Startup North Carolina Launches August 20th as Official Startup America Region
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Startup North Carolina Launches August 20th as Official Startup America Region
CHARLOTTE & RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, August 16, 2012 - Startup North Carolina, the state’s official region of the Startup America Partnership, is launching Monday, August 20. Startup North Carolina is a passionate community of NC-based founders, investors and executives helping each other acquire customers, recruit top talent and attract investors. The launch will consist of two simultaneous events held at the RTP Foundation in Research Triangle and at Packard Place in Charlotte.
“North Carolina has an incredible history of innovation that has led it from being an agrarian leader to a hub of scientific and technological leadership,” said Scott Case, CEO of the Startup America Partnership. “Startup NC will be a catalyst to garner even more recognition for North Carolina’s world class entrepreneurs and startups.”
The Startup America Partnership is a nationwide organization focused on providing startups access to corporate partners, investors, and services that help startup companies and communities grow. AOL co-founder Steve Case chairs the Startup America Partnership and the Kauffman and Case Foundations are its founding partners. Through the Startup America Partnership’s national network, North Carolina’s entrepreneurs will gain access to business resources throughout the state and across the country that will enable them to grow faster, be more competitive, and create more jobs.
More than 350 entrepreneurs, investors, community and government leaders have already registered to attend the two launch events. In addition to connecting North Carolina startups with national resources, Startup NC will have a focus on elevating North Carolina’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The leaders of Startup NC selected an open-source approach to accomplishing this focus, and are starting this initiative by crowdsourcing project ideas from the community at-large.
Startup NC’s project idea submission and voting platform can be found at: http://startupnc.uservoice.com. Three project ideas will be presented at each launch event, detailing a roadmap for taking action to make the project ideas a reality. Individuals may signup to attend either launch event by registering at: http://startupnc.eventbrite.com.
CEO of Edition Nation, Louis Foreman, and Donna Harris, Managing Director of Startup Regions with Startup America will speak at the launch event for Startup NC in Charlotte. Brooks Bell, Founder and CEO of Brooks Bell; Aaron Chatterji, Associate Professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business; and Startup America’s Managing Director of National Partnerships, Derek Holt, will speak at the Research Triangle Park launch event.
Research Triangle Event:
WHEN: 6 PM-9 PM, Monday, August 20, 2012
WHERE: RTP Foundation Headquarters - 12 Davis Drive, RTP, NC 27709
CONTACT: Mital Patel, Triangle Business Law - mital@trianglebusinesslaw.com or 919-274-1513
Charlotte Event:
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Louis Foreman, CEO of Edition Nation
WHEN: 6 PM-9 PM Monday August 20, 2012
WHERE: Packard Place - 222 S. Church Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
CONTACT: Adam Hill, Director, Packard Place - ahill@packardplace.us or 704-604-7104
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About The Startup America Partnership
The Startup America Partnership is a growing national movement of thousands of funders, experts and resources providing startups access to the corporations, investors, and services they need to grow. Launched at the White House in early 2011, the Partnership brings together startups and local champions from around the country focused on creating successful networks for young, high-growth companies to thrive. AOL co-founder Steve Case chairs the Partnership and the Kauffman and Case Foundations are its founding partners. American Airlines, American Express OPEN, Dell Inc., Intuit Inc., Microsoft and NYSE Euronext are corporate sponsors. For more information on the Partnership, visit www.s.co and follow us @startupamerica and www.facebook.com/startupamerica.
