Entrepreneurship in Charlotte

Dan Roselli
May 9, 2012

Charlotte Entrepreneurs Alliance

The CEA supports a comprehensive VIEW of Charlotte's Entrepreneurial Eco-System by supporting local entrepreneurs of all sizes by providing a network of like minded local professionals, access to Charlotte's entrepreneurial community and by representing the community's interests to governmental entities. CEA's FOCUS is to support, coordinate, represent and inspire high-growth business at all stages of development with an emphasis on technology, energy & finance entrepreneurial companies. Members represent the following organizations:

CLT Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Developed a comprehensive map of the Charlotte Entrepreneurial Eco-System,
lays out a vision for a strong, vibrant and interconnected Charlotte Entrepreneurial Eco-System

Identified gaps in the ecosystem and prioritized solutions Early wins that the group identified include:
+ $25-$75MM Charlotte Regional Development Fund (CRDF) In Process + Launch of CLT Joules Energy Incubator & Financial Services Payment Incubator Accomplished + Launch of Vets4Ventures to support Veteran entrepreneurial training and job placement. Accomplished + Inaugural effort to track and quantify entrepreneurial impact on CLT eco-system. Accomplished + Repositioning of Charlotte Venture Challenge as a region wide launch day. Accomplished + Establishing Start-Up America Partnership in the Charlotte, NC Region. In Process

Packard Place
Innovation Entrepreneurship Community

To develop fast-growth businesses and the professional community to support them

The Garage @ Packard Place

A public face for Entrepreneurship in CLT
Non-Profit that is Engaging the broader community of Charlotte

Space and infrastructure for startups to launch and grow A starting place for new incubators Coaching and mentoring for startups Facilitate interaction between business development organizations in the city Increase awareness (citywide and beyond) of entrepreneurial activity in Charlotte

CLT Joules
Charlotte's first energy incubator
CLT Joules is an initiative to promote energy innovation and startups among the entrepreneurial community in Charlotte. With the establishment of CLT Joules as Charlottes first business community for

energy, early stage energy companies have

a community where they can learn, accelerate growth, and connect to the big players in the energy ecosystem of

Charlotte.

Queen City Forward

Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs

Charlotte Regional Development Fund

To nurture a sustained entrepreneurial culture and ecosystem and generate job growth in the Charlotte Region by supporting high-growth, innovative businesses and improve the likelihood of their survival and prosperity through innovative forms of support and awarenessraising activities throughout the community

A $25-$100MM public/private fund Accelerate access to capital for startups seeking Series A funding in CLT

Financial Services Incubator

The Challenge While there is a deep pool of Payments talent in Charlotte, we have not
seen a robust set of opportunities here

The Proposal Make Charlotte an acknowledged hub for Payments which will lead to
more opportunities for Charlotte based payments professionals and further augment our already vibrant business community

Veterans Initiatives
Real Support for Our Troops in Charlotte

Vets4Ventures

Re-Education Initiative for Veterans Lead by Louis Foreman, Enventys

SpeedView

Interview match making with Entrepreneurial companies and veterans

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Packard Place Tech Accelerator

Charlottes first early stage tech accelerator

3 month accelerator program for tech startups Free space, mentorship, and programming for software/web 2.0 startups Launching June 1st Initial class of 10 startups from around the state

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