Jack Molloy

Carolina Challenge Pitch Party highlights startups

Posted by Jack Molloy | Nov 13, 2017

The 13th annual Carolina Challenge Pitch Party took place at UNC-Chapel Hill last week, awarding $2,400 across six of the most promising early-stage ventures and ideas in the area. The event allowed young entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas to potential investors and mentors as they prepare to launch their ventures. “The biggest part of Pitch Party is the learning experience, the exposure, and the opportunity to network,” said Evie Peña, event organizer and member of the Carolina Challenge Core Team. “It shows the greater RTP community what students have in store for them when they graduate and go off...

Chapel Hill startup NanoVest aims to boost entrepreneurship + A look at its funding platform

Posted by Jack Molloy | Oct 30, 2017

NanoVest, an online platform aiming to unify entrepreneurial communities, announced last week that significant updates to its site will be introduced Nov. 1. The online platform that connects startups to local investors and the general public already hosts 195 companies across the nation. It anticipates that number will increase following the upcoming updates. “The fundamental issue in entrepreneurial communities is a lack of engagement and exposure,” said NanoVest CEO Aditya Badve. “I think RTP has a really good chance at being the next big entrepreneurial hub,” he continued, “but you have to build that community; you can’t just expect...

Startup and Tech Expo unites Triangle entrepreneurs

Posted by Jack Molloy | Oct 18, 2017

The Startup and Tech Expo will make its stop in the Triangle Wednesday evening at N.C. State University’s Hunt Library. Hosted by TechBreakfast, a community of innovators and entrepreneurs that meets monthly to foster technological advancement, the expo showcases dozens of local and regional tech startups in each city it visits. Kathleen Walch, Triangle Startup and Tech Expo organizer, said she believes the event will create an environment for entrepreneurs to connect with potential investors and prospective employees. “We saw a need in the community to bring together technologists, startups, companies based in the Triangle, and companies that service...

$155,000 grant to fund ‘Reach NC Voices’ civic tech effort

Posted by Jack Molloy | Oct 6, 2017

“@ReachNCVoices is changing info & news delivery in NC to spark conversation, participation & change.” – CUNY Graduate School of Journalism News Integrity Initiative tweet RALEIGH – PublicInput.com and Education NC received a $155,000 grant from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism’s News Integrity Initiative. The shared grant announced Wednesday will fund “Reach NC Voices,” an Education NC project aiming to survey citizens to understand their feelings toward issues in their communities. PublicInput.com is leading the technology buildout of the project. Jay Dawkins, CEO of PublicInput.com, said the grant will allow the civic technology company to empower local journalists...

Homework or startup? Chapel Hill student balances both with venture Jobalo

Posted by Jack Molloy | Sep 21, 2017

“I haven’t started studying my Spanish vocab yet,” Max Alway-Townsend said with a chuckle, referring to his unfinished homework. The senior at East Chapel Hill High School pitched his startup, Jobalo, to a room full of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs on Wednesday at this year’s CED Tech Venture Conference in downtown Raleigh. The annual conference brings together top entrepreneurs and investors from across the state, attempting to connect founders with the capital needed to grow. The conference was held at the Raleigh Convention Center. “It is the biggest celebration of entrepreneurship in North Carolina every year,” Alway-Townsend said. “It...

Raleigh’s Hopscotch Festival brings together designers and entrepreneurs

Posted by Jack Molloy | Sep 7, 2017

The fourth annual Hopscotch Design Festival, a conference connecting designers, entrepreneurs and storytellers in the Triangle, kicked-off Thursday morning in downtown Raleigh. Hosted and organized by New Kind, a Raleigh-based design and branding agency, the festival aims to create an environment for local innovators to make connections, share ideas and inspire one another. The festival’s 2017 theme is “designing the future.” New Kind CEO David Burney views the festival as an opportunity for designers to “come together and experience the community we’re building together.” Burney added that the term “designer” has become more fluid in an interconnected society. “Today...