Female Founders from Across State to Participate in NC IDEA’s Female-Focused Mentorship Program
DURHAM, NC – April 23, 2018 – NC IDEA, a private foundation committed to supporting entrepreneurial ambition and economic advancement in North Carolina, announced today that the organization has selected eight female-led startups from across the state for its 2018 NC IDEA SOAR cohort. The group was selected from 25 competitive applications from throughout North Carolina.
“We are encouraged to work alongside this group of female-led startups that are poised to quickly grow and position themselves to raise funding in the next year or so,” said Thom Ruhe, President and CEO of NC IDEA. “These promising ventures were selected from a competitive applicant pool reflecting the geographic diversity we have been seeing in other Foundation programs.”
The eight companies selected for NC IDEA SOAR 2018 include:
- Anahata Swimwear – Wilmington, NC
- Healthy Bytes – Winston-Salem, NC
- MicMag – King, NC
- Mozak – Durham, NC
- myBeeHyve – Hampstead, NC
- Skilly-do – Wilmington, NC
- Ungraded Produce – Durham, NC
- Vavaroom.com – Wilmington, NC
NC IDEA SOAR addresses the proven funding gap facing female founders and provides strategic mentorship to women-led companies planning to pursue equity-backed funding to scale. Founders will follow highly individualized plans and meet with dedicated mentors every other week. The cohort will gather for intensive sessions every six weeks, with opportunities for further collaboration on a regular basis. The teams will also gain access and introductions to NC IDEA’s network of advisors, partners and investors.
About NC IDEA FOUNDATION
NC IDEA is an independent private foundation committed to supporting entrepreneurial ambition and economic advancement in North Carolina. Today, the organization fulfills this mission through multiple grant and assistance programs. NC IDEA ECOSYSTEM funds organizations across the state that execute creative programs to support entrepreneurs. Similarly, NC IDEA ENGAGE is a community-focused grant program supporting individuals and organizations that facilitate entrepreneurship activity. Over the last decade, the NC IDEA SEED program has awarded over $5M in non-dilutive grants to 125 high-growth companies across the state. Since 2011, over 150 companies have participated in NC IDEA LABS, formerly Groundwork Labs, to guide founders developing an idea or product. NC IDEA SOAR, a program founded in 2012, supports female entrepreneurs leading scalable businesses in raising capital through mentorship, strategic advice and connections. NC IDEA LEAD, the Foundation’s newest program, provides leadership training for founders of high-growth companies. Learn more at ncidea.org.
