NC IDEA

What drives our friend and #NCecosystem leader Jim Roberts? Tune in to Episode 10 of ???????????????????????? as host Thom Ruhe chats with Jim about the rapid rise of #WilmingtonNC’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Discover how this coastal city became a startup powerhouse and the key lessons any city can use to build a thriving startup scene. ???????????? ????????: https://bit.ly/4bJB8pz ??? Catch new episodes of ???????????????????????? every other Tuesday on your favorite streaming platform. ?? #NCIDEA #ecosysteming #Podcast #Entrepreneurship #StartupEcosystem #WilmingtonNC #Startups #Founders #EcosystemBuilder #EconomicDevelopment #NorthCarolinaStartups

Wells Fargo NC IDEA WEBB Squared is excited and honored to be awarded an NC IDEA ECOSYSTEM grant to support our work in work providing incubator-accelerator small business services to rural under-resourced entrepreneurs throughout Chatham and surrounding counties. A heartfelt thank you to Thom Ruhe, the NC IDEA team and Wells Fargo for welcoming WEBB Squared into the NC IDEA ECOSYSTEM and supporting entrepreneurship across North Carolina. “We are proud to continue our support for NC IDEA and their work to provide North Carolina’s rural entrepreneurs access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive and grow,” said Jay Everette, Community Relations Director for Wells Fargo. “We all know small businesses are the backbone of our communities – and Wells Fargo is committed to making meaningful investments to help set them up for success.” #NCIDEA #Entrepreneurship #NCIDEAECOSYSTEM #SmallBusinessSupport #WEBBcelebrates #ecosysteming #FundingOpportunity #WellsFargo?

This is an exciting day !!!! Stay tuned for more… #LeaderOfEquitableEconomicDevelopment

When I was 7, a popcorn stand helped me discover my love for entrepreneurship. 12 years and countless ventures later, I'm thrilled to share that I'll be joining NC IDEA this Summer as an Undergraduate Intern. NC IDEA sits at the heart of North Carolina's entrepreneurship ecosystem and provides strategic programming and grants to help NC startup founders reach their entrepreneurial potential. This summer, I'll be working to support and learn alongside startup founders who are currently validating their ideas or scaling their businesses through the MICRO and SEED programs. I look forward to bringing my perspective and skills to the table while also learning from others' experiences and challenges. A huge thank you to the incredible professors of my UNC Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship ECON 125 Introduction to Entrepreneurship class, Susan Greene and Michelle Sheran-Andrews, and the lead TA, Carter Bridges, for their support and guidance through my UNC entrepreneurial journey! I'd also like to thank the incredible staff of NC IDEA for providing me with this opportunity!

Summer feels different in the NC IDEA office because of the positive energy of NC undergraduate and graduate students This summer we will welcome interns Larkin Gliddon, Kaya Shimer, Shuban Gouru and graduate fellows Jayme Ciampa and Rich “Richnovated” Gilliam. They will will work directly with NC IDEA MICRO and SEED grantees and get more connected into North Carolina's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Looking forward to June!

Kicking off today's Spring 2025 NC IDEA #SEED ($50K) review meeting with our team and 2025 Startup Analyst Associates. ?? Tune in this Monday, March 24th, for our NC IDEA #SEED Semi-Finalist announcement! ?? Best of luck to all applicants! #NCIDEA #SEED

"While some say you need to be in Silicon Valley or New York, our state has plenty of opportunities to leverage. Success comes down to what you put in—and we’re proof of that." - Kyle Mayers, Cofounder and CEO of WheelPrice ?? Thank you to NC IDEA #MICRO ($10K) and #SEED ($50K) grantee Kyle Mayers, Cofounder and CEO of WheelPrice ??, for sharing his entrepreneurial journey with us. WheelPrice.com is transforming the way people buy and sell automotive wheels, connecting enthusiasts, professionals, and suppliers for a seamless and transparent marketplace. Reinventing the wheel marketplace. ?? Read more: https://lnkd.in/eT_XBkbQ #NCIDEA #MICRO #SEED #CharlotteNC #Entrepreneurship #StartupSuccess #FounderCaseStudy #AutomotiveMarketplace #EcosystemBuilding

Last week we made our largest funding announcement to date and continue to do our part to advance rural entrepreneurship in NC, alongside some incredible partners.

Join us in welcoming our 2025 NC IDEA Summer Undergraduate Interns! We are excited to have Larkin Gliddon, Shuban Gouru, and Kaya Shimer join us this summer. They will gain hands-on experience, contribute to meaningful work, and build skills that will prepare them for their future careers. As NC IDEA Summer Interns, they will also explore #NorthCarolina’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and connect with organizations supporting startups across our state. We can’t wait to see the impact they’ll make—welcome to NC IDEA! ?? ?? Learn more about each of them here: https://lnkd.in/ewJXjRTZ #NCIDEA #Internship #SummerInternship #FutureLeaders #Entrepreneurship #Startups #HandsOnLearning #EntrepreneurialEcosystem #StartupsNC #InternshipExperience #SupportingEntrepreneurs #NCecosystem

We are excited to share that the CLT Alliance Foundation has been awarded a $75,000 grant from NC IDEA to support the expansion of Scale Up CLT. This funding will allow us to expand Scale Up CLT with the first of several additional tiers of the Scale Up program to support businesses looking to grow beyond $1M. These funds will create programming to scale minority-owned businesses to $3 million, providing greater access to capital and strengthening the resources to help entrepreneurs grow and scale. Thank you to NC IDEA for investing in Charlotte’s business community and supporting the next generation of business leaders. We look forward to expanding our impact and creating more opportunities for local entrepreneurs. Read more about the announcement: https://lnkd.in/e7DfieMu