MICRO and SEED Grant Applications Open 7/28!

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Resources

Here to Help

We offer a collection of resources designed to help innovative entrepreneurs start and grow their startups.

NC IDEA provides entrepreneurs with the practical tools and support they need before taking the next step in their journey toward building a successful company. Then, IF and WHEN the time is right, be prepared to apply for our MICRO or SEED.

Our Programs

Supporting North Carolinians in reaching their entrepreneurial potential through a variety of programs.

Think like an entrepreneur

NC IDEA MINDSET: Develops skills and critical thinking to help individuals succeed regardless of their chosen path

NC IDEA MINDSET
Validating your startup

NC IDEA MICRO: Provides $10K and programming to founders testing assumptions about their business

NC IDEA MICRO
Scaling and growing

NC IDEA SEED: Awards $50K to early stage companies looking to gain customers or attract investors

NC IDEA SEED

Our Partners

North Carolina Ecosystem

Guided by a commitment to supporting entrepreneurial ambition and economic advancement in our state, NC IDEA has partnered with nearly 200 organizations that deeply understand their local communities through its NC IDEA ENGAGE and ECOSYSTEM grant programs. Learn about the organizations in your community that want to help you succeed.

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NC IDEA Foundation, Startup Resource Guide

Startup Resource Guides

AI-Powered Tools for Your Startup

The Startup Resource Guides (aka WISE Guides), are AI-powered resources for North Carolina founders at any stage of their startup journey. Whether you are a new or experienced founder, these guides provide clear steps to achieve the essential product-market fit that successful founders prioritize and funders consider essential when evaluating investments. The guides also include resources for building pitch decks and marketing materials.

Structured around six key areas—Problem, Offer, Solution, Funnel, Product, and Business Model—the guides simplify complex startup concepts with practical, customizable prompts for AI tools like ChatGPT 4.0, tailored to your needs. Save time and accelerate your progress.

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Advancing Equity, Improving Economic Mobility

MDC equips Southern leaders, institutions, and communities with the necessary tools and strategies to advance equity—particularly racial and gender equity—and economic mobility. For over 50 years, institutions, communities, foundations, and others across the South have turned to MDC for deep knowledge and proven tools to design, demonstrate, and sustain what works to boost members of underinvested communities to higher rungs on the economic ladder.

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Office Hours

Connect with members of our team one-on-one to learn more about the resources and opportunities available to you at NC IDEA. We have limited Office Hour appointments on a weekly basis and increase the number of available time blocks during our Spring and Fall grant cycles. Schedule time with us so we can learn more about your idea.

>>Schedule Office Hours with Amy Bastian, VP Grants & Programs, for all things NC IDEA SEED

>> Schedule Office Hours with Allan Younger, Senior Director of Programs, for all things NC IDEA MICRO

>> Schedule Office Hours with Carlo Diy, Program Manager, for all things NC IDEA MINDSET

***Please note that Office Hours are intended for questions specific to each team member’s area of expertise. They should be used sparingly and only for matters related to NC IDEA.***

Amy Bastian Color WEB

Amy Bastian

VP, Grants & Programs
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Allan Younger Color WEB

Allan Younger

Sr. Director, Programs
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Carlo Diy - Headshot

Carlo Diy

Program Manager
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Our Partners

NC IDEA PODCAST

Hear from entrepreneurs and experts who are challenging the status quo and driving lasting change.

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NEWS + INSIGHTS

Explore the latest NC IDEA updates, featuring news from our companies, partners, and more.

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MEET OUR COMPANIES

Explore our growing network of funded companies built over 20 years.

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Amy Bastian

Vice President, Grants and Programs

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Amy serves as the Vice President of Grants and Programs at NC IDEA, where her primary responsibilities are managing the NC IDEA SEED and NC IDEA MICRO grant programs.

Prior to NC IDEA, Amy Bastian served as Director of Analytics and Testing for The Nature Conservancy. There she developed and led the Marketing Department’s digital analytics and website testing programs, with a focus on developing well-defined business goals and providing actionable insights leveraging qualitative and quantitative data. Amy was also an Account Director at Blackbaud and the Membership Director of KCRW public radio.

Amy received an MPH in Biostatistics from University of California, Los Angeles and a B.S. in Journalism with a double major in Economics from University of Maryland, College Park. She is a member of Durham Habitat for Humanity’s Family Selection Committee and part of the leadership team for 100 Women Who Give a Hoot: Chapel Hill/ Durham. She is also an NC IDEA MINDSET certified facilitator of the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program.

Amy has set aside time on Friday mornings to answer questions about NC IDEA MICRO and NC IDEA SEED. Schedule a time with Amy here. 

Allan Younger

Senior Director

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Allan is the Senior Director of Programs at NC IDEA where he leads the Foundation’s programmatic priorities and partnerships. He oversees program development and management for all entrepreneur programming; including the Foundation’s NC IDEA LABS customer discovery curriculum, programmatic support for NC IDEA MICRO grant recipients and deployment of the Ice House curriculum through NC IDEA MINDSET.

Prior to NC IDEA, Allan served as the Director of the Small Business Center at Forsyth Technical Community College located in Winston-Salem, NC where he was responsible for strengthening operations and services, enhancing support to small businesses and providing community advocacy. Previously, Allan was a Business Counselor at the Small Business and Technology Development Center. He also served in several roles at GE Capital. Allan currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at Winston-Salem State University and previously served as Adjunct Professor at Carolina Christian College, Forsyth Technical Community College and Salem College.

Allan received his MBA from Winston-Salem State University and a B.A. in Economics and Sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Allan is available for 15-minute appointments for those interested in discussing their existing or prospective businesses.  Schedule a time with Allan here. 

Carlo Diy

Program Manager

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Carlo serves as Program Manager at NC IDEA. He is also an NC IDEA MINDSET certified facilitator of the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program. In this role he oversees the NC IDEA MINDSET program and its deployment throughout the state.

Prior to NC IDEA, Carlo founded and grew HaitiHub.com – a language learning company and social enterprise that helps people learn the Haitian Creole language so they can do more effective humanitarian aid work in Haiti. Drawing on his own entrepreneurial experience and love for education, Carlo taught high school entrepreneurship for several years in Durham Public Schools and wrote curriculum for COMPTIA among other organizations.

Carlo received a Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from Duke University and a B.A. in English from Pomona College.