Heather McWhorter empowers individuals and communities to prosper through entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainability. She is the Director of the UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), which nurtures emerging
This article was contributed by Lydia Thomas, UNCW CIE Program Manager. In simplest terms, a startup pitch deck is a visual presentation used by entrepreneurs to communicate the key aspe ...
This article was contributed by Lydia Thomas, UNCW CIE Program Manager. “Being the All-Blue Intern at CIE has been an incredible experience. I have been studying oceanography at UNCW for ...
This article was contributed by Lydia Thomas, UNCW CIE Program Manager. “Preserving, protecting, and restoring our waters are tasks for many lifetimes, and sometimes the effor ...
This article was contributed by Lydia Thomas, UNCW CIE Program Manager. Unfortunately, most entrepreneurs don’t wake up one day with a lightbulb, game changing idea. Maybe a few do, but ...
“As a young entrepreneur I was having a hard time finding an accountable and wise mentor in business. The CIE mentorship program was that 4x. I was really only looking for one mentor, but I was ...
This article was contributed by Jim Roberts, the Founder of the Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington (NEW) and the WALE Angel Network. NEW is a member of the Wilmington Small Busines ...
This article was contributed by Paige O’Neill, MBA, NCET Program Manager. Are you tired of polluted floodwaters drowning your community? Are you worried about coastal erosion near your beach ...
Wilmington, North Carolina, is not just a coastal paradise known for its stunning beaches, historic charm, and thriving cultural scene; it's also emerging as a vibrant hub for entrepreneurship, co ...
If you love the ocean and are a thought leader, innovator, changemaker, or a curious and caring community member, I invite you to attend first ever Ocean Innovation Conference on September 1 ...
It’s time to address resiliency and mental wellness of entrepreneurs. By choosing a startup, entrepreneurs are choosing chaos. The results of what they are working on are unknown and unpredictab ...
This article was contributed by Kevin Conner, MBA, CIE Operations Manager. In the rapidly evolving world of entrepreneurship, having an empowering and dynamic workspace can make all the difference. ...
As we near the ten-year celebration of the ribbon cutting of the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) in September 2023, CIE’s 2023-202 ...
We have been hearing about artificial intelligence (AI) for years, but with the onset (controversy?) about ChatGPT, AI has made the headlines once again. In fact, if you search online for the term &ld ...
When you have your next great new product idea, how do you know that it is truly great? How do you know that it is needed by your target customer and they will purchase it? Business ...
Congratulations, you’ve made it! As we near the end of 2022 and pause for the holidays, it is the perfect time to reflect on successes of your year and to make plans for an even better 2023. &n ...
Entrepreneurs are incredible. They are: Activators. Brave. Creative. Diverse. Empathetic. Flexible. Go-getters. Hard working. Intelligent. Job creators. Knowledgeable. Leaders. Motivated. Needed. Opti ...
This article was contributed by Stuart Borrett, PhD, UNCW Associate Provost for Research and Innovation. University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) is maturing as a research university and ...
Last month’s Insights column (Where Ideas Come From) overviewed 16+ ideation techniques – in other words, idea generation tips to come up with your next million dollar idea. So now that yo ...
Have you ever thought, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Certainly that next million dollar idea is just out of reach. Today I am offering an overview of what are called “ideation& ...
This article was contributed by Justin T. Streuli, MBA, Director, UNCW Office of Innovation + Commercialization. You’ve probably read about the recent growth and success of UNCW’s ...
This article was contributed by Henry Hawthorne, Youth Program Coordinator, UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. While students at most universities are winding down their spring ...
This article was contributed by Henry Hawthorne, Youth Program Coordinator, UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The YEPex Youth Summit and Chancellor’s Innovation and ...
This article was contributed by Justin T. Streuli, MBA, Director, UNCW Office of Innovation + Commercialization and Randall Johnson, MBA, Executive Director, North Carolina Biotechnology Center Southe ...
This article was contributed by Jamie Stalfort, UNCW SBTDC Business Launch Specialist and Lead Organizer for 1 Million Cups Wilmington. Based on the notion that entrepreneurs discover solutio ...
This article was contributed by Stuart Borrett serves as the Associate Provost for Research and Innovation and the Chief Research Officer of UNCW. Research and innovation have the power to di ...
Happy New Year and welcome to 2022! I have supported new entrepreneurs for a couple of decades, and one thing rings true every year in January…this time of year, droves of hopeful, inspired pot ...
Countdown to All Blue Week! The first week in November is coming up fast and it’s our region’s first-ever celebration of All Things Blue – the ocean, river, wetlands, coastline and m ...
Join the Alliance for the Blue Economy (allbluenc.org) and internationally-known and acclaimed futurist and author Deborah Westphal (deborahwestphal.com) for “Convergence Conversations,” a ...
According to the Census, 12% of businesses in southeast North Carolina are minority-owned. Also according to the Census, 21% of the population is non-white and non-Hispanic. Similarly, 37% of business ...
COVID has reshaped not just how we live, work, and play but also where we live. While there is a mass exodus from major U.S. cities due to the pandemic, Wilmington has become a destination of choice. ...
The new PPP seems to be predicting, planning, and place. If the articles on return-to-office timelines and strategies are any indication – the snow globe’s been shaken and the snowflakes c ...
When growing companies opt to move their businesses to Wilmington, we all stand up and take notice. And we wonder: how did you choose Wilmington, and what do you need from us to succeed? I had the ...
Taking some liberties with a favorite Beatles song…"Oh, we get by with a little help from our friends; gonna try with a little help from our friends." And we did and we do &ndash ...
I met Cheryl and Wayne Baker in 2005 when I was President of the Ann Arbor IT Zone. We set up a Reciprocity Ring to spur collaboration among our tech ventures. I was amazed at how well it worked. &nb ...
By Richard Keary Thomas Wolfe coined the phrase, “you can’t go home again” and after relocating to Wilmington a few months ago, I do not want to go home. I am home. I have made se ...
46 meetings. 53 entrepreneurs presented. 1,800+ community members attended. Little did we know when we launched 1 Million Cups in Wilmington last February, that packing the CIE with seventy ...
As we launch into 2021, the CIE may seem quiet – but looks can be deceiving. While our sign is still beckoning on South College Road and our building is still open for tenants and small meetings ...
If you’ve just arrived in Wilmington or nearby, you probably don’t know how delighted we are you’re here. In fact, you’ve probably been stuck at home waiting out the pandemic. ...
Over a year ago, University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) and New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC) began efforts of educating health care professionals and College of Health and Human Ser ...
Contributed by Jim Roberts In working with entrepreneurs throughout North Carolina over the last 20 years, I have always heard about the FOMO of angel investors and venture capitalists describ ...
Software as a Service (SaaS) arrived in 1998. With SaaS, instead of installing and maintaining software, you simply access it via the Internet – and, voilà, you have the latest, debugged ...
Contributed by Keith Markfield As entrepreneurs we often set out to solve a problem with an idea and passion. The pace of startup life is fast and furious as you’re finding your fit in the ma ...
Soft skills are underrated. Entrepreneurs and small business owners often focus on the hard, business-focused skills. Accounting. Engineering. Operations. But it’s often the soft skills th ...
Our ever-growing community of entrepreneurs and the organizations that support them is richer by one. Only a few months old – and started during the Pandemic – Genesis Block is a welcome a ...
This article was contributed by Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship mentor, Phil Sindel. Tourism is highly visible in our regional economy – clearly adding dollars and jobs. Less ...
When you think about healthcare, you likely imagine nurses and physicians in hospitals and doctor’s offices. But the developers of SportGait found that those injured on the playing field would r ...
The Cape Fear Region is positioned to grow a world-class Blue Economy and add innovative bluetech ventures. UNCW CIE is collaborating with individuals, and public and private organizations, to make su ...
Instead of tea leaves or Tarot Cards, Lapetus Solutions uses proprietary algorithms and AI to predict your future – by reading your face. It’s not for entertainment, it’s se ...
Summer is often a more relaxed time of year for the UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship – but, not this summer. We’re social distancing and out of the public eye with networkin ...
Uncertainty continues with education this fall – in person, online, somewhere in between? K-12 back on schedule? Higher Ed on campus? But, amid the scramble of near-term decision making, there a ...
I wasn’t ready to say this a month ago, but now I’ll take the leap. Evidence is mounting that entrepreneurship is going to survive – and even thrive in the wake of the pandemic. Here ...
In the face of uncertainty, it’s difficult to offer startups useful advice. And, yet, that’s our goal at the CIE. It’s tempting to fall back on ‘hang in there’, we’ ...
Contributed by Laura Brogdon-Primavera, Manager of Programs and Operations at the UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and founder of the YEPex Youth Summit. Laura has been with UNCW since ...
How does the coronavirus crisis impact early-stage startups? Many small businesses, particularly those in the personal services, restaurant, hospitality, and travel industries, have been hit hard. ...
I saved a supplement from the Wall Street Journal from February 2009 titled, “So, You Want To Be an Entrepreneur”. I’m not exactly sure why I saved it, but I think it was because it ...
Sometimes it helps to remind ourselves why we need to foster startups and innovative new companies. One big reason – we simply can’t count on large corporations to create jobs. We need sta ...
Who are today’s ambitious startup entrepreneurs? That answer is different than it was 20 years ago. Most startup entrepreneurs are still white and male, but the demographics of founders are beco ...
Engaged and happy people are the secret ingredient in every success story. Imagine an unhappy entrepreneur or employee setting the world on fire with a new idea and an enthusiastic team of followers & ...
As 2019 winds down, expect a steady stream of predictions for the business climate in the coming year and decade. There’ll be exciting trends in technology, concerning forecasts on climate chang ...
As you'd expect from someone that’s run business competitions, I'm a big fan. And I'm not alone. Not only have business plan competitions continued to thrive and proliferate — ...
British venture capitalist, John Whatmore, is on a quest. He’s working to unearth the alchemy of creativity and use it to drive innovation and build the United Kingdom’s golden future. ...
Water, water everywhere…and more to come. Meet Jake Kheel, coastal development and sustainability expert, when Cucalorus Connect, the two-day innovation conference embedded in the Cucalorus ...
There are many hidden gems at UNCW and the crown jewel of them all is the CREST Marine Science Campus. It’s where important marine biotech and marine science research is happening and new ventur ...
What a great season! Cooler temperatures, football tailgates, and celebrations recognizing the successes of our minority- and women-owned businesses. Black Entrepreneurship Week was in September &ndas ...
Who can forget the 1996 film, Jerry Maguire, and its iconic phrase “Show me the money?" Early stage startup entrepreneurs have their own twist on that phrase. They’re saying, &ld ...
The Spirit of Entrepreneurship has found a welcoming and supportive home in Wilmington. If you put your ear to the ground, you’ll hear interesting conversations about entrepreneurship all over t ...
The UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) has unveiled a new mentor program designed to accelerate the success of local entrepreneurs. The program started nine months ago with a behind ...
This Insights article was contributed by Dave Haviland, CEO, Phimation Strategy Group. Feeling overwhelmed? Looking for an antidote? A friend of mine had a saying he used with his kids: &n ...
The Cape Fear region has a new way to give and get business advice – by tapping into a pool of ‘givers’. Adam Grant, renowned author, organizational psychologist, and Wharto ...
This Insights article was contributed by William Mansfield, SVP of Product Innovation & Technology for Suzy, NYC and the founder of the local startup Social Haven. We play a game in our fa ...
This Insights article was contributed by Reid Wilson, Founder of Language Corpus, Inc. and (formerly) Quintify, Inc. When I was in high school (way back when), I worked at the local Harris Teeter w ...
This Insights article was contributed by Keith White, MA, Certified Life Coach When I started my coaching practice, I took a step backwards and asked myself, What is coaching? I decided t ...
This Insights article was contributed by Pat Fontana, owner of WordsWorking. True story: I went through a fast food drive-through. While waiting at the window for my food – after a very p ...
This Insights article was contributed by Dan Brawley, executive director of Cucalorus Film Festival. When we first launched Cucalorus Connect five years ago, key players in the local startup ecosy ...
This Insights article was contributed by Wayne Hippo, Managing Partner of PS Solutions. Hiring programmers a world away has long been a desperate option for those looking to fill their need for te ...
This Insights article was contributed by Mike Orr, Director of IT Services & Operations at Modoc Research Services “For all the talk of machine learning and AI’s potential in th ...
This Insights article was contributed by Brendan Collins, Seahawk Innovation Partner and CEO of mimijumi Friends and family. Angel investors. Incubators. Series A. Convertible preferred stock. Liqu ...
This Insights was contributed by Ann Revell-Pechar at Fluent PR You only get one chance at a first impression… For startups, launch can be a go/no-go, life-or-death situation. Do it right ...
This Insights article was contributed by Katelynn Watkins of Sage Island. There’s an old adage that states you can’t know a person unless you’ve walked a mile in his or her ...
This Insights article was contributed by Katrina M. Harrell, President of KM Harrell Group. There is no denying that entrepreneurs are change agents in the world. We are able to identify opportu ...
This Insights article was contributed by Nikki Kroushl, Social Media and Content Manager at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The plight and power of the entrepreneur is that she wea ...
This post was contributed by Nikki Kroushl, CIE Social Media and Content Manager. When someone asks you about your New Year's resolutions, what do you tell them? Do you pull out a ...
Welcome to Monday morning - power up the fluorescent lighting and percolating coffee pots. It’s 8:45 a.m. In a few short minutes the elevators will begin delivering loads of tired, stressed & ...
In Part 1 of this article, Marc Mereyde of TiktoPlus discussed Wix vs. Wordpress in terms of the differences in user base, tools and service, and the need for coding skills. Part 2 compares the two pl ...
This Insights article was contributed by CIE’s David Morrison, and Althea Lewis with UNCW’s College of Health and Human Services. Last week, Cucalorus Connect gave social entrepr ...
This Insights article was contributed by Marc Mereyde of TiktoPlus. When it comes to building a website or blog, there are lots of decisions to be made. You’ll need to decide what t ...
This Insights article was contributed by Stan Martin at IT Works Since being widely adopted in the 1980s, computers have dramatically changed the way we do business. They forever transformed the wo ...
This Insights article was contributed by Alex Fisher of Elite Innovations, LLC. Collaboration is the best way to work. It’s [the] only way to work really. Everyone’s there because they ...
This Insights article was contributed by William Mansfield and Nikki Kroushl. We live in a world where 72 percent of smart phone users check their phones at least once per hour, and the average us ...
This Insights article was contributed by William Mansfield and Nikki Kroushl. Any person developing - or hiring a developer for - an app should immediately be able to answer four questions: What a ...
This Insights article was contributed by Alex Dale of Ward and Smith, PA. Now that your business has grown, have you read your software license agreements lately? If you are like many small ...
This Insights was contributed by DeVante Pickering, a UNCW senior and lead back-end developer for Uni-SPIRE. The Microsoft model-view-controller (MVC) framework is a software architectural pattern ...
This Insights article was contributed by Marc Mereyde of TiktoPlus It’s official - Google announced in September it will label websites containing passwords or credit card forms as &ldq ...
At the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, we’re all about — you guessed it — innovation and entrepreneurs. In a high-energy startup ecosystem like ours, there is a consta ...
Sarah Ritter came to UNCW knowing that she wanted to create a startup. The hardest part was figuring out what kind of startup, exactly, she wanted to create. She knew she wanted to work for herself ...
This Insights was contributed by Nikki Kroushl, CIE's Social Media and Content Manager. Kroushl is a creative writing and communication studies major at UNC Wilmington and copy editor of the stude ...
While at events, Carter Jewell realized something was missing: an alcohol-free option that wasn’t just water or soft drinks. Something that...
Lannin Braddock, owner and founder of The Braddock Group, shares her picks for podcasts, book recommendations and favorite apps....
The idea for the Beach Mule, an electric beach cart, came to company owner and founder Will Parker while on the Bald Head Island ferry....
The 2024 WilmingtonBiz: Book on Business is an annual publication showcasing the Wilmington region as a center of business.
