Like every November for the past 20 years, the Cucalorus Film Festival will take place in Wilmington. However, this year there is a new twist for the business community with the launch of Cucalorus Connect. Cucalorus Connect is a series of events from Nov. 11-15 that will focus on entrepreneurship and business. Think of it as Wilmington's smaller attempt at Austin's famous South by Southwest Festival.

Cucalorus Connect is a combination of 2014's UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE)'s Coastal Connect Conference and the Cucalorus Film Festival.  The Coastal Connect Conference drew attendees from around the state and Southeast to hear entrepreneurial speakers and panels.  Cucalorus Connect will have more than 50 entrepreneurial-focused events alongside the normal film festival.

Cucalorus Connect will include daily events such as the Port City Pitch, where startups can make their business pitch to attendees as part of a conference-long competition.  Presenting companies include Mimijumi, Lapetus, TacLace, Easy Vote, Performance Culture, and Next Glass among others. There will also be several TED-style talks. Chris Heivly, a founder of MapQuest and managing director with the Startup Factory, will be speaking as will executives from Untappd, eHarmony, Yahoo Tech and Kickstarter.  There will also be various panels on a wide range of entrepreneurial topics.  There will be various social events and "Cuctails" as well.  One of the events that has been getting early buzz from the previews is the Virtual Reality Lounge, so be sure to check it out.

Cucalorus Connect has the potential to draw a large number of entrepreneurs and investors from within and outside our region. I hope that the entrepreneurial and business communities will come together during the event to learn, engage each other, and show everyone what Wilmington has to offer.

My goal today was to cover some of the events in Cucalorus Connect and to encourage members of Wilmington's business community to attend.

Adam Shay, CPA (NC License Number 35961), MBA, is managing partner of Adam Shay CPA, PLLC. He focuses on minimizing taxes and improving the financial results of entrepreneurs, and is actively involved in supporting the Wilmington entrepreneurial and startup community. For more information, visit http://www.wilmingtontaxesandaccounting.com/ or email him at [email protected]. He can also be reached by phone at 910-256-3456.