Economic Development

At CIE, we have always been enthusiastic about tech and science based ventures. These businesses tend to create the most jobs and most impact for regions. An example of a faculty success is Karl Ricanek's and Lapetus Solutions' work in biometrics.

Some of the current ventures we’re working with include Boreas Monitoring Solutions (NC IDEA SEED semi-finalist), Lab Logs (winner of an NC IDEA SEED grant), Essential Personnel, Isosceles Pharmaceuticals, It's A Go Pursuits, OpiAID (NC IDEA SEED grant and NIH grant awardee), Portrett Pharmaceuticals, and Wisely (SBIR awardee). 

We want to do more to connect our tech entrepreneurs with industry experts and to give them the support and space they need. We focus specifically on bluetech, financial technology (fintech), educational technology (edtech) and healthcare technology (healthtech), but all innovators in Southeast NC are welcome at the CIE.

Blue Economy Innovation and Entrepreneurship

UNCW and Southeast NC are positioned to grow a world-class Blue Economy and CIE is taking action to implement a strategy to make that happen. The Blue Economy is comprised of the businesses, technologies, and activities contributing to sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth and improved livelihoods and jobs.

Our mission is to establish the region as a global leader in the innovative and entrepreneurial solutions to challenges in the marine environment.

At UNCW, we have more than 100 faculty that are directly in the marine sciences, or in some way affiliated with the work being done to preserve ocean and coastal environments. Marine Science accounts for the majority of our university’s sponsored research.

Among the universities in the UNC system, UNCW has the greatest number of undergraduate and graduate students in marine biology, marine science, and environmental sciences – and is the only university with a degree program in Coastal Engineering and a PhD program in Applied Coastal Ocean Science.

Today, one in six jobs in our region are in the Blue Economy. The CIE is actively developing initiatives to launch and grow more businesses, attract growth-stage ventures from around the country and entice international companies to select Southeast North Carolina for their bluetech expansions.

Blue Economy Resources

More information about All Blue can be found here.

Wilmington Coalition and Beyond

Many entrepreneur support organizations are in the greater Wilmington region with the purpose to help entrepreneurs launch, grow, and thrive. As a connector, CIE ensures that entrepreneurs and small business owners get to the right partner at the right time as quickly as possible. Connections may be through one a Coalition partner, an economic developer, or a regional service provider such as an attorney, bank or CPA.

Contact us to connect to the ecosystem

Entrepreneurship is a great equalizer. Through economic gardening, our region can “grow our own” businesses through our youth. While media may portray entrepreneurs as unobtainable role models, we seek to showcase business ownership as an inclusive opportunity for all to explore as a career path and a path to create change.

CIE approaches youth in two ways: by focusing on young adults who are in their college years at UNCW and by sparking interest in entrepreneurship in middle schoolers and high schoolers.

UNCW students get access to mentorship, internships, and connections that can help them understand the path to entrepreneurship and to develop critical leadership and communication skills needed upon graduation.

We connect what we do to student learning at UNCW and beyond, sparking our next generation of great entrepreneurs and creating better employees for the businesses in our region. Examples include classes structured around our programs, such as the 2026 Honors Class, "Caffeinated Connections," and through Entrepreneur Day.