Empowering bold ideas, courageous individuals, and our community through innovation and entrepreneurship.

Empowering bold ideas, courageous individuals, and our community through innovation and entrepreneurship.

1. A Note from Heather

2. Connecting Entrepreneurs with Classroom Learning

3. Wilmington's First Inventor Day Held

4. Mentor Madness Recap

5. CIE in the WilmingtonBiz 100 

6. Wilmington Founders Roundtable Inaugural Dinner

7. CIE Tenant Spotlight: Michael Faircloth, TruPacta

8. 2025 CIE Memberships Available

9. Did you know?

10. Upcoming Events

11. CIE in the News

12. Parting Thought

1. A Note from Heather

Dear CIE Community,

As 2024 comes to a close, I want to take a moment to reflect on an incredible year at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). Together, we’ve achieved so much, and none of it would have been possible without the dedication, creativity, and collaboration of our vibrant community, staff, students, and volunteers.

This year, we celebrated milestones that reflect the entrepreneurial spirit we strive to foster. From supporting new ventures and hosting engaging programs to expanding our resources for local innovators, CIE has continued to be a hub for growth and connection. I am particularly proud of the national award that UNCW received as a result of CIE's Climate and Blue Economy Initiatives.

As we look ahead to 2025, I am filled with gratitude for each of you—our members, partners, mentors, and supporters. Your contributions and enthusiasm fuel our mission to empower entrepreneurs and strengthen the regional ecosystem.

And, speaking of 2025, CIE 2025 Memberships are now available! Consider becoming a CIE Member today as part of #GivingTuesday or through the month, as a nod to the importance of what we do for individuals and our community. (There are benefits for you, as well. Information about business and individual memberships is here.)

Wishing you a joyful holiday season and a prosperous new year. Let’s continue to dream big and innovate together!

With gratitude,

Heather McWhorter

Director, UNCW CIE

2. Connecting Entrepreneurs with Classroom Learning

Thank you to all who joined us in celebrating Entrepreneur Day! On November 19th, local entrepreneurs visited UNCW and local high schools to inspire over 450 students to dream big and start thinking about taking action in our community by becoming the next generation of entrepreneurs and business owners.

Thank you to all of the entrepreneurs that went to the classrooms at University of North Carolina Wilmington, Laney High School, John T Hoggard High School, Trask Shelter Middle School, Cameron School of Business at UNC Wilmington, and SEA-Tech High School:

• Chris Capone (Capone & Associates)
• Rachelle McCray (Wisely)
• Morrison Nguyen (Predicate)
• Richard Stroupe (Cape Fear Ventures)
• Mauricio Mendoza (Bixli)
• Jack Fleming (Socialry Marketing)
• Tracey Kusinitz Altman (Stax, an ice cream kitchen)
• Phil Everhart (SmartFox Technologies™)

Chris Capone (pictured above) emphasized how "knowledgeable and excited about startups and entrepreneurship" the students were. Thank you to all that participated!

3. Wilmington's First Inventor Day Held

Last month, we hosted the inaugural Inventor Day at UNCW CIE on November 13th, kicking off the event with 1 Million Cups at CIE. Attendees were treated to an insightful six-minute presentation by Ana Muresan from the USPTO, who shared invaluable resources for entrepreneurs looking to navigate the world of intellectual property.

The event then moved to Randall Library, where Elizabeth Dougherty from the USPTO introduced "Career Edge: STEM and Business," an interactive session that explored diverse career paths within the USPTO. Students had the opportunity to learn about the STEM hiring process and gained a behind-the-scenes look at the daily responsibilities of a patent examiner.

Back at CIE, the National Academy of Inventors Luncheon offered UNCW faculty exclusive patent tips and strategies, helping them better understand how to protect their innovations. The day concluded with a comprehensive workshop, "Demystifying the Patent Process," led by the USPTO, where participants received critical insights into patent filing and the patenting process.

Inventor Day provided a wealth of resources and opportunities for students, faculty, and entrepreneurs, fostering connections and expanding knowledge about intellectual property and the best patent tips.

4. Cape Fear MED Week Recap

Thank you to all the Mentors and Mentees who participated in Mentor Madness on November 21st. Your participation and commitment were crucial to the event's success. We appreciate your efforts and dedication to growth and learning.

Our speed-mentoring program was created to connect startup and scale-up entrepreneurs with experienced advisors. This opportunity allowed entrepreneurs to meet with 3 CIE Mentors, helping to build important relationships and connections.

Our CIE Mentors consist of 70% active professionals, including attorneys, investors, software developers, digital marketing experts, and founders. The other 30% are experienced individuals, such as retired executives and former founders. These mentors work in teams to support entrepreneurs through a 6-month program, helping them achieve significant milestones.

So, how do you assemble your own team? Easy. UNCW students, alumni, faculty and staff, and community entrepreneurs working on high-growth startups are welcome to apply for a CIE Mentor team. Teams typically consist of 3-6 CIE Mentors. If you fit the definition of a startup (ideas can be pre-MVP to raising capital and high-impact startups that are scalable in nature - tend to be science or tech based), please contact cie@uncw.edu to request a CIE Mentor Team Application to complete. After you complete the application, you will be contacted by the CIE Director or the Pipeline Committee. 

5. CIE in WilmingtonBiz 100

The annual WilmingtonBiz 100 culminates and recognizes the top 100 individuals in the city region who have brought great impacts to the North Carolina coast's business ecosystem. UNCW is well represented in the Biz 100, with 10 of our own being honored in the journal. The categories within the journal include Power Players, Influencers, Connectors, Innovators, and Rising Stars.

CIE's Heather McWhorter and Lydia Thomas were recognized for being top Connectors in Wilmington! Some other names mentioned alongside them in WilmingtonBiz 100 were Cameron School of Business', Dean Rob Burrus, as well as UNCW's Chancellor Aswani Volety. Chancellor Volety stated, “Your hard work, dedication and service inspire Seahawks everywhere to soar higher in service to others. Thank you for your positive impact on our campus and in our community." Read more about UNCW's impact here!

6. Wilmington Founders' Roundtable Inaugural Dinner

Last month, CIE held its inaugural Founders' Roundtable Dinner! This quarterly event is designed to foster community and connect outside of a business setting. A special thank you to Amy Kretzer and Jennifer Harkness of CLA Raleigh for sponsoring our first Wilmington Founders Roundtable Quarterly Dinner!

Founders pictured include Morris Nguyen of Predicate, Rob Cooley of Nuream, Daniel Summers of Electronic Lab Logs, Sara Auld of Upper, and Phil Everhart of Smartfox Technologies. Thank you all for an evening of great company and fun!

If you are a CIE member, incubator company, or coworker founder, co-founder, CEO, or officer, and would like to join Founders Roundtable, please contact Lydia Thomas at bjorklundl@uncw.edu. 

7. Spotlight: Michael Faircloth, TruPacta

Michael is a Co-Founder of TruPacta, a local North Carolina software startup with the mission to provide actionable assistance specializing in vendor management for Procurement and Supply Chain.

"At TruPacta, the focus has been on leveraging our team’s expertise in vendor relations and analytical skills to deliver automation of financial strategy and operational efficiency. My tenure at Verizon as a Vendor Manager honed these competencies, where I ensured the seamless performance of network and security vendors for 7 years. Driven by a passion for enhancing vendor fiscal operations, I co-founded TruPacta to leverage data analysis for business growth. Our software merges management theory with analytics for informed decisions and a strong financial framework. Positioned as Vendor FinOps for Procurement and Supply Chain, our AI Virtual Assistant integrates into customers' communication channels, maintaining relationships while alerting poor vendor performance and modeling optimal future vendors."

Over the summer Michael and the TruPacta team completed CED’s Grow Incubator Program under Cohort #7. Since then, the team has been offering trial demos and focusing on partnership deals. Michael holds undergraduate degrees in Economics and Statistics, and a Masters in Organizational Analytics from Elon University. He lives here in Wilmington with his wife Elizabeth and daughter Olivia.

8. 2025 Membership Available

Memberships support the CIE's resources to maintain and expand programs that support entrepreneurship in the Wilmington region. In addition to supporting the CIE mission, some benefits in becoming a member include event access, space access, virtual access and discounts (coming soon in 2025!), and much more!

Individual Membership types:

• Student – $25: Open to formally enrolled university and community college students.
• UNCW Faculty/Staff/Alumni – $50: For UNCW faculty and staff, this special membership level provides an opportunity to become involved in the Center.
• Individual – $75: Open to individual community members.
• Individual (Lifetime) – $500: Lifetime membership. Open to individual community members.

Business Memberships:

• Startup – $125: Two entrepreneurs and/or executives in the same company or organization.
• Nonprofit – $125: Organizations with current or pending 501c3 status; includes all organization members.
• Stakeholder < 25 Employees – $250
• Stakeholder > 25 Employees – $500

9. Did You Know?

Did you know that you can decide on which emails to receive from CIE? We have 4 different lists. To edit your preferences, please scroll the the bottom of this newsletter and click "Manage Preferences" to select your desired email lists!

1. The General CIE email consists of current events about to take place as well as acts as a form of communication between CIE members and staff.

2. The CIE Newsletter is what you are reading right now! It is a monthly email that sends you important information on achievements, events and programs that have already happened or soon will happen within the month. It also provides small tips for your start-ups, opportunities, articles, and a Spotlight section that celebrates a tenant of our very own CIE.

3. The 1 Million Cups email list is one that keeps you updated on the reoccurring 1 Million Cups event that happens every Wednesday morning at 9:00 at the CIE. The email doesn't just serve as a reminder though, it also provides important information, such as who the guest speaker will be.

4. The Blue Economy email list sends updates regarding All Blue, the annual Ocean Innovation Conference, or news in the Blue Economy.

10. Upcoming Events

11. CIE in the News

12. Parting Thought

"We are really, really pleased with the exposure and it’s something that I think will be impactful for us for a long time.”

- Danielle Mahon, owner of Topsail Steamer, 2021 Coastal Entrepreneur of the Year reflecting on Shark Tank experience