-related economic disruption and have 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees and annual revenues of less than $5 million.
  • We made an addition to our interactive map of incubators and coworking spaces: Raleigh’s The Wright Village initially opened in July 2020 as a coworking space for entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities to connect with like-minded individuals. Soon, it expanded into an incubator, providing one-on-one business coaching and mentorship. The space comprises a communal/coworking area, shared and private offices, dedicated desks, a conference room, and a podcast studio.
  • In the “Inspiration, Advice & More Resources” section of the guide, we added links to all of the stories in our “Tomorrow’s Unicorns” series, which wrapped up in late October. The six-part multimedia series covers Raleigh’s most promising startups with “unicorn” potential (a term designated for companies surpassing the $1 billion valuation mark).