Innovate Carolina

Every second counts during a cardiac emergency. Thanks to advocacy from UNC’s Dr. Jessica Zègre-Hemsey and Dr. David Hemsey, Chapel Hill has installed 24/7 accessible AEDs in local parks, ensuring lifesaving technology is available when it matters most. These devices, placed in visible locations like Cedar Falls and Homestead Parks, are easy to use and supported by CPR and AED training from the Chapel Hill Fire Department. Learn more here: https://ow.ly/31z250UcbHV #innovationmatters

Join us for a Lunch & Learn with SBTDC Business Counselor Bill Rollinson to explore practical strategies for motivating your team and boosting retention without breaking the bank. This interactive session will cover how engagement impacts productivity and retention, cost-effective strategies like flexible schedules and personalized recognition, and how to create an actionable engagement plan tailored to your business. You’ll leave with tools, templates, and clear steps to enhance employee engagement in the next month or quarter. Learn more here: https://ow.ly/Ej3250UbbKU #innovationmatters

Innatrix has been named a finalist for the 2024 NC TECH Awards in the AgTech Company of the Year category! The UNC-affiliated startup is recognized for its outstanding contributions to North Carolina’s technology sector. The winner will be announced live on December 3rd at the Raleigh Convention Center. Congratulations to Innatrix on this well-deserved recognition! Video Credit: Innatrix.com Learn more here: https://ow.ly/YsAf50U9tFG #uncstartups #innovationmatters

In 2024, Carolina startups transformed groundbreaking research and bold ideas into thriving ventures, driving economic growth, creating jobs, and delivering social impact across North Carolina and beyond. Congratulations to our startups—together, we’re pushing the boundaries of innovation! Learn more here: https://ow.ly/GW8v50U8e2m #innovationmatters

UNC SILS Assistant Professor Willie Payne is transforming music education by making it more accessible for low-vision and blind musicians. From his roots in jazz and electronic music to his work developing accessible music notation software, Payne’s journey reflects a dedication to inclusivity. At UNC, he leads projects creating tactile graphics and studying large-print notation’s impact on musical identity. By centering design around those often excluded, Payne believes we can create solutions that benefit everyone. Learn more here: https://ow.ly/cbsg50U7p9u #innovationmatters

UNC-Chapel Hill neuroscientists are pioneering a device that monitors arousal metrics like heart rate, breathing, and pupil size in real time. Created by Dr. Jose Rodriguez-Romaguera, Dr. Nicolas Pégard, and Ellora McTaggart, this innovation, called "ocular photometry," could transform psychiatric care and VR by providing real-time insights into physiological states. With support from Innovate Carolina's Patent Landscaping and Market Research, KickStart – I-CORPS, and Venture Catalyst Fellows program, this groundbreaking technology is now being developed for clinical use through Carolina Instruments, the UNC-affiliated startup they co-founded to bring these insights to researchers and clinicians. Learn more here: https://ow.ly/O40O50U6p2x #uncstartups #innovationmatters

The Meantime Coffee Co., Chapel Hill’s student-run nonprofit café, has opened its new, second location at Innovate Carolina Junction! Meantime at the Junction offers sustainable, locally sourced products and empowers UNC students while giving back to the community. Innovate Carolina is thrilled to have this café in our space, where members and visitors can now connect, collaborate, and spark new ideas over a cup of coffee. Stop by and experience this exciting new chapter for Meantime and the Junction! Learn more here: https://ow.ly/aX8N50U5zB6 #innovationmatters

Join us at the Innovate Carolina Junction for the next Founder’s Fireside Chat on Wednesday, Nov. 20. This month’s conversation, featuring UNC professors and Triangle Biotechnology co-founders Paul Dayton, PhD, and Samantha Pattenden, PhD, will explore how microbubble “jackhammers” could help accelerate personalized medicine. Discover how these faculty entrepreneurs developed an ultrasound-activated reagent that speeds up sample preparation, potentially revolutionizing diagnostics. Facilitated by Dedric Carter, UNC’s Chief Innovation Officer, this brown bag lunch promises insights into patent strategies, market assessment, funding, and team building. Bring your lunch, your questions, and an interest in innovation! Learn more here: https://ow.ly/jmyn50U4E6F #innovationmatters

The North Carolina Board of Science, Technology & Innovation has awarded $2.339M in grants to 80 small businesses across 23 counties, fueling tech innovation and economic growth. Among them are 14 UNC-affiliated startups, recognized for their potential to create groundbreaking, commercially viable technologies. These grants, part of the One North Carolina Small Business Program, support early-stage R&D and help NC companies secure federal funding and navigate growth. Congratulations to our UNC-affiliated recipients for driving innovation across our state! Learn more here: https://ow.ly/YB0750U3rq3 #uncstartups #innovationmatters

Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine, led by Adam Hantman and Ian Shih, along with John W. Krakauer of Johns Hopkins, are investigating how to help the brain reroute function around damaged areas after a stroke. Supported by a $1.3 million W.M. Keck Foundation grant, the team is studying how signals in the brain might encourage healthy tissue to take over for impaired regions. Through optogenetics in mice and new research tools, they aim to uncover the basics of brain recovery, a pursuit they hope will lead to improved outcomes for stroke patients. Learn more here: https://ow.ly/VE8650U2wMX #innovationmatters