RTCC Newsletter: Industry Insights, Member Updates, and More

Message from the Executive Director

Innovation is part of our DNA here at RTCC and the driver for our Cleantech Entrepreneurship Energizer next Wednesday, March 6. At this second annual event, we are excited to advance our strategic objectives to promote new clean technologies, support cleantech entrepreneurs, and build North Carolina’s innovation ecosystem.

This year’s Energizer theme builds on what we learned from our attendees last year and centers on how collaborations, especially across sectors, can help transform and advance our entrepreneurial ecosystem. We will have representatives tackling this from a wide range of perspectives, from entrepreneurs themselves, funders, entrepreneurial support organizations, academic commercialization offices, government entities, and industry innovators.

Whether you are simply curious about the amazing new technologies coming from local entrepreneurs or innovation is your daily work, please join us! We all have something to gain—and insights to give—and we look forward to learning and building this important ecosystem together!

- Dr. Deb Wojcik

RTCC IN ACTION

Cleantech Spotlight Series:

Driving Innovation: Autonomous Transportation & Sustainability

Thank you to everyone who joined us earlier this month for our first Cleantech Spotlight of the year! It was an inspiring afternoon touring the new Downtown Cary Park and exploring how local governments, state government, and businesses are collaborating to address transportation needs and meet their carbon reduction goals through autonomous transportation.

We would like to say thank you to our event partner, Town of Cary, and to our speakers:

Nicole Coughlin, Chief Information Officer, Town of Cary
Jennifer Robinson, Global Government Strategic Advisor, SAS
Sarah Searcy, Senior Advisor for Innovation, NCDOT
David Spencer, Transportation Engineering Manager, Town of Cary

Cleantech Catalyst Series: Charting North Carolina's Offshore Energy Future

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us to discuss the exciting future of offshore wind in North Carolina! It's clear that this technology is charting a new course for clean energy in our state.

We would like to say thank you to our event partner, Southeastern Wind Coalition, and to our speakers:

Jen Banks, Permitting & Development Director - NC, TotalEnergies
Cathy Casper, Account Director, Hitachi Energy
Katharine Kollins, President, Southeastern Wind Coalition

EnergyTech UP Regional Explore Event

The Finalists have been named for the 2024 EnergyTech University Prize competition!

Congratulations to all teams selected, including “State-of-the-Art Power Generation Dispatch" from Duke University.

In addition to the Finalists, judges selected teams to highlight as Undergraduate-Only Semifinalists. Congratulations to these teams as well, including "Blackout" from NC A&T.

Thank you to our amazing panel of judges, who selected the top student team from this region to move on to the national competition in April:

Lisa Bagwell - Director of Field Application Engineering, ABB
Jason Massey - Co-Founder and CEO, Ndustrial
Taylor Moot - Innovation Advisor, RTI Innovation Advisors

FEATURED EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

2024 Cleantech Entrepreneurship Energizer

RTCC’s Cleantech Entrepreneurship Energizer brings together cleantech entrepreneurs, funders, industry leaders, government officials, supporting organizations, and technology experts interested in supporting cleantech innovation and advancing the cleantech entrepreneurial ecosystem in North Carolina and beyond.

Building on the success of our inaugural event in 2023, this year's focus is on identifying and addressing challenges identified by cleantech entrepreneurs and exploring opportunities for collaboration to overcome potential obstacles.

Panelists include:

Joey Barrick, SJF Ventures
Debbie Branson, Itron
Sean Johnson, NC A&T Center of Excellence in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fatima Malik, ABB
Erick Peña, City of Durham

Featuring start-up pitches from:

This event is sponsored by:

This project received support from NC IDEA.

UNC Cleantech Summit

Registration is now open for the 10th Annual UNC Cleantech Summit! The event will be held March 21-22 at UNC's Friday Conference Center.

Click here to learn more, view the full program agenda, and register.

BECOME A MEMBER

Have you considered joining RTCC?

RTCC delivers value to your organization through three strategic priority areas: Business Development and Collaboration, Education and Talent, and Innovation.

Our tiered membership structure is based on the type and size of your organization. Plus, membership benefits are open to all employees.

Learn more about the benefits of membership on our website or reach out to RTCC Membership Recruitment & Retention Manager Emmit Owens for more information.

CLEANTECH POINT OF VIEW

A Call for Offshore Wind: Investments Needed in Key Technologies

Debrup Das - Head of Renewables, North America

In this North American Clean Energy article, Debrup Das of Hitachi Energy discusses three technologies needed to help unlock the potential of offshore wind.