Southeast Shoutouts | GRO Incubator accepting applications for next cohort
Thirty-eight-year-old Durham, NC-based semiconductor supplier Wolfspeed filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week.
From Research Triangle Park, NC:
Applications are now being accepted for the GRO Incubator. Hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurial Development, it is a 12-week program designed to empower early stage tech and life sciences founders with the tools, mentorship, and community they need to grow and scale their businesses. The deadline to apply is July 31 at this link.
Through personalized coaching, targeted workshops, and access to industry experts, GRO equips entrepreneurs to tackle key challenges, refine their strategies, and accelerate their path to success. Each founder is paired with an experienced coach who guides them through key challenges like customer discovery/acquisition, cash management, and achieving product-market fit. The program also offers a collaborative environment where founders can connect with peers and thought leaders in NC’s start-up ecosystem.
From Durham, NC:
Thirty-eight-year-old Durham semiconductor supplier Wolfspeed filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week, officially starting a reorganization the company says will allow it to shed billions in debt. According to published reports, the filing in the Southern District of Texas came eight days after Wolfspeed publicized a restructuring agreement that will give its creditors ownership once the company emerges from bankruptcy.
“We are continuing to move forward with our accelerated restructuring process to strengthen our capital structure and fuel our next phase of growth,” said Robert Feurle, Wolfspeed’s Chief Executive Officer, in a statement.
The company is implementing a prepackaged bankruptcy, meaning its plan has sufficient support from creditors to proceed. The publicly traded chipmaker is one of the Research Triangle’s largest employers and entered last summer with 5,000 employees worldwide, most of whom were based in North Carolina.
Joe Procopio writes in a recent column about a trend that he calls the start-up collective.
“If there’s one silver lining around the sorry state of business, technology, and the economy in 2025, it’s that smart and talented entrepreneurs are no longer relying on some of the constricting traditional means of building a business,” he writes. “One of those sidestep moves that I’m starting to see trending is the normalization of the formation of new businesses by assembling part-time collectives of fractional top talent” rather than full-time employees.
The column can be found here.
From Miami, FL:
eMerge Americas, a strategic convener, catalyst, and global tech conference + expo uniting global enterprises, start-ups, investors, and government leaders to accelerate innovation, has announced its acquisition of Miami AI Hub, a leading community and initiative focused on advancing artificial intelligence (AI) in South Florida.
As part of the acquisition, Burhan Sebin, Founder of Miami AI Hub, has been appointed as eMerge Americas’ first-ever Chief AI Officer — a groundbreaking executive role that reflects the organization’s long-term commitment to AI innovation.
This strategic move reflects eMerge Americas’ unwavering commitment to positioning Miami and the South Florida region as an epicenter for artificial intelligence innovation and development. The appointment of a Chief AI Officer marks a bold step forward in shaping AI policy, partnerships, and programming across eMerge’s global initiatives.
In a very short time frame, Miami AI Hub became a central force in uniting AI start-ups, researchers, technologists, and business leaders. Under Sebin’s leadership, the Hub launched impactful community initiatives, educational programs, and collaborative projects that advanced ethical and accessible AI development in the region.
From Tampa, FL:
XTEND Reality Inc., a global leader in human-guided autonomous drone systems, officially debuted its new U.S. headquarters and production facility in Tampa last week. The ribbon-cutting event brought together federal, state, and local leaders, as well as military personnel, to celebrate a major milestone in advancing American drone capabilities and bolstering regional economic development.
The new facility will manufacture and integrate XTEND’s advanced drone systems to support critical U.S. defense missions. The opening comes as federal leaders intensify their push for domestically produced drone technologies that reduce foreign reliance and strengthen national security.
“We are not just building drones, we are building capabilities, resilience, and trust,” said XTEND Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Aviv Shapira. “This facility marks a new chapter for XTEND in the United States and reflects our commitment to delivering the most advanced, mission-ready systems to our customers. We’re proud to establish our U.S. headquarters in Tampa and grateful for the strong support from local, state and federal partners as we continue to scale our operations.”
XTEND was founded in 2018 by brothers Aviv and Matteo Shapira in partnership with Rubi Liani. Prior to establishing XTEND, the Shapira brothers co-founded Replay Technologies, which was acquired by Intel in 2016 for $175 million.
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