What an incredible journey we had at our Captain's Circle educational session.
📣 Shout out to our sponsor, Deloitte. Thank you for taking the time to educate our founders on best practices and managing the financial aspects of their venture.
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✈️Thrilled to share that Senator Michael Lee (NC-7) paid a visit to the First Flight Venture Center!
It was an incredible opportunity for him to witness firsthand the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit thriving in our ecosystem.
Thank you, Senator Lee, for taking the time to visit First Flight and meet some of our incredible entrepreneurs.
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This month’s Talking Shop was a blast! ✈️
Hangar6 Director, Ben Provan, and Manager, Sofie Permana, had a number of folks join including one of our FFVC tenant founders as well as a founder Propellor graduate - all working on hardware startups.
We had a lively discussion about various approaches to early-stage prototyping, including ways Hangar6 can accelerate the process, while also exploring low-tech approaches to rapidly prototype before going down the 3D printing / digital manufacturing path (duct tape and bubblegum for the win!🏆).
👏🏻It was great getting the perspective of other founders in the room and their experience of commercializing their products.
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This quarter's Captain's Circle dinner did not disappoint. 👏🏻
Resident companies at the First Flight Venture Center had the chance to interact with serial entrepreneur Jud Bowman. In a candid discussion, Jud, who is currently leading his third tech venture, shared the highs, lows, and challenges of entrepreneurship.
It was a pleasant surprise to discover that Jud initiated his first venture, Motricity, at First Flight Venture Center back in the late 1990s.
Special thanks to Hutchison PLLC for supporting our high science high impact founders.👏🏻
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Another wonderful Itinerary presentation from our great collaborators at DEFTECH by Bob Burton, Interim Director. DEFTECH is a part of the North Carolina Military Business Center and is a free resource working to connect North Carolina innovators with DOD funding opportunities.
Thank you, Bob and DEFTECH!👏🏻
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NEW Propeller Cohort Starting Soon!
Propeller is a 6-week entrepreneurial design thinking program that helps founders and
entrepreneurs determine whether there is sufficient value to pursue a product or
service idea. The program helps entrepreneurs identify potential markets, develop a
path to market strategy, and learn how to communicate the value of the idea to early
stakeholders and adopters.
Scholarships Opportunities
- Partial scholarships for AgTech Companies sponsored by NC IDEA ($500)
- Scholarships for Raleigh-based companies from the City of Raleigh
- Scholarships for 6 Female founders for the SBA’s Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program
- Scholarships for Defense Textiles and Wearables from the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program (DMCSP) from the Department of Defense
questions.
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First Flight Venture Center - Dr. Yi Wang
Dr. Wang is an early-stage life science startup operator, consultant, and angel investor, and a researcher. His experience blends business operations, startup fundraising, and scientific research in both the biotechnology and health data fields....
Read more
www.ffvcnc.org
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First Flight Venture Center - Brian P. Spencer DPM MBA
Dr. Brian Spencer has more than 20 years of leadership experience in healthcare. Throughout his career, he has guided his colleagues to reach beyond their expectations as a Chief Resident, Medical Practice Owner, Chief of Surgery, Chief of...
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www.ffvcnc.org
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Test Flight Pitch Practice at First Flight – 2/6, 8:30-9:30 AM (HYBRID)
Test Flight is a startup community building event with the purpose of raising the bar for pitches in our region. We host it on the First Tuesday of every month. Just about every early-stage startup knows they will need to hone their pitch to potential investors, customers and other interested parties. But where can you go to practice your pitch and get better before actually asking for money? That’s why we created Test Flight!
This month we are pleased to hear pitches from:
EMX Solution is the world’s first mmWave Radar Company for Wind Industry
AcreShield Technologies offers a plant pathogen surveillance tool that equips farmers with the knowledge of when, where, and how to protect their crops from disease.
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How to WIN SBIR/STTR Grants Education Seminar
Presented by First Flight Venture Center and Mark Roberson
DATE: Wednesday, February 28, 2024
TIME: 8:30 am – 12:30pmHybrid Event
LOCATION: In Person at First Flight Venture Center, 2 Davis Drive, Durham, NC 27709
The Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program provides one-year of funding to organizations to execute state/regional programs that increase the number of SBIR/STTR proposals (through outreach and financial support); increase the number of SBIR/STTR awards (through technical assistance and mentoring); and better prepare SBIR/STTR awardees for commercialization success (through technical assistance and mentoring).
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Join us for our 3rd Annual March Madness Open House: Where Innovation Takes Center Court™. This dynamic event brings together an ecosystem of high science, high impact entrepreneurs and supporters. The event is scheduled to take place on March 22, 2024.
The schedule for the day:
9:00-11:00 AM
Ultimate Test Flight Pitch Practice
Each regional university will host one seat in the Test Flight pitch practice, with First Flight’s Navigator Mentors providing feedback.
11:00-12:00 PM
L’Oreal Research and Innovation
Dr. Shuman Mitra, AVP Open Innovation
Dr. Mitra will share background on L'Oréal Research and Innovation as it relates to Open Innovation and non-confidential topics of interest.
L’Oreal Areas of Interests: (non-exhaustive)
Microbiome, Regenerative Beauty, Green Sciences, Synthetic Biology, Photoprotection, Exosome, Ag Tech, Materials Science, Digital, Beauty Devices, etc.
12:00-5:00 PM
Open House with LOTS of BASKETBALL!
It's game time! Join First Flight Venture Center for the ultimate viewing experience across three TVs, connecting, networking, and enjoying the NCAA Tournament games together as an ecosystem.
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Growth Accelerator Fund Competition(January 31st) Sign-up Here
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Apply now for a priority review to World's Largest...
Learn about applying to the largest healthcare accelerator; access strategics, investors, customers. Graduates have gone on to raise >$7B.
Read more
medtechinnovator.org
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Life Sciences Innovation | Springboard
Learn more about Springboard's Life Sciences Innovation Program and how it positively impacts women-led companies.
Read more
sb.co
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Apply to IdeaFest 2024
Apply to IdeaFest 2024 in Danville, United States. 20 Competitors, $10,000 Cash Prizes, 3 Minutes to Pitch...
Read more
www.f6s.com
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FOR ENTREPRENEURS - NC IDEA
Whether you have an idea or have already launched your startup we deliver grants and programs to help you take that next leap or scale operations. By building trust and working closely with entrepreneurs, we strive to ensure greater impact and...
Read more
ncidea.org
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SBIR/STTR Tips: Common Proposal Pitfalls
SBIR and STTR proposals are truly unique documents. They must meld together strong technical / scientific content with a robust understanding of the potential market and value creation possibilities. Often it takes more than one attempt at...
Read more
sbtdc.org
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Check out these other great NC-based Entrepreneurial Newsletters and Resources!
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Create a great offer by adding words like "free" "personalized" "complimentary" or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining!"
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