Our History
In 2005, NC IDEA began with a simple focus; to grant seed funds directly to growing technology startups. Today, we are committed to challenging old thinking and practices, thereby rewriting the manual on how communities, and even statewide efforts, economically empower people. The following timeline highlights some of the important events along our journey.

PRIVATE FOUNDATION
NC IDEA converts from a 501 c(3) supporting organization to a private Foundation, an essential step to furthering our ambition to boost North Carolina’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
HELPING MORE ENTREPRENEURS
The Foundation pilots NC IDEA MICRO to award smaller, validation grants in the amount of $10K to companies not yet positioned for our traditional $50K NC IDEA SEED grant. Fifteen companies were awarded grants in its inaugural cycle. Today, NC IDEA MICRO remains a signature program of the Foundation.
100,000 MINDSETS
NC IDEA commits to a statewide rollout of the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program with the ambitious goal to educate 100,000 North Carolinians with an entrepreneurial mindset. In December 2018, 50 individuals from across the state graduated from the Foundation’s first Ice House Facilitator Training.
UNPRECEDENTED GATHERING
In November 2019, NC IDEA hosted the first-ever statewide Ecosystem Summit with the ambition to redefine economic development through entrepreneurship. The Summit was an unprecedented gathering of nearly 500 individuals and organizations who support, encourage and nourish NC’s entrepreneurs.
RETHINK AND RESET
In November 2020, NC IDEA hosted its second annual Ecosystem Summit with the ambition to rethink and reset economic development priorities through entrepreneurship for North Carolina. The interactive, virtual event was held November 16-17, 2020 as an official event of Global Entrepreneurship Week.
2022 Ecosystem Summit
In 2022, attendees reconnected in Winston-Salem, NC, to showcase the growth of our ecosystem that has supported a record-breaking number of new high-propensity firm filings since 2020. Nearly 500 attendees joined us from around the state to celebrate the collective work that makes NC the leader in equitable economic development.