We're recognizing 50 companies, people and organizations on fire.
Cat Francis, American Inno
We're back with Charlotte Inno's second annual Fire Awards, a list that honors 50 of the Queen City's startups, tech firms and organizations that are "on fire."
From pre-seed-stage startups to multibillion-dollar tech firms, the Fire Awards are a peek at what set these companies ablaze over the last year — things like new funding rounds, product launches and pandemic pivots that not only saved the business, but benefited customers along the way. They're companies that have expanded, inked major acquisition deals and started the sometimes uncomfortable journey toward equity and inclusion.
The list was complied through a combination of public nominations, expert input and editorial coverage. Some have made the list previously; most have not, and some were featured on the list of Startups to Watch in 2021. It's not a complete look at every successful startup and organization in the Charlotte region, simply because our city has too many of those to count. Instead, it's meant to highlight those that have stood out in recent months.
If you want to know more about the companies below, don't miss our virtual event on Aug. 25, where we'll talk with a panel of Fire founders and reveal the “blazer” from each category.
We're thrilled to announced Charlotte Inno's 2021 Fire Awards honorees.
Catalyst
- CFV Ventures: Founded in 2017 by Dan Roselli, CFV Ventures is a venture capital fund that invests in early-stage companies in the financial services technology space. The VC has raised nearly $6 million for the fund since 2019, with its most recent round of $2.1 million closing in February. CFV operates primarily as a seed and Series A fund that gives startups the initial capital they need to get their companies up and running.
- Charlotte Hornets Foundation: In early 2021, the Charlotte Hornets Foundation launched its Innovation Summit initiative aimed at giving minority entrepreneurs opportunity and access to social and financial capital. The summit was part of a larger social justice initiative the foundation launched late last year.
- Defiance Ventures: Charlotte venture capital firm Defiance Ventures was founded in 2020 by John Espy and Tareq Amin and focuses on early-stage B2B enterprise technology companies. In May, Defiance announced an investment into local tech startup BatteryXchange. Its portfolio includes other local startups like Rabbu, 2ULaundry and Rent Ready.
- RevTech Labs: Founded in 2012, RevTech Labs is recognized as one of the top five fintech accelerators in the world, and it also hosts health tech and insurtech programs. The accelerator wrapped up its 14th cohort in June and is gearing up for class 15 in the fall. RevTech Labs provides its founders with curriculum, mentorship and a custom advisory board, as well as investment capital.
- Silver Falcon Capital: Venture capital firm Silver Falcon Capital was co-founded in 2019 by Austin Tate and former NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France. The firm provides investments between $5 million and $50 million. To date, it's made 12 investments focused on brands predominantly in the Southeast within the food and beverage, health and wellness, and sports and entertainment industries.
Dan Roselli, co-founder of RevTech Labs and founder of CFV Ventures
Melissa Key/CBJ
Community Builder
- City Startup Labs: Henry Rock, founder and executive director of City Startup Labs, created the organization in 2014 to share valuable education tools and resources with Black millennial founders. In March, CSL acquired local tech organization BLKTECHCLT and, most recently, helped launch the Inclusive Innovation Leadership Academy in partnership with UNCC Ventureprise.
- Dottie Rose Foundation: Dottie Rose Foundation, founded in 2018 by Sharon Jones, works to close the gender gap for females in the field of technology and computer sciences. The foundation pivoted during the pandemic to put its programming online. In December, Dottie Rose, in partnership with Code Ninjas and AvidXchange, donated a 3D printer to Atrium Children's Hospital.
- Envision Charlotte: In June, Envision Charlotte opened its Innovation Barn. The 36,000-square-foot facility will house and showcase local businesses that produce zero waste. Envision is a nonprofit, collaborative organization that leads Charlotte’s progress as a global Smart City through innovations that strengthen economic competitiveness, environmental sustainability and positive community impacts.
- Joules Accelerator: Joules Accelerator, founded in 2013 by Bob Irvin, is a Charlotte-based accelerator program that focuses on clean tech and green tech startups. To date, cohort companies have raised a combined $350 million in equity, including $25 million from Charlotte-based startups. Joules kicked off its eighth cohort in June.
- Novant Health: Novant Health, one of the largest health-care systems in North Carolina, made a multitude of pivots during the pandemic last year. Some of its innovations include distributing personal protective equipment to acute-care facilities via drone, working to close the digital gap and enhancing virtual care. Novant was included on Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity list in 2020.
- PitchBreakfast: PitchBreakfast, founded in 2013 by Vic Howie, leads monthly pitch events for startup founders throughout the Charlotte region to help ready them for investment opportunities. Through the pandemic the organization never slowed down, shifting to virtual pitch events so that founders could continue seeking valuable experience and guidance.
Henry Rock, founder and executive director of City Startup Labs
Melissa Key/CBJ
Education
- Aperture Education: Aperture Education, founded in 2017, is a social and emotional learning company that has worked with more than 3,000 schools and out-of-school programs across North America. In May, Aperture acquired Ascend, a Charlotte edtech startup founded in 2019 to help schools and mentoring organizations set goals for older students, track their progress and measure program outcomes.
- The Hurt Hub: Davidson College's Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship was founded in 2014 as a facility where students, faculty and community entrepreneurs collaborate in the tech and innovation space. The Hurt Hub plays a major role in the innovation community outside of Davidson as well, partnering with organizations like PitchBreakfast and 1Million Cups.
- ProctorFree: Founded in 2012 by Mike Murphy, ProctorFree is an online proctoring solution for education and corporate environments. Demand for the startup's platform grew exponentially throughout the pandemic, and, in May 2020, ProctorFree landed an investment from Charlotte-based TFX Capital.
- Smart Girls HQ: Smart Girls HQ was founded in 2018 by Abi Olukeye to help bridge the gender and resource gap for young girls in science, technology, engineering and math fields. The startup won a $10,000 NC IDEA Micro Grant last spring and was awarded a $50,000 NC IDEA Seed Grant in May. In March, Smart Girls was awarded a $256,000 grant through the National Science Foundation's Small Business Innovation Research program to help build and launch a STEM-focused digital platform.
- UNC Charlotte Ventureprise: UNCC Ventureprise is a venture development organization for the university and the Charlotte region. It targets innovation-driven entrepreneurs, university researchers and university students interested in entrepreneurship. Among its many programs are NC IDEA and NSF I-Corps. Ventureprise most recently launched the Inclusive Innovation Leadership Academy in partnership with City Startup Labs.
Abi Olukeye, founder of Smart Girls HQ
Courtesy of Abi Olukeye
Fintech
- Amicus.io: Founded in 2017 by Cor Hoekstra and Walt Ruloff, Amicus.io's platform merges technology with charitable giving. In November, shortly after launching its platform, the fintech startup announced an $8.7 million capital raise. Amicus.io has raised a total of $17.5 million.
- AvidXchange: AvidXchange, a payment automation software company founded in 2000, has raised more than $1.1 billion, reaching unicorn status in 2017. More than $600 million in capital was raised in the last year-and-a-half. AvidXchange is one of four local companies to have reached unicorn status. The Charlotte Business Journal most recently reported that the fintech giant may be headed toward an initial public offering.
- Bundle: Bundle, a mortgage platform that walks homebuyers through the purchasing process, start to finish, was co-founded by Eric Mager and Marco Burgarello in 2018. The startup raised a $250,000 pre-seed round in September and closed a $600,000 seed round in June. The latest round was led by Charlotte Angel Fund and Carolina Fintech Partners.
- DebtBook: DebtBook, co-founded in 2019 by Tyler Traudt, Erik Pelletier and Joshua Kohn, is a fintech startup that specializes in cloud-based debt and lease management for governments, higher education and health care. The company closed a $950,500 seed round in September and has raised $2.7 million since late 2019.
- Passport: Passport, a tech firm specializing in mobile payments for transportation, has raised more than $213 million since 2010, including a $90 million private equity round in May that was led by investment firm Sixth Street. The company also landed a major partnership with Google earlier this year, allowing its customers in more than 400 U.S. cities to pay for parking through Google Maps.
- Payzer: Payzer, a mobile app and online payment platform that allows contractors to take payments in the field and provides customers with instant credit approval, was co-founded in 2012 by Joe Giordano and Doug Little. The fintech startup raised a $23 million Series D funding round in June. To date, Payzer has raised more than $42 million.
- Private Wealth Systems: Founded in 2015, Private Wealth Systems' platform is consolidated investment reporting for ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, private banks and asset managers. In 2020, Private Wealth Systems participated in the Mass Challenge accelerator, where it was named a finalist in the fintech category. Over the last six months, the startup has added more than $100 billion in net new family office assets.
- XUP Payments: Late last month, XUP Payments announced that it had raised a $3 million capital round. The startup, co-founded in 2020 by Craig Sobol, Chris May and Kyle Bridges, created an omni-channel platform that gives merchants the ability to manage acquiring transitions and accounts directly in a bank’s online banking system.
Bundle co-founders Eric Mager and Marco Burgarello
Bundle
Health Tech/Medtech
- Carewell: Co-founded in 2015 by Jonathan Magolnick and Bianca Padilla, Carewell is an e-commerce platform designed to improve the lives of family caregivers. The startup raised a $5 million seed round in September and closed a $25 million capital funding in May.
- LeanTaaS: Predictive analytics company LeanTaaS, founded in 2010 by Mohan Giridharadas, raised a $130 million Series D funding round in December — more than doubling the company's total funding amount. LeanTaaS uses its three iQueue platforms to help health-care systems optimize how they utilize internal systems, reduce costs and decrease patient wait times.
- Let’s Talk Interactive: Let's Talk Interactive, founded in 2001, has created custom solutions for medical and behavioral health professionals that enable them to provide secure online video conferencing to patients. In December, LTI was awarded Zoom Video Communications' inaugural Trail Blazer Award for its work in customizable telehealth software and solutions.
- RealResponse: RealResponse, founded in 2016 by David Chadwick, is a web-based platform that gives student athletes the ability to provide feedback and concerns to their college or university's athletic programs. The startup has been instrumental in the athletic world throughout Covid-19. It was the NFL’s Covid reporting platform and, in February, inked a deal to be the risk reporting platform for USA Gymnastics.
- Troy Medicare: Troy Medicare, founded in 2018 by Flaviu Simihaian and Josh Young, is a platform designed to provide accessible and affordable health insurance to older people in rural and underserved communities. In November, the startup raised a $10 million Series B funding round. To date, Troy Medicare has raised more than $21 million in equity.
Flaviu Simihaian, founder of Troy Medicare.
Troy Medicare
Software & Innovation (up to five years old)
- 2U Laundry/LaundroLabs: The pandemic forced valet laundry and dry-cleaning startup 2ULaundry, founded in 2019 by Dan D'Aquisto and Alex Smereczniak, to scale back its services last year. The company has spent 2021 ramping back up. In January, the startup launched LaundroLab, a high-tech and modern laundromat franchise concept. Franchises are already in the works in Charlotte, Atlanta, Denver, Miami and Tampa. Additionally, 2U retooled its subscription model and relaunched its website earlier this month.
- Atmos: Atmos co-founders Nick Donahue, Trent Hedge, Austin Kahn and Matt Rastovac launched the platform in late 2019 to give potential homebuilders the ability to create the home of their dreams. The startup raised more than $6 million last year, including a $4 million seed round in October. It also participated in nationally recognized accelerator program Y Combinator in early 2020.
- BatteryXchange: Founded in 2019 by Desmond Wiggan and Aubrey Yeboah, BatteryXchange is a rental platform that provides portable batteries to cell phone users. Since late last year, the startup has rolled out new rental kiosks throughout Charlotte. In April, Wiggan placed 2nd in Black Man Ventures' inaugural pitch competition, taking home $8,000 for the company. BatteryXchange was also awarded a $50,000 NC IDEA Seed grant in May followed by seed round investment led by Defiance Ventures.
- Ethix360: Ethix360, founded in 2017 by J Rollins and Bob Latchford, closed a $3 million Series A funding round in March. The startup has raised about $4.9 million to date, including a $1 million round in 2020. Ethix360 provides comprehensive solutions to employee ethics communication, case management, compliance training and policy management.
- Grocery Shopii: In June, Grocery Shopii announced a $1 million seed round of funding. It's raised a total of $1.8 million since the start of 2021. The startup was founded in 2018 by Katie Hotze and is a meal-planning application that helps grocers get more customers to fill their online carts and purchase online orders. Grocery Shopii, was also accepted into the Microsoft for Startups program, designed to accelerate high-growth startups by providing access to Microsoft technology and mentors.
- Lucid Drone Technologies: Drone tech startup Lucid Drone Technologies was founded in 2017 by Andrew Ashur, David Danielson and Adrian Mayans to connect power-pressure washers to drones for safer cleaning of building exteriors. Last spring, the was repurposed to disburse sanitation solutions inside buildings to minimize Covid-19's viral impact. In October, Lucid leased its tech to the Atlanta Falcons for use in disinfecting Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The co-founders were named earlier this year to Forbes' 30 Under 30 in Manufacturing and Industry.
- PetScreening: Shortly after opening its new headquarters in Mooresville's Merino Mill, PetScreening announced in June a $3 million Series A funding round. Since 2019, the startup has raised $4.5 million in capital. PetScreening, founded in 2016 by John Bradford, is a platform that allows property managers to outsource the process of pet risk assessment and validates service or support animals
- Phoozy: Co-founded in 2017 by Kevin Conway and Josh Inglis, Phoozy manufactures thermal capsules that prevent handheld electronics from overheating in the sun and prolong battery life in extreme cold. In April, the founders appeared on an episode of Shark Tank, where they accepted a joint investment offer of $500,000 for an 8% stake in the company from Lori Greiner and Robert Herjavec.
- Skiptown: Founder Meggie Williams opened Skiptown, a tech-enabled off-leash dog park, bar, pet daycare and boarding center last August. At just under a year old, Skiptown, founded in 2016 as dog walking company Skipper, is already making plans for expansion into other major cities like Atlanta, Dallas, Austin, Nashville, Washington, D.C., and Columbus.
- Whystle: Chris Wright founded Whystle in 2019 as a way schedule and manage home cleaning appointments via a mobile app. When the pandemic hit last spring, Whystle pivoted and began cleaning and disinfecting commercial spaces. It was the success of the pivot that led Wright to eventually sell the startup to an unnamed local company in a move that he said has strategic development.
Meggie Williams, founder and CEO of Skiptown
Melissa Key/CBJ
Software & Innovation (more than five years old)
- Abby’s Better: Abby Kircher started health food startup Abby's Better out of her parents' kitchen in 2015. The startup now has its own manufacturing facility and has clocked more than $3 million in e-commerce sales since 2020. In March, Kircher announced a partnership with NBA star Kevin Love and Sports Illustrated model Kate Bock. The pair were investors in the startup's $1 million seed round.
- Atom Power: Atom Power, maker of a product suite that includes a digital circuit breaker, a distribution panel and software, was co-founded in 2014 by Ryan Kennedy and Denis Kouroussis. Last spring, the company's digital circuit breaker, Atom Switch, was an honorable mention for Fast Company's World Changing Ideas Awards. In 2020, Atom Power raised a $17.5 million Series B funding round.
- Boardroom Insiders: Co-founded in 2008 by Sharon Gillenwater and Lee Demby, Boardroom Insiders is a business intelligence platform that helps sales and marketing teams work more efficiently with C-suite executives. In June, the startup won the Software & Information Industry Association CODiE Award for Best Business Information or Data Delivery Solution. Boardroom Insiders was also Charlotte Inno's 2021 Tech Madness winner.
- BSI Solutions: BSI Solutions, founded in 2018 by Kendrick Carroll, creates artificial intelligence, blockchain and extended reality solutions for corporate and government clients. The startup is working on partnerships with local school districts to launch its virtual reality tech, called NEVR, in classrooms this fall. NEVR is an interactive, immersive platform that uses VR to give students and teachers the ability to enter the classroom from anywhere.
- Ekos: Ekos, co-founded in 2014 by John McKinney and Greg Forehand, provides business management software to breweries, wineries, cideries and other independent makers. In March, the company launched a new platform called Craftlab after customers began reaching out for advice and guidance on navigating business during the pandemic. Ekos represents more than 1,500 breweries across the U.S. and about 50% of all breweries in North Carolina.
- Levvel: Information and technology services firm Levvel was acquired in April by London-based Endava. Founded in 2013, Levvel landed on last year's Inc. 5000 list for fast-growing, private companies with a three-year growth rate of 189%. The acquisition is expected to allow the company to play a key role in Endava's U.S. expansion.
- Mark43: Founded in 2012 by Scott Crouch, Matthew Polega and Florian Mayr, Mark43 is a cloud-based, end-to-end system for public safety entities. The company announced a $101 million Series E funding earlier this month. To date, Mark43 has raised $256 million. The platform is now used by Australia's New South Wales Police Force, the third-largest English-speaking force in the world.
- Printful: Printful, a Latvian-based company with a Charlotte headquarters, reached unicorn status in May after raising a $130 million equity round. The company is now valued at more than $1 billion and is one of four unicorns in Charlotte. Printful is a print-on-demand company that prints and ships products for e-commerce retailers. It was co-founded in 2013 by Davis Siksnans, Lauris Libervs and Agris Damanis.
- Rent Ready: Rent Ready, co-founded in 2016 by Jonathan Kite, Ryan McMillan and Will Brugh, is a single-stop go-between for apartment properties in need of turnover services in the Charlotte region, Raleigh-Durham and Atlanta. In March, the startup closed on a $10 million Series A funding round. To date, Rent Ready has raised $11.5 million in equity.
- SignUpGenius: SignUpGenius, founded in Charlotte in 2008 by Dan Rutledge, Angel Rutledge and Michael Vadini, is an online application designed for group organization, event planning, and volunteer scheduling and management. The company played a key role throughout the pandemic, as groups and organizations began meeting virtually. In March, SignUpGenius announced that it had helped to coordinate more than 25,000 vaccine-related signups since December.
- Tresata: Software company Tresata, founded in 2011, launched its first consumer app in late October to help combat Covid-19. The app, HEALTHi, uses public data to determine risk at a county-by-county level. It assigns risk scores based on the average number of people infected by an already infectious person at a given time.
Abby Kircher, founder of Abby's Better
Courtesy of Abby's Better
