Southeast Shoutouts | Wilmington, NC is noted as an emerging start-up hub
From Wilmington, NC:
Build in SE (Build in the Southeast) casts its latest spotlight on Wilmington, NC.
Noting that the city “is often best known for its beaches, historic port, and film-industry roots — but over the past decade, it has quietly become one of the Southeast’s most compelling emerging start-up hubs. What was once perceived mainly as a coastal lifestyle city has evolved into a dynamic innovation community shaped by fintech wins, a strong university talent pipeline, coordinated ecosystem building, and a growing investor base – and the city was the fastest growing in the United States in 2024, according to moving data from United Van Lines.”
You can read about the city at this link.
From Birmingham, AL:
For businesses, organizations and individuals, the future of energy — availability of reliable and affordable electricity; continuing the transition toward renewable energy sources; sustainability as a priority in planning, policies, and practices — presents both challenges and opportunities. For Alabama Power and others engaged in building that future, the commitment to encouraging and supporting innovation is essential to success.
The Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator is part of that commitment. Alabama Power has partnered with the accelerator since its launch in 2020, working to date with 60 start-ups spanning a broad range of business sectors and technology applications, touching virtually every segment of the growing energy tech field.
Most recently, a special Demo Day for the Fall 2025 EnergyTech Accelerator cohort was held in the auditorium of the Alabama Power headquarters in downtown Birmingham. A crowd of nearly 100 Alabama Power and Southern Company employees gathered to hear pitches from each of the six start-ups in the cohort, introducing their companies and highlighting its potential market impacts and investment worthiness.
From Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, NC:
Tom Snyder, Executive Director of RIoT, writes in his recent column in WRAL TechWire, that the Tar Heel state is #1 in the U.S. for business – if you’re a big enterprise, “but in terms of start-up support, North Carolina is decades behind in our strategic posture and millions behind in our public investment.”
Noting that the one bright spot is NCInnovation, he describes its mission as bold – “turn(ing) every UNC (University of North Carolina) System university into an economic engine for its region. Not just Chapel Hill and Raleigh. Not just the big research campuses. All 16. That requires something other states don’t have: a statewide commercialization strategy that works even on campuses without formal tech transfer offices.”
You can click on this link to read the column.
The Center for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) has opened the application process for Venture Connect 2026, CED’s signature event that brings together high-growth tech and life science founders with investors, partners, and industry leaders to celebrate innovation and accelerate growth.
Scheduled for March 24 and 25 at the Durham Performing Arts Center, the event in its 41st year serves as the primary connector for tech and biotech companies in the Southeast that are seeking capital and other resources to accelerate their growth. The two-day experience is designed to endorse, catalyze and amplify quality connections that strengthen your network.
To apply to pitch, click on this link.
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