After raising $8 million last fall for its software platform for breweries and wineries, Charlotte startup Ekos has plans for a new office space. And it wants to train the next generation of Charlotte-area tech talent through a new accelerator program.
Ekos announced Tuesday that it's opening a new Optimist Park headquarters in late 2020. The new facility will occupy the entire second floor of the Chadbourn Mill, a former hosiery factory that was in operation from the 1930s to the 1970s. The building is currently being developed by Charlotte developer White Point.
Located at the intersection of Jordan Pl. and N. Brevard St., the renovated Chadbourn building will include approximately 38,000 square feet of office space, along with 2,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space.
Ekos' new Charlotte headquarters will also house a new tech accelerator program that aims to boost Charlotte's tech talent pool. Dubbed Base Camp, Ekos' accelerator will select applicants who will work on real projects at Ekos, as well as at other local startup companies, in order to gain new skills and land jobs at some of the city's fast-growing tech companies.
The program is designed as a "stepping stone" for people who may have already attended a tech boot camp or have other related educational experience, the company said. The goal is to help workers gain real-world startup experience in areas like development, product marketing, product management, tech support and sales.
“With this hands-on approach to technology and training, we’re investing in our community and its long-term success,” Ekos CEO Josh McKinney said in a statement. “The more we can prepare our local workforce for technology-focused businesses, the more the Charlotte area becomes a better place for all of us to work and live.”
The news comes five months after Ekos raised an $8 million Series A round led by Atlanta-based venture capital firm Noro-Moseley Partners.
Founded in 2014, Ekos provides business management software to breweries, wineries, cideries and other independent makers. The startup says it has customers in 40 countries where it helps them manage things like inventory, production, sales and accounting.
