Leaders representing some of the brightest stars of the Charlotte region's innovation ecosystem gathered yesterday for a celebration of their advancements in a variety of industries.
The occasion was The Fire Awards event, hosted by Charlotte Inno and the Charlotte Business Journal at uptown restaurant Church and Union. This awards program highlights startups, entrepreneurs, tech firms and organizations that are blazing trails.
From transportation to real estate to software and more, the finalists are working in a wide array of sectors. They're also in varying roles and stages.
Charlotte Inno announced the 2024 finalists in The Fire Awards in January, grouping them into six categories based on their focus. Yesterday's event marked the big reveal of the winners — called "Blazers" — in each category. Following welcome remarks by T.J. McCullough, publisher and president of CBJ, awards were presented by Todd Buelow of supporting sponsor Dualboot Partners and Heather Karriker of event partner EO Charlotte.
Check out scenes from the event in the photo gallery above.
The six Blazers in the 2024 program are:
- CATALYST: Social Venture Partners Charlotte leverages connections to multiply efforts of local nonprofits
- ENERGY: Atom Power sees 'endless' possibilities as it builds out EV charging network
- FINTECH: Passport ramps up innovation to cover more ground with its parking platforms
- HEALTH CARE: How Premier Inc.'s PINC AI Applied Sciences is moving the needle on health equity
- INNOVATION: RXO Inc. maps out road to greater efficiency using tech for truckers
- SOFTWARE/AI: PetScreening's launch of 'Amber Alert for pets' drives growth, garners accolades
In the slideshow below, you can read about those companies as well as all of the finalists.