RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – With regular 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.

Today, we’re back with another series of resources for local entrepreneurs. The latest updates apply to the “Inspiration, Advice and More Resources” section of the guide, a place for locally produced podcasts, video series, blogs, reports/data and other miscellaneous resources that don’t fall under the guide’s existing categories.

It has been a while since we updated this section, so we’re making several additions to the lineup today:

  • Hustle + Gather podcast: Raleigh-based sister entrepreneurs Dana Kadwell and Courtney Hopper host a weekly podcast discussing the challenges and thrills of starting a business with fellow entrepreneurs.
  • The Launch Place, an organization investing in early-stage startups across Virginia and North Carolina, recently started a podcast to highlight various companies in its network. The first episode featured Desmond Wiggan, CEO and co-founder of Charlotte-based Batteryxchange.
  • Research Triangle Park’s 2021 Community Impact Report noted 7,700 new jobs and $4.5 billion in investments announced by RTP-based companies last year.
  • Duke University’s 2021 “By the Numbers” report shows 374 invention disclosures, 118 agreements, 13 new startups created and $91 million in total revenue last year.
  • NC TECH’s 2022 State of the Technology Industry report, released earlier this year, highlights the latest data and trends taking shape across North Carolina’s tech sector. In case you missed it: TechWire summarized the key takeaways 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.

In case you missed it, check out all the updates we made in 2021. And here’s a review of the additions from recent weeks:

  • In the “Competitions, Grants & Other Funding Sources” section, we added Raleigh Founded’s annual Pitch Please event. It’s an opportunity for startup founders to present their products/services and get live feedback from local venture capitalists. The second annual Pitch Please will be held on June 16 at Raleigh Founded’s Capital Club location in downtown Raleigh. The event will be livestreamed for folks who can’t attend in person.

Raleigh Founded Pitch Please

  • In the “Accelerators and Mentorship Programs” section, we added the WheelsUP Accelerator—a new program from RTP-based First Flight Venture Center. In its first cohort, kicking off this August, the 12-week program will guide startups through scaling their biotech and health security products/services. In addition to education and mentorship, companies get cash prizes and the potential for follow-on funding from the program’s partner venture funds. Applications are due on June 10.

Application Deadline: First Flight Venture Center’s WheelsUP Accelerator

  • In the “COVID Relief Resources” section, we added the NC Department of Revenue’s recently re-opened Business Recovery Grant Program. Serving businesses with economic losses of at least 20%, the program consists of a hospitality grant for arts, entertainment and recreation businesses, as well as food-service and accommodation businesses. A reimbursement grant of up to $500,000 is also available for other businesses, even ones that have received COVID relief from other programs. Applications close on June 1.
  • We added The Loading Dock’s new Wake Forest space to the guide’s interactive map of local coworking spaces and incubators. The space opened in December, marking The Loading Dock’s first expansion outside of Raleigh. Fitting for both individual entrepreneurs and startup teams, the space includes dedicated desks, oversized coworking tables, private offices, meeting rooms for up to 45 people and event space for over 200 attendees.
  • We added Dolphin Tank, a series of pitch events for women entrepreneurs, to the “Competitions, Grants & Other Funding Sources” section. The program is expanding to the Triangle, with an agtech-focused event on June 1 in RTP. According to the website, the event is part of a partnership with a handful of prominent organizations in the local startup ecosystem, including Pappas Capital, NC IDEA, Rex Health Ventures and Alexandria LaunchLabs.

More recent additions

  • In the “Competitions, Grants & Other Funding Sources” section, we updated the listing for the annual AdvanSE Life Sciences Conference to reflect the latest data about its PitchRounds program. Held every year in the Atlanta area, the event invites life science companies across the Southeast to present their solutions in biopharma, digital health, diagnostics, medical devices and agricultural biotechnology. Per new data on the event website, the 500 companies selected to participate in PitchRounds since its inception have raised $7.6 billion in 790 funding transactions, with 70 subsequent IPOs and merger and acquisition events.
  • We made three new additions to our interactive map of local coworking spaces and incubators, which features dozens of spaces fit for startup teams and small businesses in the Triangle. The newest entrants are Blush Cowork (Cary), The Factory (Raleigh) and The Work Hall (Raleigh). Read more in this post.

More coworking spaces join Triangle Startup Guide’s growing lineup – here’s a look at each