As the standing room only crowd of 105 people settled in for the Rocket Pitch event on April 20th and the presentations began, it provided an opportunity to step back and appreciate the level of entrepreneurial activity and innovation taking place in Southeast NC. In total, 27 different companies have "pitched" at this bi-annual event since April 2009. These hi-growth startups are run by both young and veteran entrepreneurs, fathers and sons, husbands and wives, men and women. They are software companies, consumer product companies, and service businesses. They have received awards from Inc Magazine and Business Week and continue to grow and deliver results and success. Each startup is located in our community that is becoming defined as a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity, to the point where CNN Money ranked Wilmington as a top-ten mid-size city in which to start a business.
This point is further illustrated by the Coastal Entrepreneur Awards upcoming on May 20th, where ten award winners and the entrepreneur of the year will be announced. Over the past three years, 30 awards have been presented to our top entrepreneurial companies from over 500 applications, making the selection of the winners an incredibly difficult process. Our entrepreneurial community has always been here, but its role in our future has never been more important and the strength of these entrepreneurs, small businesses, and overall innovation has never been stronger or held more potential. If you are not part of this wave, then get involved in the Entrepreneurship Center or just find a way to thank and support our region of entrepreneurs.
Sincerely, Jonathan Rowe |
Operation Entrepreneur for the Military
|  In an effort to support our military veterans and their sacrifices for our country, the EC and the Small Business and Technology Development Center are offering an entrepreneurship seminar to military veterans and their families.
The three-day seminar on May 20th, 21st, and June 4th covers the key aspects of starting and growing a business including identifying business opportunities, developing the business and financial plan, evaluating financing options, and determining the appropriate form of legal organization. The seminar will be taught by Dr. Matthew Wood whose background is unique to military veterans. The seminar is being underwritten by a grant through UNCW for the small registration fee of $35 which covers the entire program including all materials, books, and food. Please share this opportunity with any military veterans. ONLINE REGISTRATION
|
Enov8t Camp for High School Students
| 
Designed specifically for high school students, Enov8t is a week-long program (June 20th - 24th, 9am - 4pm) that teaches entrepreneurship and what it takes to start a business. The week begins with outdoor leadership and team building activities at UNCW's famed ropes course and wraps up when students present their business concepts at their own special rocket pitch event. Students will learn from top UNCW faculty and area entrepreneurs. Limited to 20 students, the cost for the entire program is $250. Register your son or daughter now for this amazing experience.
|
Entrepreneur Awards - May 20th
| 
The 2010 Coastal Entrepreneurship Awards will take place on May 20th @7:30am at the Burney Center on the UNCW campus. Join over 300 entrepreneurs, business and community leaders at this exciting event that celebrates entrepreneurship and the top hi-growth companies in Southeastern North Carolina. It will be an event to remember with great speakers, innovative ideas, awards and more. $35 Registration is required. Register Now
|
|
Entrepreneurial Statistic: Since the UNCW Entrepreneurship Center formally started in January 2010, the EC has indirectly contributed to the creation of 52 jobs through helping companies grow, linking together investment and support, and recruiting startups to our region. Job number 52 was especially noteworthy as Center Intern Krystal Rucker was featured in a March 21st Wilmington Star News article on the EC and subsequently landed her dream job of being a coordinator at an event-planning company. Thus begins Krystal's career journey in which she hopes to someday start her own event-planning business. Congratulations, Krystal.
|
|
|
Student Intern Profile
Anna Kate Babnik
|  |
Anna Kate became the student intern with the Center in Fall 2010. She is a senior graduating in May with a Bachelors of Art in Communication Studies and a minor in French. After graduation, she plans to start her career as an Account Coordinator with a Public Relations or Integrated Marketing Agency. While at UNCW, Anna Kate has been actively involved in the Student Ambassadors Program, the Communication Studies Society, and the Honors Scholars Program. Currently, she acts as the Student Producer for the Entrepreneurship Center's television program, Envision, and works as a Front Desk receptionist at the UNCW Admissions Office. We at the Entrepreneurship Center are proud to see Anna Kate graduate and set sail on her exciting career and future success, while knowing the Center will sorely miss her talents and skills.
|
Envision Records 18th Episode
|  | Envision, the TV show launched in August 2010 recently completed its eighteenth episode featuring Charlene Duprey, Co-founder and CEO of South-n-France. The show features interviews with successful entrepreneurs such as Ed Mondello (pictured below) and Chip Venters to better understand what drives them, lessons they've learned in their business career, and thoughts on starting and growing companies in the Cape Fear Region. Envision founder and host, Jonathan Rowe, explores these topics in the 30-minute show which airs on Monday and Thursdays at 7pm on Time Warner Cable Channel 5 and also online in the EC Video Library. Envision is currently working to expand its cable broadcast throughout North Carolina.
 |
|
|
