SCRA: South Carolina Research Authority

??? SCRA’s investment affiliate,?SC Launch, Inc., recently held its first Investor Day, bringing together pre-selected Member and Portfolio Companies with investment funds from four states. The event, held in Greenville over a day and a half, provided opportunities for networking, learning about the region, and connecting with promising startups. The event was made possible through sponsorship from the?Greenville City Economic Development Corporation.?A special thank you to?NextGEN,?who co-hosted the networking and happy hour kick-off event. ?? Read more: bit.ly/41zDUJz

Please join us in congratulating Karen R. Jenkins, an SC Launch Inc. Board Member, who was presented the prestigious Athena Award at the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Women in Leadership Summit last week. This award honors individuals who strive toward the highest levels of personal and professional accomplishment, who excel in their chosen field, devote time and energy to their community in a meaningful way, and forge paths of leadership for other women to follow.

We are only 3 WEEKS away from the annual SCRA Summit, and you don't want to miss this! The agenda features an abundance of founders from across the state, a new fastpitch competition, the annual awards ceremony, and more. ?? Learn more and register: bit.ly/3DyNeCi

ICYMI: Kim Smith, FACHE, founder of Health Evolve Technologies, an SCRA Member Company was recently featured by South Carolina ETV. Listen as Kim shares her mission to improve maternal health through a 'health at home' model, and discover how her experiences inspired her to innovate in support of mothers and children.

ActivEd, an SC Launch Inc. Portfolio Company and leader in movement and learning lessons, received the official endorsement from the Active Schools Research Alliance for the Walkabouts platform, an active learning education platform for PreK through 5th grade students. ?? Read more: bit.ly/4hxNdzr

Looking for ways to support your research and product development goals with resources? SCRA is hosting a session, on behalf of the University of South Carolina, to share details about support that’s available to you from the?University of South Carolina’s Office of Economic Engagement's Federal and State Technology (FAST) program. The USC FAST program provides technical assistance, education, and outreach to South Carolina small businesses at no cost to you. The mission of this program is to increase awareness and access to SBIR/STTR federal grant awards, and related resources across the state. The FAST program is led by Chad Hardaway, Director of the Technology Commercialization Office and the Deputy Director of the USC Office of Economic Engagement. He will share how you can take advantage of these services or partner with the program. The Details: ????When:?March 18 at 2:00 p.m. ???Where:?Virtually via Zoom, or in-person at the SCRA's Columbia Office ?? Register virtually: https://bit.ly/3FkaEyY ?? Register in-person: email [email protected]

We are just 42 DAYS away from MX.0 Southeast! Don’t miss your chance to enhance your understanding and network with industry leaders. This event is one of South Carolina’s premier gatherings, organized by manufacturers for manufacturers. MX.0 Media ? ?? Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/4jAiu7j

?? SCRA Summit: Keynote Speaker Announced ?? ?? SCRA is excited to announce that Theodore Tanner Jr., Chief Technology Officer at BigBear.ai, will deliver the Keynote address at the annual SCRA Summit on April 9th. Tanner has more than 30 years of experience, most recently serving as Chief Technology Officer and Chief Architect at IBM Watson Health, now Merative. ? Tanner also has held architect positions at both Apple and Microsoft, and has co-founded several acquired startups, including most recently PokitDok Inc., acquired by Change Health. He also created one of the first Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP) as-a-Service companies on Amazon AWS, called BeliefNetworks. ? Tanner is a published author, and holds several patents in the areas of blockchain, semantics, machine learning, signal processing and signal protection. ? ?? ?Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/3DyNeCi

Andy Seavers, CEO and Co-founder, Case Status The Charleston-based company has developed client engagement software with a simple-to-use mobile app that radically transforms the way that attorneys engage with their clients. In August 2024, South Carolina Research Authority’s investment affiliate, SC Launch Inc., invested $250,000 in Case Status. Case Status was recently named in the top 10% of fastest-growing companies on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list. #whosonthemove We thank?NP Strategy,?The Riley Institute at Furman University,?SCRA: South Carolina Research Authority, and the Charleston Digital Corridor?for their support of this series on?#Entrepreneurship?#EntrepreneurLife

?Meet the Judges! We’re just?TWO WEEKS?away from?Techstars Startup Weekend Beaufort 2025, and we couldn’t be more excited to introduce our incredible panel of judges who will help decide the winning startup! Meet the experts who will be evaluating this year’s pitches: - Meghan Corsello, Senior Investment Associate for SCRA: South Carolina Research Authority - Geoffrey Graybeal, Clinical?Associate Professor for University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business - Jason Loia, Founder of Lowcountry Games - Raquel Padgett, Executive Director of Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) - Dave Tompkins, General Partner of 550 Capital Partners These accomplished leaders bring a wealth of experience in startups, investing, and scaling businesses—so bring your A-game! The winning team will take home a?$10,000 prize package valued at $10,000 including: - MVP Development?– Helping the winning team turn their idea into reality - A VIP Trip to Charleston?– An exclusive tour of the Charleston Digital and a meeting with its founder, Ernest Andrade - Certificates for LinkedIn Learning Community?– To continue building your entrepreneurial and technical skills - Mentorship & Resources?– A launchpad for taking your business from idea to execution Dates: March 21-23, 2025 Location: Beaufort Digital Corridor Get Tickets: https://lnkd.in/ec8RtVVu Tickets still available!?Don’t miss your chance to?build, pitch, and win! Tagging our judges so they can?help spread the word!?Please share with your networks and encourage aspiring entrepreneurs to?register today! #Techstars #StartupWeekend #BeaufortTech #PitchCompetition #FutureFounders #MVPPrize #LowcountryGames