While Triad leaders remain deliberate in efforts to woo business and industry, they are increasingly focusing on a different economic development strategy — harnessing innovation to power job creation and investment.
Regional business leaders believe innovation is the key to helping companies that are already here grow and flourish, while also helping budding entrepreneurs build new scalable ventures that can become economic engines all their own. Leaders argue that this region’s cities can leverage lower costs and a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem to be the best places in the country to build and grow businesses.
Triad Business Journal has long focused on telling the stories of companies — both startups and established companies — that embrace innovation to differentiate themselves and grow.
We're now taking it up a notch with the Sept. 14 launch of a new platform, branded as Triad Inno. The digital media, events and data enterprise will focus on emerging innovators, growth-stage startups and their investors, local incubators and accelerators and other elements of the innovation ecosystem. Beyond offering news and profiles, our goal is to help connect and build upon the local innovator community.
Triad Inno will be part of a national network in more than 40 cities nationwide through the Triad Business Journal's parent company, American City Business Journals. Innovation is a long-established brand founded in Boston in 2009 and acquired by ACBJ in 2012. Currently, about 20 ACBJ cities already have Inno websites operating, and on Sept. 14, the rest of the markets around the country, including Triad Inno, will go live.
Triad Inno will be led by newly hired TBJ reporter Lillian Johnson, whose beats will be innovation, health care and higher education. Special Sections Editor Jane Little will build out a resource guide, and the entire TBJ newsroom will also contribute, as innovation spans all sectors of the Triad economy, from manufacturing and logistics to retail and real estate. The Triad Inno portal will offer news, analysis, resources, events, careers, data and more to area entrepreneurs, executives, stakeholders, startups and businesses.
What to expect from the new Triad Inno?
- Stories that focus on innovation within a company, industry or jurisdiction.
- Breaking news about early and growth-stage businesses.
- Startups — and the entrepreneurs behind them.
- Venture capital and funding needed to sustain innovation ventures.
- Next-generation developments in the companies you already know, whether at advanced manufacturers or at legacy industries like textiles or furniture that continue to adapt.
- We'll introduce you to the Inno Under 25, where we will spotlight a handful of young innovation entrepreneurs age 25 or younger who are quickly making names for themselves.
- The Triad Inn Ecosystem — a resource guide offering context and contact information for the region's innovation support network.
- Regular updates from TBJ's LinkedIn account that will help you stay connected with all Inno stories, events and followers.
Triad Inno content will initially — for a few weeks — be free for all visitors, to introduce you to all that the platform offers. Afterward, the content will be free to current Business Journal subscribers. Individual Triad Inno subscriptions will also be available for purchase at a low monthly fee. Our local content will be bolstered by stories written by Inno reporters around the country. We'll give you the market intelligence you need to do business across the Triad.
We welcome your feedback as we continue to build Triad Into as a resource and connecting point for all who are part of leveraging innovation to bolster this region's economy. We fully recognize that it will continue to evolve. To remain static, after all, would be contrary to the spirit of innovation.
