Charlotte-based organizations are bringing back an event created to bridge the gap between startups and investors after a Covid-era hiatus. This time, it's expected to be bigger and better.
The Seed the South Capital Summit is a venture capital event that connects entrepreneurs, investors and community partners to boost innovation locally. The event combines two prior initiatives — the Seed the South Investor Symposium and the Charlotte Innovation Summit — to form a robust VC event, according to Innovation Charlotte, a local entrepreneurial hub.
It will be held May 14-15 at The Casey by Beau Monde as the headliner event for this year's Charlotte Innovation Week.
The summit will feature speakers, panels, networking opportunities, a startup showcase and a pitch competition where founders can compete for one of two investments of $50,000 each by the Charlotte Fund, a local VC firm. A panel of VCs will select one funding award, and the other investment will be chosen by a panel of founders.
The Seed the South Investor Symposium was last held in January 2019 and 2020. That was the original Seed the South event created to foster connections between early-stage startups, investors and those curious about the ecosystem. Sam Smith, former CEO of the startup Vishion, is the creator of Seed the South. Innovate Charlotte said Smith will be assisting with this year's event.
“We’re thrilled to host the Seed the South Capital Summit and build on the success of the original Seed the South event,” said Juan Garzón, managing director of Innovate Charlotte. “Our goal with this event is to create a platform to strengthen the ecosystem and connect our most innovative startups with capital sources from throughout the Southeast."
Garzón said when Innovate Charlotte launched the Innovation Summit in 2022 and the Ecosystem Summit in 2023, the goal was to host the capital summit this year.
"Capital is an essential component of a vibrant innovation ecosystem," he said.
Mark McDowell, Charlotte Fund managing partner, added in a statement, "We understand that access to capital is an essential ingredient, and we’re proud to support Seed the South with this investment commitment. We are confident that there will be many worthy pitches.”
Innovate Charlotte is organizing the summit, with support from the Growing Women Entrepreneurs Network (gWen), a Charlotte-based organization that drives growth for women entrepreneurs in the Southeast region.
Garzón said applications close on March 31 for the summit's pitch competition and startup showcase. A select number of applicants will be selected for the pitch, but a final count has not yet been set.
"If you want to connect with investors, meet the most promising startups, or just see how innovative the Charlotte community is, you won’t want to miss it," he said.
