Grit and determination still fill the Carolina Core’s old brick factories and sun-soaked warehouses. Today’s tenants are some of the most creative, entrepreneurial and industrious companies in the country, eager to tap into the affordable real estate, resources for entrepreneurs and energetic network for colleagues and collaborators.
Entrepreneurs, tech gurus and creative innovators are throughout the Carolina Core. In High Point, employees at the North American headquarters of BuzziSpace work toward the Belgian design company’s mission of improving well-being at work. In Greensboro, scientists at Syngenta bring farmers safe and sustainable products to help them mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Equipping Entrepreneurs with Resources
Several organizations offer funding, mentoring, events and workshops, and space for entrepreneurs to develop their ideas.
Part of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, Launch Greensboro makes connections for startups seeking capital, a community of startup advisors, weekend learning bootcamps and more. Launch Greensboro also collaborates with First Launch Capital Fund, a seed-stage venture fund for companies based in the Piedmont Triad region.
Startup incubator Winston Starts provides programming to help anyone with an idea succeed and Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Fayetteville Technical Community College offers programs for entrepreneurs that have helped launch thousands of strong businesses.
Forge Greensboro, a community makerspace for entrepreneurs to work on projects while sharing ideas, equipment, tools and knowledge.
Hub of Innovative People and Ideas
The crown jewel of the Carolina Core’s tech and entrepreneurship cluster is Innovation Quarter in Winston-Salem, one of the fastest-growing urban-based innovation districts in the United States with more than 2.1 million square feet of office, laboratory and educational space.
There, companies are leading everything from purified, human-derived keratin manufacturing and research to custom solutions for enterprise level, web-based applications. In total, 90+ companies, five academic institutions, 3,700 workers and 1,800 students thrive in the urban research park.
In High Point, two historic buildings are being transformed into a dynamic space to work, gather, celebrate and innovate. Congdon Yards will include a state-of-the-art creation and innovation space that puts fabrication equipment in the hands of entrepreneurs ready to advance their daring ideas into prototype and production.
Notable Employers
