Southeast Shoutouts | $4.7 billion investment announced for Greensboro, NC
Applications now being accepted for three events - two in the Tar Heel State and one in the Big Easy.
From Greensboro, NC:
JetZero has announced a $4.7 billion investment for a production facility at the Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI) in Greensboro, NC – with plans to create more than 14,500 jobs.
The factory will be located on PTI property, and will house production for the company’s commercial all-wing design airplane, the Z4. The company’s headquarters will officially move from Long Beach, CA to Greensboro once the site is operational. The company plans to break ground on the facility in the first half of 2026.
Notably, this news stands as the largest job announcement in the history of North Carolina.
“I am thrilled to welcome JetZero and its 14,000 good-paying jobs and unprecedented innovation to Guilford County,” said Governor Josh Stein. “From first in flight to now the future of flight, North Carolina and our skilled workforce is soaring.”
The facility, designed to be a “factory of the future,” will be fully digital and artificial intelligence-driven to outpace legacy original equipment manufacturers by ramping up faster, cutting unit costs, boosting quality, and hardening supply chain. The company’s Z4 planes are equipped with seating for 250 passengers, at up to 50 percent better fuel efficiency than today’s commercial tube and wing jets. The company plans to have its first commercial airplanes delivered by the early 2030s.
From Tampa, FL:
Shield Technology Partners (STP) has announced its launch with initial funding of more than $100 million from Thrive Holdings and ZBS Partners. The new enterprise is a combination of four high-performing information technology (IT) services firms: ClearFuze Networks, IronOrbit, Delval Technology Solutions (DTS), and OneNet Global.
With the capital infusion from Thrive Holdings and ZBS, STP expects to expand its U.S. network further and bring a unique approach to the IT services market that empowers local businesses with access to national scale resources and world-class technological and operational expertise.
“The market for IT services is over $700bn and evolving rapidly, but the experience for customers has not kept up,” said Jake Sloane, Co-Founder of Shield Technology Partners. “Our partners stay awake at night thinking about their customers and we want to give them the tools to grow their business while preserving what makes them unique.”
The start-up is an artificial intelligence-enabled managed information technology service platform that is redefining technology services through investment in innovation and commitment to exceptional customer service.
From Winston Salem, NC:
The 2025 ConvergeSouth Conference will take place September 4-5 in Winston-Salem, but applications are open to “any scalable/investable early- or growth-stage start-up in the Southeast.”
According to a post in GrepBeat Wilmington, start-ups chosen to exhibit will have the chance to pitch on Day One; present products and ideas at designated demo tables in an exhibit hall; and, if selected by investor panels for the final “top five,” pitch in the Day Two “title round” for a shot at $50,000 of software development services from SlightSource (and meetings with general partners from Venture South and WSPR Fund).
Application deadline is July 15 at this link.
From Raleigh, NC:
Applications and nominations for the NC Tech Awards are being accepted through July 25 for the event scheduled December 9 at the Raleigh Convention Center. Awards will be presented across the categories of:
- Company Performance – Honoring technology companies that are scaling quickly, launching innovative products, expanding their market presence, creating jobs, and making significant contributions to North Carolina’s tech ecosystem.
- Core Innovation – Recognizing companies and organizations that are leveraging technologies to address complex challenges, disrupt industries, and deliver measurable impact.
- Individual – Celebrating leaders whose achievements and influence have shaped the tech sector in North Carolina.
To apply or nominate an individual or company, click on one of these links (corporate or individual).
From New Orleans, LA:
The New Orleans BioInnovation Center (NOBIC) has opened applications for its 2025 BioChallenge Pitch Competition which will take place at NOBIC on October 30.
The focus of this year’s competition is brain health and neuroscience. Neurological conditions are now the leading global cause of disability, and the economic burden of neurological diseases is projected to exceed $6 trillion by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum. Louisiana experiences an even greater burden with extremely high rates of stroke, Alzheimer’s, and other neurodegenerative diseases.
NOBIC’s BioChallenge will spotlight innovative neuro-focused startups, providing direct funding to accelerate their growth and scale their impact. The competition is open to early stage biotech companies across the globe working in the brain health and neuro industry.
The deadline for companies to apply is August 1 at this link.
Another from Tampa, FL:
Moffitt Cancer Center has announced a new partnership with cTRL Therapeutics, a biotechnology company. The organizations will collaborate to develop and advance the next generation of cellular immunotherapies designed to treat solid tumors more effectively and with greater accessibility.
cTRL Therapeutics is at the forefront of cell therapy innovation, leveraging a proprietary platform to extract circulating tumor-reactive lymphocytes (cTRLs) from blood. This approach builds on the proven advantages of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapies but offers the potential for significant improvements in efficacy, consistency and patient accessibility. Unlike traditional TIL therapies that require invasive surgical procedures to obtain tumor samples, cTRL’s technology enables the isolation of potent, high-quality tumor-reactive immune cells through a simple blood draw. This approach could potentially expand access to a broader range of patients, including those with unresectable tumors or recurrent metastases.
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