There is an abundant opportunity ahead of us in 2022.
As I look at what is exciting about 2022 for the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, I see several notable themes, each of which could have a profound impact on our success: people, programs, and new funding sources. Here is a quick look at what is happening.
- Live Furnish founder and Center for Creative Economy alum, Preet Singh has successfully raised $6 million for his growing company that uses technology to create imagery for the furniture industry faster and more cost effectively. This is a major boost for the growing company and positions Live Furnish as one of the most successful fundraising startups in the area.
- Local startup founders Kevin Clark of Point Motion, Daniel Yohannes of Renaissance Fibers, Dr. Camila Pulgar of Salud Mental Health, and Kristin Bennett of Illumi Pathfinding Group have been awarded $50,000 grants as part of the Venture Winston Grants program, run by Agile City. They will join six other companies in Cohort One for a 12-month residency at Winston Starts beginning this month. The other companies will relocate here from Georgia, California, Northern Virginia, Boston, and other locations in North Carolina for the program. Susan Morris will serve as the director of Cohorticulture, working with the cohort to reach their milestones.
- Smoodi, a smoothie machine and mix maker and another one of the Venture Winston Grant winners, is testing their stand-alone smoothie machines at three local Quality Mart locations in the Triad – Clemmons, Winston Salem, and Kernersville. This is the company’s second test market, following an initial launch in Boston.
- Adrian Smith has exited The Flywheel Foundation to join Kasem Mohsen as managing partners in a new social innovation investment fund called Equilibrium. Smith led the Flywheel Foundation for the last several years, expanding its reach with new accelerators including The Come Up, a new program focused on minority founders in partnership with Hustle WS. The Winston Salem Foundation is a lead investor in Equilibrium, its first social innovation funding commitment.
- Kaitlin Conover, formerly with Transform GSO, takes the programming lead at Launch Greensboro, joining Lou Anne Flanders-Stec in the entrepreneurial arm of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. Erin Sherrill will be the new lead at Transform GSO and its new, expanded co-working space.
- Winston Starts has named Stan Parker as its latest president, replacing the retiring Robert Boles, who lead the scalerator for the past two years. Parker is a former Krispy Kreme and Hanesbrands Inc. executive with extensive consulting background. Other Winston Starts team members, including Betsy Brown, have been promoted and will take on additional responsibilities.
- Jenn Hensel, formerly of Launch Greensboro, has launched her own boutique consultancy, ElePitch, and is working with Agile City to launch a new accelerator for a locally based aviation venture fund. Hensel led programming at Launch Greensboro and specializes in pitch preparation.
- The PTRC has been awarded a $500,000 planning grant from the Federal Economic Development Agency to create a Build Back Better Regional Challenge proposal that could pump up to $80 million into the region’s economy over the next several years. The Triad’s Challenge plan prioritizes advanced manufacturing, equity, and entrepreneurship. A regional group of ecosystem leaders are meeting to provide input and project ideas including a major renovation of the Steelhouse at Greensboro’s Nussbaum Center.
There is an abundant opportunity ahead of us in 2022 as we continue to create new pathways, programs and partnerships to remake our economy.
Agile City’s mission is to use innovation and entrepreneurship to connect communities, companies and entrepreneurs and create thriving, resilient and equitable mid-sized cities.