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NC IDEA announces five North Carolina startups as fall grant winners and recipients of a collective $250,000. This story is part of a series of profiles on the winners. There’s a distance in time between when researchers discover clinical guidelines to improve healthcare and when the new standards are actually put into use on a daily basis. And in some cases, the new guidelines never come to fruition.  Closing the gap is a feat, and it’s one that includes a wide range of hurdles. But that doesn’t impede Decision Point Informatics from getting it done. The Winston-Salem startup’s goal is to keep those...

NC IDEA announces five North Carolina startups as fall grant winners and recipients of a collective $250,000. This story is part of a series of profiles on the winners.  Water quality researchers put a lot of weight on two aspects of their work—the rigor of their data and the time/effort they spend gathering that data. But a juggling act stands in the way of achieving both of these things. Researchers must ensure the accuracy of their data, while simultaneously monitoring the information gathered at each of their measurement locations. But a new device by Morehead City startup Planktos Instruments ensures the...

NC IDEA announces five North Carolina startups as fall grant winners and recipients of a collective $250,000. This is the first in a series of profiles on the winners. For hiring managers, there is a universal challenge in getting new employees properly onboarded. The same is true for offboarding old employees. The challenge involves giving, getting and managing employees’ access to passwords and software tools, and it was one Hersh Tapadia and Jeremy Freeman came across routinely in their careers. While the problem isn’t exclusive to any particular field, the pair began to notice that it was a recurring...

Each month in this column I ask a different question to you, the ExitEvent Entrepreneur. Thought provoking questions that are meant to get you to sit back and think. Each month I offer insight into the question, along with common mistakes made by (us) entrepreneurs, and a key take-away for you to think more about. My goal – to increase your self-awareness as an entrepreneur and a leader.  Insight: There are two ways you can build your annual plan moving forward: from the present or from the future. Both of them can work and both of them are in place at...

In recent years, the Triangle startup scene has seen a shift towards DIY, community-built innovation, a trend that is well-represented through a new trend in “hackerspaces.” This story is the first in a series that will explore both the meaning of the term, as well as the organizations that are bringing it to life in and outside of the Triangle.  Tucked in downtown Durham’s startup district is a space that fosters what can only be described as kaleidoscopic collaboration between innovators of all kinds. At Splat Space, “geeking out” is not only accepted, it’s encouraged. And it holds a broad...

The exciting thing about the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (the “PATH Act”)—and yes, a tax bill can be exciting—is that it makes 20 different tax provisions permanent.    There are really lucrative tax provisions, like research and development (“R&D”) credits, credits for improving certain kinds of property (which means additional depreciation to claim) and increased expensing limits—just to name a few of the more exciting sections. Other tax provisions were also renewed for several more years.    That’s good news whether you’re a startup, you’re ready to scale and expand, or you’re an established company trying to...

Elaine Bolle is a self-proclaimed recovering entrepreneur.  Throughout her 20-year career, she has filled almost every seat at the investment table – including running companies, selling companies, buying companies and more. It was natural for her to step into the role of angel investor when she moved to North Carolina in 2010.  We talked with her about how she approaches her work and how entrepreneurs need to be smart about their relationships. Who is RTP Capital Associates and what is your role there?  Unlike some other angel “groups” or venture funds, RTP Capital Associates is a member-based angel investor network founded...

We’re keeping an eye on cool career opportunities in the Triangle’s startup community, and publishing them every so often on ExitEvent. To submit a job opening, email shannon@exitevent.com. This month’s job list includes a mix of companies from around the Triangle, from innovation education communities to on-demand traveling tech labs to air filter delivery services. The types of positions range from engineering and product development to graphic design, marketing and sales. Check out the full list below. (And here’s last month’s edition.)  General Assembly  Since its humble beginnings as a coworking space in 2011, the NYC-based education startup has grown into...

Christy Shaffer knows more than a little something about running a company and raising venture capital.  She spent nearly 15 years as the president and CEO of Inspire Pharmaceuticals. During that time, she raised more than $300 million, took the company public and led its $430 million sale to Merck in 2010.  Today, she says she enjoys her seat on the other side of the funding table as a general partner at Hatteras Venture Partners in Durham.  Q&A  What is your investment focus?  I am a general partner at Hatteras Venture Partners and focus on the early-stage life science space. I work...