Among the growing collective of tech-focused networks and groups in the Queen City is Charlotte IoT, a local meetup that gathers technologists, entrepreneurs and business leaders alike to discuss the latest trends, products and specs coming out of the Internet of Things space.
Over five years of running regular events, Charlotte IoT has amassed 1,850 members and is still continuing to grow, adding more types of programming along the way. Charlotte IoT now holds two lunch and learns per month in partnership with RIoT, an Internet of Things organization based in Raleigh.
Charlotte IoT’s meetings — which consist of technical sessions, lunch & learns and networking events — are inclusive of anyone from any sector or level of expertise. The group’s president, Dan Thyer, says members range from engineers and makers to startup founders and business executives to job seekers and students of all ages.
Thyer first got the idea for Charlotte IoT in 2014, while serving as co-founder and CTO of local software firm Logical Advantage. At the time, Thyer was looking for new ways to grow the business to new fields of software development.
“Though I mostly just really loved the technology and was having a blast building IoT projects mostly after hours, I wanted to learn from [people in the] industry,” Thyer said. “Many of my friends were in the same boat, so starting a user group where we could all learn from each other seemed natural.”
This endeavor materialized into the Charlotte IoT meetup group. It kicked off on Nov. 4, 2014, with a “show and tell” event where attendees could bring tech, products and projects they were excited about. Logical Advantage’s conference room could only hold around 25 people, but the space was packed with excited attendees, Thyer recalls.
In 2018, Logical Advantage merged into Pratt & Miller Engineering, a local product development firm that’s designing IoT solutions for mobility, defense, manufacturing and distribution. Pratt Miller began sponsoring dinner expenses for most of Charlotte IoT’s evening meetings, alongside venue sponsor SnapAV. Since its start, Charlotte IoT’s sponsorship network has grown to include recruiting firms and companies owned by the presenters who speak at the events.
One Charlotte IoT’s largest supporters is RIoT, which co-facilitates the group’s lunch & learn programming. Thyer says presenters for RIoT’s events often fly into the area and then present in both Charlotte and Raleigh to get more out of their trip.
“Many of our lunch meetings have a business focus while many of our traditional evening meetings have a technical focus,” Thyer added. “This way, we get a full breadth of IoT goodness spread throughout the community and there is something for everybody.”
"Starting a user group where we could all learn from each other seemed natural."
RIoT and Charlotte IoT first joined forces several years ago when Thyer met the organization’s founders, Larry Steffann and Matthew Davis. Aside from sharing a mission to build a strong community around the IoT field, RIoT’s beginnings were also similar to Charlotte IoT — the organization was founded in 2014 as a way to connect individuals and companies working within the emerging IoT space. The group now has over 7,000 members, including industry professionals and executives, entrepreneurs, academic experts and policymakers. RIoT hosts several lunch and learns per month from its RIoT Labs space in downtown Raleigh. It also supports early-stage startups through its 12-week RIoT Accelerator Program, which recently graduated its third cohort of startups in November.
RIoT Executive Director Tom Snyder says that from the beginning it was clear that Charlotte IoT’s mission easily aligned with RIoT’s goals.
“When RIoT enters a new market to launch an event or program, we travel down and spend as much time as possible meeting people and learning who are the local experts and community organizers in that region,” Snyder said. “We immediately learned that Dan is the strongest and most trusted voice in IoT in Charlotte, so we asked if he would help promote our first Charlotte RIoT event. His support was amazing and not long after we decided to join forces.”
RIoT held its first event in Charlotte in August 2016, which had a turnout of 288 people. Since then, RIoT went from hosting one or two events per year in the Queen City to running educational sessions every two weeks, as well as monthly hackathon-style events.
RIoT’s success in Charlotte brings promise for the organization’s future growth beyond its home in the Triangle. In February, the RIoT Accelerator Program will welcome a new cohort of startups in Wilson, the accelerator’s first expansion outside of the Triangle.
Snyder hinted that the Charlotte market is also a target for the organization’s 2020 expansion plans, possibly adding a physical location in the Queen City. RIoT’s headquarters (also called RIoT Labs, where it hosts events) is located in Raleigh, but its long-term goals are to expand this presence state-wide.
“There are many positives about Charlotte and the greater Charlotte region that make it attractive for RIoT to continue focus growth in the area,” Snyder said. “Charlotte is an attractive location for a future RIoT Labs physical location, from which we could run increased educational and accelerator programming. We are open to new partnerships that could make that a reality.”
Hoping to grow in concert with RIoT and contribute to the broader IoT community in Charlotte, Thyer’s goals for 2020 are to host one technical evening meeting or hackathon-style meetup per month, two lunch and learns per month, and six large-scale evening events or hackathons per year.
2020 is off to a solid start in that direction, with RIoT Hacker Night coming up on Jan. 28 at Tabbris. The evening event will feature lightning demos with local civic projects, a Particle Developer Kit workshop, and talks from the RIoT and Charlotte IoT teams.
