October CIE Connection

A Note from Heather McWhorter, UNCW CIE Director:

We are proud to share the UNCW CIE FY25 Annual Report. It reflects our mission to empower innovators, grow startups, and drive economic impact across our region—while serving as a dynamic bridge between the UNCW and the broader community.

🔗 Read the full report

🚀 Advancing Innovators at Every Stage
From the first spark of an idea to scaling successful ventures, CIE supports entrepreneurs through programs like Idea Test Lab and Founders' Roundtable, as well as ecosystem events such as 1 Million Cups Wilmington and the Ocean Innovation Conference—all designed to turn vision into action.

Gratitude:
💙To our founders and innovators—your courage, creativity, and grit inspire us daily.
💙To our sponsors, ecosystem partners, UNCW leadership, CIE team, faculty and researchers, CIE Mentors, volunteers, and CIEHawk interns—thank you for your belief in entrepreneurship, innovation, and collaboration.
💙Special thanks to the Annual Report team led by CIE Mentor Tracey Altman for helping us to tell this wonderful story! I am grateful.

📊 FY25 Highlights
10,600 program/event attendees
350 entrepreneurs supported → $19.2M capital and 54 new jobs
200+ mentors and volunteers engaged
1,100 UNCW students involved + 600 K-12 students engaged

These numbers reflect real impact—but for me, it’s always about the people. Unlocking potential, one person at a time.

🤝 How You Can Engage

Explore the FY25 Annual Report
Participate in programs
Follow us on social media
Partner, mentor, volunteer, or sponsor—let’s build the future together

Here's to another year of ideation, creation, and impact!

Heather

Congratulations to this year’s outstanding honorees: Sunlight, Sizeo, Lucid Bots, Gradient Health, CN-Seamless, Inc., Nuream, Remoov, Franzy, PROTECT3D, and Scale Social AI — each one pushing the boundaries of technology, innovation, and impact in North Carolina. (Special shout-out to Nuream, which is Wilmington-based and is a CIE coworker!)

CIE Director Heather McWhorter served as a judge and helped unveil the list in Durham. At CIE, we’re committed to championing entrepreneurs at every stage — and moments like these remind us why that work matters. (Photo is from the GrepBeat article.)

The Ocean Innovation Conference has officially come to a close as of the publication of this newsletter. More than 400 people are registered to attend. Stay tuned for a full recap in next month’s newsletter, and in the meantime, be sure to visit our social media channels for highlights, photos, and key takeaways from the sessions and speakers.

🐚 All Blue 101: Pre-Conference Primer

Before the main event, we held the All Blue 101 pre-conference at CIE and online, designed to ground attendees in the core principles of blue economy definitions and breadth, and to familiarize participants with the conference and Whova (conference app) layout. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Calling entrepreneurs with an idea or early stage company in Biotech or HealthTech!

The latest update to the UNC Wilmington Blue Economy Index, shared by Dr. Miran Hossain, continues to highlight Wilmington’s growing leadership in blue economy. The index is the first of its kind in measuring the economic activities in oceans and waterways. Periodic updates are shared at the LinkedIn page.

The chart illustrates a steady upward trend in the UNC Wilmington Blue Economy Index, outperforming national and global indexes.Follow the performance of the Index on Bloomberg Ticker: BLUEECO.

Oct 1 | Spark ILM (prev. Biz Expo), Wilmington Convention CenterOct 1 | Wilmington Chamber's 40 under 40 Awards - CIE Program Manager Lydia Thomas to be recognized!Oct 1 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | The Innovation Funding Journey | by SBTDC | in Durham + Virtual | Information is attached and here - https://sbtdc.org/events/the-innovation-funding-journey

Oct 4 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | UNCW Center for Marine Science Open House - Stop by the CIE booth!

Oct 6 | Youth Leadership Event*, Southport

Oct 6-10 | Cape Fear MED Week

Oct 8 | Chamber CLDA 7^th Graders Visiting CIE*

Oct 15-Nov 12| HealthTech/BioTech Idea Test Lab, Demo Day is on Nov 19

Oct 6-8 | UEDA Conference, Huntsville, AL (Heather presenting session on Building Bridges through Conversations)

Oct 8-9 | DCOMP 2025 Drone Competition, Autryville - https://fcedc.com/drone-challenge/

Oct 9-10 | UNCW Cybersecurity Conference - https://uncw.edu/research/major-programs/cyber-defense/events

Oct 10 | Conversations to Contracts by Genesis Block

Oct 14 11:00-1:00 | CIE Office Hours at Discovery Hall

Oct 14 | Idea Test Lab Alumni Founders Roundtable*

Oct 21 | Founders’ Roundtable*

Oct 21 | CIE Mentor meeting*

Oct 23 | Coalition meeting*

Oct 24 | DC Virgo Intro to Career Paths*

Oct 24-25 | NC State Blue Economy Workshop

Oct 28 11:00-1:00 | CIE Office Hours at Discovery Hall

Oct 30 2:30-3:30 | Honor Foundation Trek visiting CIE*

Nov 4 | All Blue monthly meeting*

Nov 5 | Welcome Wednesday

Nov 5 | Agentic AI 101 seminar by Dr. Karl Ricanek

Nov 11 11:00-1:00 | CIE Office Hours at Discovery Hall

Nov 11 | Founders’ Roundtable*

GEW Pre-events

Nov 11 | Poyner Spruill Business Law Series (CIE-sponsored program)

Nov 13 10 am - noon | It’s about the Story by Chris Mather webinar + CIE Event Space

Fri, Nov 14 noon | National Academy of Inventors* (OIC/RIST)

Nov 17-21 GEW Wilmington - https://www.genglobal.org/gew

Nov 17-18 | NC IDEA Ecosystem Summit, RTP - https://ncidea.org/summit/

Nov 17 10am-noon | Show me the Funding webinar + CIE Event Space by Chris Mather

Tues, Nov 18 | Entrepreneur Day

Nov 19 | HealthTech/BioTech Idea Test Lab DEMO DAY! (pre-GEW program)

Thurs, Nov 20 | The Recipe of the RAISE | NEW event | Ironclad Brewery

R-F, Nov 28-29 – UNCW/CIE closed

Dec 3 | Welcome Wednesday

Dec 3 | Deep Dive into Agentic AI 201 seminar by Dr. Karl Ricanek

Dec 9 | All Blue monthly meeting*

Dec 9 | Idea Test Lab Alumni Founders Roundtable*

Dec 9 | NC TECH Awards, Raleigh Convention Center

Dec 12 | CIE Mentor meeting*

Dec 16 | Founders’ Roundtable*

Dec 16-18 | UNCW Cyberboat Challenge, CMS - https://uncw.edu/research/major-programs/cyber-defense/research (students, faculty, govt, maritime)

Dec 24-Jan 1 | UNCW/CIE closed/winter break

*By invitation. Please ask CIE if you would like additional information about this program.

7. Event Highlights

Agentic AI Series

Registration is open for a two-part AI series by Dr. Karl Ricanek:

Agentic AI 101 November 3 10:30-11:30 a.m. - accessible introduction to Agentic AI, systems that can act autonomously to achieve goals. This session unpacks what makes AI “agentic,” how it differs from traditional models, and why it matters to you. We’ll explore real-world applications, potential societal impacts, and key questions around safety and control.

Deep Dive into Agentic AI 201 December 3, 10:30-11:30 a.m. - core components that power Agentic AI systems. You'll explore how tools come together to enable planning, memory, and dynamic decision-making. Through live examples and walkthroughs, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how these agentic frameworks are built.

Audience: Entrepreneurs, UNCW faculty, staff, and students
Cost: Free
🔗 Register here

🎤 Chris Mather Series – Global Entrepreneurship Week

“It’s About the Story!” Workshop
November 13, 10:00 a.m.–noon (Virtual)
Learn how to craft compelling investment pitches and deliver presentations that resonate with investors, customers, and partners.

“Show Me the Funding!” Workshop
November 17, 10:00 a.m.–noon (Virtual)
Explore funding options and strategies for your entrepreneurial venture.
Audience: Entrepreneurs and aspiring founders
Cost: Free, registration required
🔗 More info on GEW events

💡 Idea Test Lab Demo Day

Biotech/HealthTech Cohort Demo Day
November 19, 1:00–4:00 p.m.
Celebrate the culmination of the Idea Test Lab as founders showcase their innovative business ideas to the community.
Location: UNCW CIE
🔗 Learn more about the Idea Test Lab

1. 🌟UNCW CIE FY25 Annual Report: Fueling Innovation from Idea to Impact

2. Top 10 Startups Named in North Carolina

3. Leading Up to the Ocean Innovation Conference

🐚 All Blue 101: Pre-Conference Primer

4. Checking in on the UNC Wilmington Blue Economy Index🌊

Calling entrepreneurs with an idea or early stage company in Biotech or HealthTech!

5. CIE Office Hours at Discovery Hall

6. Calendar Quick View

7. Event Highlights

Agentic AI Series

🎤 Chris Mather Series – Global Entrepreneurship Week

💡 Idea Test Lab Demo Day

9. Parting Thought