nc idea

The Triangle’s Free Accelerator: The Back Story

Posted by John Austin | Aug 20, 2014

Groundwork Labs has generated some news lately with its new stipend for out-of-town startups and partnership with the international entrepreneurship organization UP Global. It’s also recruiting a new class of five startups – the deadline is September 5. Its director, John Austin, recently sat down with the ExitEvent team to share the history of his program and explain its link to the NC IDEA grant program and the venture capital firm Idea Fund Partners. The story was pretty cool, and worthy of publication for those who haven’t heard it. Thanks to Austin for writing it up in the paragraphs...

TechWire: Offering a Stipend for Startups, Groundwork Labs Demonstrates Its Own Growth

Posted by Laura Baverman | Jul 30, 2014

Content shared through an agreement between WRAL TechWire and ExitEvent. By Rick Smith, WRAL TechWire Editor Among all the efforts focusing on boosting startups in the Triangle these days, Groundwork Labs is unique. It’s free. And now the three-month mentoring program, which is funded by economic development group NC IDEA, is reaching beyond the Triangle to help startups by the offering of a housing stipend. Groundwork is based at The American Underground in Durham’s American Tobacco Historic District. John Austin, director of Groundwork Labs since its launch in 2012, talked with WRAL TechWire about the new program, how Groundwork...

NC IDEA WINNER: Lea(R)n, Clinical Trials for EdTech

Posted by Laura Baverman | Jun 5, 2014

The NC IDEA funds will support the development and evaluation of Lea(R)n’s first product, a software for collecting and disseminating rapid feedback from educators on tools they’re using in the classroom. The grant will also help the company secure intellectual property around the tools. Rectanus is planning a beta test this summer and a full launch in the fall. He also hopes to close a $500,000 round. Says Cambier: “We all felt this is big and innovative and if he can pull it off, its going to be...

NC IDEA WINNER: 80Pct Solutions, A Tool to Prevent Distractions Online

Posted by Laura Baverman | Jun 4, 2014

NC IDEA announced its Spring 2014 grant winners on June 5, 2014. This piece is part of a series of stories on the six winners. Read about them all here. Fred Stutzman is a technologist who took a break from industry in 2006 to dive into the study of social media. And once there, he saw its biggest drawback—constant connectivity affected our ability to work. During graduate school at the University of North Carolina, Stutzman began to struggle with the exact problem he was studying—Facebook was distracting him so he began to study at a coffee shop without wi-fi...