Impact

New Programs Launched

• Ocean Innovation Conference - Thought leaders, innovators, and change makers gathered on September 19, 2023, at UNCW for the first time at the Ocean Innovation Conference to discuss turning knowledge about our ocean and waterways into action.
  The 2023 conference was SOLD OUT, with more than double the projected participants (300 total attendees). Participants ranged from high schoolers who were enrolled in a year-long curriculum to learn about large problems such as water accessibility and climate change to venture capital to elected government officials to entrepreneurs to concerned citizens - and so many more.
  Keynote speakers included Rear Admiral Laura M. Dickey (provided key insights about the U.S. Coast Guard’s current activities and how plans could impact coastal North Carolina), Jake Kheel, author of “Waking the Sleeping Giant,” and Wallace J. Nichols, author of “Blue Mind.”
• EcoInnovate Weekend – EcoInnovate Weekend was our first installment of Startup Weekend, a high-energy, weekend-long event that provided attendees opportunities to engage with like-minded individuals and potentially start something GREAT. It was a dynamic and immersive experience that fosters creativity, teamwork, and innovation in a short timeframe.
• Idea Test Lab powered by Wells Fargo - The Idea Test Lab program is a 4-week, cohort-based program designed to enable founders to determine if there is business value in an idea. Each session focuses on different entrepreneurial design topics such as value proposition, identifying the customer's problem, competition, and market analysis. Two cohorts were held in spring 2024: Women in Tech and BlueTech/ClimateTech.
• Founders Roundtable - Specifically for CIE tenants, coworkers, and high-impact CIE members, the Founders Roundtable is a facilitated monthly meeting of the highest potential entrepreneurs in southeast North Carolina.
• NC BIOTECH Venture Challenge - The North Carolina Biotechnology Center launched this life-sciences-based, innovation-focused venture challenge to raise the profile, increase the volume, and enhance the successes of life science commercialization, innovators, entrepreneurs, and companies in every region across North Carolina. CIE partners with NC Biotech and provides CIE Mentors to develop the innovators. New this year and only in Southeast NC, NC Biotech Venture Challenge had 3 early stage finalists and 3 pre-venture university IP finalists.
• UNC Wilmington Blue Economy Index - In February of 2024, UNCW launched the Blue Economy Index (BEI), a benchmark described by the UNCW Office of University Relations as a way to “track the performance of companies involved in supporting sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth.” According to the World Bank, a Blue Economy approach entails a “sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and job creation while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems. The index is the first of its kind in measuring economic activities in oceans and waterways, with a tilt towards their environmental impact. Comprised of the largest companies that operate in the oceans, the index gives investors access to the vast amount of information related to demographic and economic development near oceans as coastal communities continue to be inundated with population growth. Considered an “equity benchmark,” the BEI employs a weighing tilt based on ESG—Environmental, Social and Governance—facts, allocating larger weights to index constituents with higher ESG ratings.Soon to be published globally, the BEI emerged out of a partnership between the CIE, the Alliance for the Blue Economy, the UNCW Cameron School of Business, the UNCW Office of Innovation and Commercialization and FactSet, a financial industry data and software company. In developing this index, UNCW Chancellor Aswani Volety noted the key intention of being able to “attract innovators, students and financiers to the Wilmington region.”

Ongoing Programs

• 300 entrepreneurs were provided with services, mentoring, and funding support through the CIE and almost than 10,000 attendees participated in programs. Entrepreneurs participated in CED VentureConnect, Riot cohort, NC TECH awards. Capital and grants ranged from NC IDEA grants, Small Business Innovation Research grants, and One NC.
• Startup EQ (Fall 2023) – Cohort-based training for teaching founders to lead themselves, lead others, and lead their businesses. For the speed, fuel, and communication skills to scale as a founder. In the fall of 2024, Startup EQ was offered in a hybrid learning model by Go-od Consulting in partnership with UNCW CIE and Channel by Live Oak Bank, with funding support from the City of Wilmington.
• CIE Mentor Program: CIE continued to engage regional expertise with up-and-coming tech entrepreneurs through the CIE Mentor Program. 14 new CIE Mentor teams were formed for six-month minimum engagements.
• 1 Million Cups Wilmington: 1 Million Cups is a free, national program designed to educate, engage, and connect entrepreneurs. Each week, entrepreneurs present information about their businesses and the community helps them to succeed. CIE is a lead organizer of the Wilmington Chapter and hosts, promotes, and organizes the Wilmington meetups. 1MC is an in-person event with Zoom and Facebook live offered as virtual options. During this time period, 45 1MC Wilmington sessions were held. One to two entrepreneurs presented per week.
• Alliance for the Blue Economy: Throughout the year, All Blue volunteers met monthly to discuss a variety of blue economy projects that are related to CIE. Key activities in this time period included launching All Blue 101 and 201, supporting a new blue asset map effort, and planning for the next iteration of the Shellfish Mariculture Propel curriculum.
• The annual Coastal Entrepreneur Awards were held at the UNCW Burney Center. CEAs are a joint effort of the Greater Wilmington Business Journal and CIE. Predicate HPG won the overall Coastal Entrepreneur Award in 2024.
  Category award winners in 2024 included:
  • Biotechnology: Portrett Pharmaceuticals
  • Emerging Company: Clean Community
  • Health Care: Predicate
  • Internet-Related Business: Ham House Sports
  • Manufacturing & Distribution: Greenfield Energy
  • Minority-Owned Business: Queen Esther Teas
  • Nonprofit: Safe Haven of Pender Co.
  • Professional Services: ReEngineering HR
  • Retail & Hospitality: Retro Meadery
  • Retail & Hospitality: Shaka Taco
  • Technology: Local Catch

• Global Entrepreneurship Week Wilmington: CIE is the community organizer and puts Wilmington on the national and international map with entrepreneurial events that are being held. In 2023, GEW was supported by many Wilmington Coalition partners and UNCW programs including: Brunswick Community College Small Business Center, Cape Fear Community College Small Business Center, Channel powered by Live Oak Bank, Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington, Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, and UNCW Cameron School of Business, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Research and Innovation.
  • CIE held our second Entrepreneur Day. We matched entrepreneurs with New Hanover County high school classes and UNCW classes to talk about entrepreneurship.
  • CIE also held our “Mentor Madness” program. Entrepreneurs had the opportunity to speak with different CIE mentors in a timed format.
• Welcome Wednesdays: CIE held monthly “open houses” to build community and connect entrepreneurs to all parts of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• Women’s Entrepreneur Week: CIE is the national liaison for Wilmington for this Week and was featured in a national marketing promotion about woman-owned business ownership.
• NC EcoTech Engines Development Award: UNCW CIE is a key team member in this project. Ecosystem Technology, or ‘ecotech,’ is an emerging and solutions-based branch of applied science that uses living ecosystems and their derivatives to produce and enhance products and processes. The NC EcoTech Prospective Engine is organizing a diverse and responsive team of researchers from universities and community colleges in partnership with Chambers of Commerce, non-profits and for-profit businesses that seek to develop a pipeline for translating use-inspired innovations into marketable products while developing a robust regional workforce.

New Programs Launched

• NC Ecosystem Technology: CIE is a part of a team of university partners who brought a prospective new NSF engine award to the region. Ecotech is an emerging and solution-based science that uses living systems and their derivatives to produce and enhance products and services. This collaboration is focusing on coastal infrastructure, aquaculture, and renewable energy. Read more about this initiative here.
• Startup EQ: CIE, in partnership with Go-od Consulting, Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington, and UNCW Pembroke, and with funding from NC IDEA, launched the first every cohort-based resiliency program for tech entrepreneurs in the region. Startup EQ teaches founders to lead themselves, lead others, and lead their businesses, resulting in the speed, fuel, and communication skills to scale as a founder.
• International Conference on Business Incubation-InBIA: CIE Director invited to speak about CIE best practices on resiliency. Highlighted Wilmington as a place to start and grow a business.
• CIE partnered with the Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington on several events to support high-impact entrepreneurs. One example is an all-day Life Sciences event that was held at MARBIONC that featured venture capital and successful entrepreneurs that shared their stories.
• Global Entrepreneurship Week Wilmington: CIE is the community organizer and puts Wilmington on the national and international map with entrepreneurial events that are being held. Cape Fear Community College Small Business Center also participated for the region.
  • CIE held our first Entrepreneur Day. We matched entrepreneurs with New Hanover County high school classes as well as UNCW classes to talk about entrepreneurship.
  • CIE also held our first “Mentor Madness” program. Entrepreneurs had the opportunity to speak with different CIE mentors in a timed format.
• All Blue 101: New program launched to explain what the blue economy is and what it means to NC and the US. Aspects of the Blue Economy that surround the Cape Fear Region and why it is critical to the local economy. Opportunities in our region involving the Blue Economy.
• Intentional: CIE designed and launched a new program in January for participants to set their goals for the new year and balance their lives to maintain resilience while building a business. The CIE Director, who facilitated Intentional, followed up with participants in May to offer to meet with participants 1:1 to help with meeting their objectives.
• Business Launch Academy: New this year, CIE partnered with Cape Fear Community College Small Business Center and the UNCW SBTDC to hold a 4-part series for people to launch ideas into businesses. This program centered around the lean business model canvas and determining whether an idea was viable and making a go/no-go decision.

Ongoing Programs

• 236 entrepreneurs were provided with services, mentoring, and funding support through the CIE and more than 7,500 attendees participated in programs. Entrepreneurs participated in CED VentureConnect, Riot cohort, Venture Atlanta Showcase, NC TECH awards, and Center for Creative Economy Velocity Accelerator. Capital and grants ranged from National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) award, NC IDEA grants, EPA Small Business Innovation Research grants, and One NC. Two CIE-affiliated entrepreneurs in Wilmington were named to the Inc.5000 list. Two examples of programs include “SBIR/STTR Programs and IP Resources/Guidance from USPO” and “Show me the money!”.
• CIE Mentor Program: CIE continued to engage regional expertise with up-and-coming tech entrepreneurs through the CIE Mentor Program. Nine new CIE Mentor teams were formed for six-month minimum engagements.
• 1 Million Cups Wilmington: 1 Million Cups is a free, national program designed to educate, engage, and connect entrepreneurs. Each week, entrepreneurs present information about their businesses and the community helps them to succeed. CIE is a lead organizer of the Wilmington Chapter and hosts, promotes, and organizes the Wilmington meetups. 1MC is an in-person event with Zoom and Facebook live offered as virtual options. During this time period, 44 1MC Wilmington sessions were held. One to two entrepreneurs presented per week.
• Alliance for the Blue Economy: Throughout the year, All Blue volunteers met monthly to discuss a variety of blue economy projects that are related to CIE. Key activities in this time period included launching All Blue 101, supporting the Marine Energy Collegiate Competition intercollegiate UNCW and NC A&T team, publishing Convergence Conversations of Wilmington leaders on YouTube, and plan for a September 2023 Ocean Innovation Conference.
• The 8^th Annual UNCW Chancellor’s High School Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition YEPex (youth entrepreneurship experience) is coordinated by the CIE with support from the UNCW Chancellor’s office to enhance youth creativity and innovation and to cultivate a passion for entrepreneurship. The innovation competition began in January and consisted of business plan and video pitch submissions from high school students. Finalists were selected, then mentored by the CIE Mentors to prepare them for in-person presentations to judges. The Youth Summit was the culmination of the experience and was held at UNCW Kenan Auditorium. Finalists presented in front of a panel of seven judges and over two hundred of their peers from various regional high schools.
• The annual Coastal Entrepreneur Awards were held at the UNCW Burney Center. CEAs are a joint effort of the Greater Wilmington Business Journal and CIE. The Wall Printer won the overall Coastal Entrepreneur Award in 2023.
  Category award winners in 2023 included:
  • Film – Dark Horse Studios
  • Manufacturing and Distribution – The Wall Printer
  • Minority-Owned Business – Perfect Touch Rental and On Thyme Catering
  • Nonprofit - Share the Table
  • Retail and Hospitality – Burrito Shack and Bombalatti’s
  • Professional Services – Essential Personnel
  • Real Estate – Parastream Development
  • Services – The Coastal Succulent
  • Technology - Ohanafy.

• Perfect Pitch: CIE’s Pitch Coach worked 1:1 with eight high-potential innovators preparing to raise funds to increase their likelihood of success.
• Welcome Wednesdays: CIE held monthly “open houses” to build community and connect entrepreneurs to all parts of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• Women’s Entrepreneur Week: CIE is the national liaison for Wilmington for this Week and was featured in a national marketing promotion about woman-owned business ownership.

New Programs Launched

• CIE organized the first All Blue Week in November 2021, which included 17 events with 750+ attendees. Leading up to the week, 27,000+ individuals were reached through social media to build awareness about Wilmington’s potential as a blue economy hub. More than 8,000 volunteer hours contributed to its success.
• VentureSouth partnership: Launched a new partnership between VentureSouth and the CIE Mentors for broader tech entrepreneur pitch access.
• Shellfish Mariculture Propel: Launched Propel, a new virtual incubator and education is available for new shellfish mariculture businesses
• “Painting 1 Million Cups Blue” for World Ocean’s Day: Launched a new program every Wednesday in June to highlight bluetech and blue economy entrepreneurs every Wednesday during 1 Million Cups as part of World Ocean’s Day. Every week, an entrepreneur or two presented information about their business or organization and the community provided suggestions and connections to help them. This program helped the entrepreneur, and also helped the community participants understand the scope of the blue economy in the region.
• PBS “Start up” debuts Season 9 with TRU Colors Brewery. The majority of Season 9’s shows focused on Wilmington’s startups, including End of Days Distillery, Genesis Block, and Bitty and Beau in addition to TRU Colors. Collaborator Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington (NEW) facilitated the PBS showed, which aired to 6 million viewers, again putting Wilmington’s entrepreneurial ecosystem on the map.
• The City of Wilmington’s startup ecosystem moves up to #1 in the nation (#2 globally after Cambridge, UK) according to Startup Blink ranking.
• Coalition website: With funding support from NC IDEA, created a new Coalition website for entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs to connect with Coalition members (wilmingtonbusinessresources.com).

Ongoing Programs

• 180 entrepreneurs were provided with services, mentoring, and funding support through the CIE and more than 6,000 attendees participated in programs. Entrepreneurs also participated in other programs and accelerators such as DIG South Tech Summit, Center for Creative Economy Velocity Accelerator, Creative Coast Pitch Competition, UNC Venture Capital Club Awards, Capital Connects Launch Greensboro, NC TECH, and TechConnect Sweden. Entrepreneurs received funding such as NC IDEA grants, BIONEER awards, and venture capital.
• CIE Mentors: Monthly CIE Mentor meetings for entrepreneurs to request CIE Mentor teams and to share upcoming resources and programs that can help entrepreneurs. Eight new CIE Mentor teams were formed for six-month minimum engagements.
• 1 Million Cups Wilmington: Weekly meetups continued to help entrepreneurs succeed.
• BIONEER Venture Challenge: Partnered with the NC Biotechnology Center on hosting and organizing the regional venture challenge.
• The 7^th Annual UNCW Chancellor’s High School Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition finals and 4^th Annual YEPex Youth Summit hosted by CIE. YEPex (youth entrepreneurship experience) is sponsored and managed by the CIE with support from the UNCW Chancellor’s office to enhance youth creativity and innovation and to cultivate a passion for entrepreneurship. The Youth Summit was the culmination of the experience and was held at UNCW Kenan Auditorium with 198 attendees.
• Coastal Entrepreneur Awards held at the UNCW Burney Center. CEAs are a joint effort of the Greater Wilmington Business Journal and CIE. Category award winners in 2022 included: Biotechnology – Renaissance Fiber; Emerging Company – Portrett Pharmaceuticals; Film – Honey Head Films; Healthcare – Clarity Counseling; Healthcare - MyPeriodPal; Manufacturing and Distribution – NC Lumber & Supply; Minority-Owned Business – Elaborate Outings – Luxury Picnics; Nonprofit – Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Center; Retail and Hospitality – Clean Eatz; Professional Services – Cape Fear Solar Systems; and Technology - Apiture. Apiture won the overall Coastal Entrepreneur Award in 2022.

• 149 Entrepreneurs provided with services, mentoring, and funding support through the CIE. Entrepreneurs participated in iCorps, MaxLife Innovation Labs 2.0, RIoT, CED Venture Connect Online, Cucalorus 10x10, VentureSouth Investor Forum, NC IDEA SEED Grants (as semi-finalists and finalists), DigSouth Conference, xElleVentures, NC TECH Startup Showcase and the Tough Love Investor Feedback Forum.
  • Entrepreneur recognition and awards included Investor Round awards, an SBIR grant, ONE NC Grants, Coastal Entrepreneurs Awards, NC Tech Top 10 Startup to Watch, and 2021 American Business Award Startup of the Year Award.
• CIE Mentor Group Program: As of June 2021, 14 ventures were actively working with a total of 64 mentors. There are 147 mentors involved in the program.
• Cape Fear Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week: CIE managed the 6th Annual MED Week Conference as a totally virtual conference with 25 programs and 50 speakers hosted by partner organizations throughout the week and attracting more than 800 unique attendees.
  • The MED Week program included the launch of Genesis Block, Wilmington’s first business accelerator and incubator focused on minority- and women-owned ventures, and its first Demo Day featuring pitches by minority and women entrepreneurs. More than 13,000 visitors were reached on Facebook.
• 1 Million Cups: The success of 1M Cups as a virtual weekly event continued through the year.
• CIE Media Team: CIE Media Team, an in-house production company comprised of UNCW Film Studies students completed four video projects for entrepreneurs and two internal projects during 2020/2021 academic year, bringing the total number of client projects since inception to 128.
• Youth Entrepreneurship Program: Zoom summit with more than 300 attendees for keynotes and student pitches.
• fILM Forum: The CIE partnered with Cucalorus Foundation to host monthly informational sessions for film students, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations, and other stakeholders in the film industry.
• Blue Economy Initiative – Alliance for the Blue Economy (All Blue): The core group of 14 volunteers meeting weekly and working to craft a vision and implement a strategy for securing grants and other funding for All Blue. Ten strategy sessions were held in December 2020 (two for each sector), engaging 120 stakeholders, including 30 UNCW faculty.
• Creative Economy Workgroup: The CIE continued virtual monthly meetings of the Creative Economy throughout the year. Meetings focused on survival strategies and funding opportunities for creative-based nonprofits, galleries, and performance venues.