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Rural Center’s NCInvest Invests $32M In 10 Venture Capital Funds

Posted in Press Releases, Small Business Resources.

Investments Represent Unprecedented Access to Capital for Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Entrepreneurs Throughout North Carolina RALEIGH, N.C., March 01, 2024 — The NC Rural Center announced today that it has invested $32 million in 10 venture capital funds from across the United States, through its NCInvest initiative. NCInvest is funded by the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), a $10 billion venture capital and debt lending initiative managed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury)....

NC Rural Fund, Small Business Funding

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Fall 2023 Retail Lab Graduates 9 Local Entrepreneurs

Posted in Press Releases, Retail Lab.

Nine local entrepreneurs celebrated their completion of the Fall 2023 Retail Lab Boot Camp—a program tailored to address the complex nature of starting and operating a retail establishment. The graduates of Retail Lab completed an application-based, six-week immersive boot camp, which concluded with the opportunity to pitch for grant funding. This cohort featured regional ventures, including a wine shop, innovative clothing brands, an international gift shop, and delicious food items. All participants in the program...

Flywheel Coworking, Retail Lab, Small Business Center at RCCC

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Health Equity Innovation Challenge Winners Showcase Progress and Vision at Cabarrus Center Pitch Round Robin

Posted in Our Partners, Press Releases.

Winners of the inaugural Health Equity Innovation Challenge are halfway through their accelerator and recently spent the day in Concord, NC at the Cabarrus Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship participating in a rapid-fire pitch round robin. The Challenge, sponsored by Atrium Health and administered by the Flywheel Foundation, is a business idea competition for scalable and investable solutions to problems that lead to or create significant healthcare outcome disparities. Founders Pictured: Kwamane Liddell...

Health Equity Innovation Challenge

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ConvergeSouth 2023 Is Coming to the Greater Charlotte Region

Posted in Cabarrus Center News, Our Partners, Press Releases.

ConvergeSouth 2023, a two-day Expo and Conference featuring founders, entrepreneurs, and investors coming together from across the Southeast, will be held for the first time in the Greater Charlotte Region on October 5th and 6th in downtown Concord, NC. The event is open to the public who are encouraged to attend. For registration and complete information on the conference go to www.convergesouth.com. “This is one of the largest gatherings of startups in the Southeast”, said Peter Marsh, a partner in Flywheel and...

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The Cabarrus Center Retail Lab Graduates 14 Local Entrepreneurs, Awards 5 Grants

Posted in Press Releases, Programs, Retail Lab.

Fourteen local entrepreneurs are celebrating their graduation from the Retail Lab Boot Camp—a program created in 2021 to address the complex nature of starting and operating a retail establishment. The 14 graduates of Retail Lab completed an application-based, six-week immersive boot camp on May 3. The following week, twelve of the graduates chose to pitch for members of the Entrepreneurship Council for $2,500 micro-grants. Five of the twelve were successfully awarded the grants. Olivia Van Etten, founder of Blondie...

Retail Lab Boot Camp

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Cabarrus Center Retail Lab Graduates 14 Local Entrepreneurs, Awards 5 Micro-Grants

Posted in Cabarrus Center News, Press Releases, Programs, Retail Lab.

Fourteen local entrepreneurs have completed the Fall 2022 Retail Lab Boot Camp—a program established in 2021 to address the complex nature of starting and operating a retail establishment. Entrepreneurs from Cabarrus, Rowan and Mecklenburg counties participated in the program, completing the application-based, six-week immersive boot camp in early November 2022. Five of the graduates were also awarded $2,500 micro-grants after pitching for the members of the Cabarrus Center’s Entrepreneurship Council. Juan Irby,...

Retail Lab Boot Camp, Retail Lab Pop Up Store

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Cabarrus Center Announces Fall Cohort of Retail Lab Boot Camp

Posted in Press Releases, Programs, Retail Lab.

On Wednesday, September 28, the Cabarrus Center welcomed a new cohort of fourteen entrepreneurs into the Retail Lab Boot Camp program. The six-week immersive boot camp began in the fall of 2021 as a program to support local entrepreneurs in the early stages of starting a retail business. A partnership between the Small Business Center at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and the Flywheel Foundation, the curriculum consists of instructor-led sessions supplemented by a self-directed Learning Management System. The program...

Retail Lab Boot Camp

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Retail Lab Graduate to Open Its First Brick-and-Mortar Location

Posted in Cabarrus Center News, Press Releases, Programs, Retail Lab.

Rockers Rejoice! Local Guitar Shop Opens in Downtown Kannapolis! The Cabarrus Center is thrilled to announce the grand opening of J. King Guitar at 201 Oak Avenue in downtown Kannapolis on Saturday, September 3 from 11:00am to 6:00pm! J. King Guitar founder, Jack King, graduated from the Cabarrus Center’s Retail Lab Boot Camp earlier this year. This program provides early stage and pre-launch retailers in Cabarrus and Rowan counties with six weeks of immersive, application-based training focusing on business...

J King Guitar, Retail Lab, Retail Lab Boot Camp

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Cabarrus Center Retail Lab Graduates 10 Local Entrepreneurs, Awards 5 Grants

Posted in Cabarrus Center News, Press Releases, Programs, Retail Lab.

Ten local entrepreneurs are celebrating their graduation from the Retail Lab Boot Camp—a new program created in 2021 to address the complex nature of starting and operating a retail establishment. The 10 graduates of Retail Lab completed an application-based, six-week immersive boot camp on May 4. The following week, five of the graduates chose to pitch for members of the Entrepreneurship Council for $2,500 micro-grants. All five of them were successfully awarded the grants. Bethann McGinnis, owner of Little Beautiful...

Retail Lab, Small Business Center at RCCC, The Flywheel Foundation

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