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Seven companies selected to join UNC-Chapel Hill entrepreneurship accelerator program
Launch Chapel Hill welcomes its latest cohort of promising new businesses
(Chapel Hill, N.C.—July 21, 2015) – Potential breakthrough analytics, a farm to food desert solution, geo-connecting and textile waste reduction are among the ideas being built by seven new startup companies that will soon take up residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Launch Chapel Hill, a six-month accelerator program designed to support companies in the early stages of their development.
This unique collaboration between Carolina, Orange County, the Town of Chapel Hill and a private donor seeks to advance the development of startups by giving company founders access to a community of peers, a network of experts and the space, knowledge and resources to achieve success and reduce the cost of failure.
“Throughout our competitive selection process these teams stood out for both the caliber of their ideas and their potential for scale,” said Launch Program Manager Dina Rousset. “We’re thrilled to welcome them to our space and look forward to seeing these diverse companies come into their own over the course of the next six to twelve months.”
The teams will spend 22 weeks in the structured accelerator program at Launch, receiving tools, resources and connections to help the entrepreneurs build their burgeoning businesses into self-sustaining enterprises. After completing the program, teams can continue to benefit from shared office space, access to mentors and special programming for an additional six months as they implement their business plans.
“Local entrepreneurship is the keystone of our economic development strategy,” said Chapel Hill Town Manager Roger Stancil. “This partnership between UNC, Orange County and the Town of Chapel Hill is producing the results we sought. We look forward to assisting these seven new startups as they build their businesses in Chapel Hill.”
Since its inception in January 2013, Launch has served 42 teams of all different industry types and including both non-profit and for-profit models through the accelerator program. To date, Launch businesses have raised more than $5 million in outside funding and created 40 full-time positions and 21 part-time positions, many in the Triangle area.
“Orange County is proud to be the home of Launch Chapel Hill, said Orange County Board of Commissioners Chair Earl McKee. “The spirit of these young entrepreneurs is aligned with the spirit of this county. They inspire us all, and bring an incalculable vibrancy and energy to this community.”
The seven teams joining Launch’s Fall 2015 cohort include:
BlipMe: A mobile app started by a student from the MBA program at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, along with two business partners, that allows friends and family to quickly share real-time locations with each other. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blipme/id981886073?mt=8
Seal the Seasons: Led by UNC students and alumni, Seal the Seasons buys food from local farmers, freezes it in a local facility and sells it exclusively to North Carolina stores, offering residents the opportunity to eat local year-round. http://www.sealtheseasons.com/
SWAP Socks: Creates and sells packs of mismatched socks with a mission to generate aid and awareness for the global visual impairment epidemic, with every pack they sell funding an eye care service for a person in need. Swap Socks was originally founded in California. Earlier this summer the leadership team, which includes two Chapel Hill natives, decided to bring both the business and their production to North Carolina. http://www.swapsocks.com/
Textile Solutions: Led by a UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA student, Textile Solutions takes a technical approach to help textile and polymer facilities streamline recycling and reduce their environmental impact.
Tribal Intel: Run by alumni of UNC’s Kenan-Flager Business School, Tribal Intel utilizes a real-time, dynamic platform to provide its clients with the analytics they need to streamline and focus the sales process. http://tribalintel.com/
Trill Financial: Started by two UNC students, Trill Financial provides subscribers with stock analysis software based on predictive analytics to optimize portfolio holdings. https://angel.co/trill-financial
Waterless Buddy’s: A waterless car washing service founded originally by two UNC undergraduate students, now a team of six students. The service is mobile, offering customers the opportunity to schedule a wash at a location of their choice. http://waterlessbuddys.com/
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About Launch Chapel Hill
A partnership between UNC-Chapel Hill, the Town of Chapel Hill and Orange County, with support from a private donor, Launch Chapel Hill accelerates the development of start-ups by giving company founders access to a community of peers, a network of experts and the space, knowledge and resources to achieve success and reduce the cost of failure. For more information: http://www.launchchapelhill.com/
About the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation’s first public university, is a global higher education leader known for innovative teaching, research and public service. A member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, Carolina regularly ranks as the best value for academic quality in U.S. public higher education. Now in its third century, the University offers 78 bachelor’s, 112 master’s, 68 doctorate and seven professional degree programs through 14 schools and the College of Arts and Sciences. Every day, faculty, staff and students shape their teaching, research and public service to meet North Carolina’s most pressing needs in every region and all 100 counties. Carolina’s more than 304,000 alumni live in all 50 states and 150 countries. More than 159,000 live in North Carolina.
Launch Chapel Hill contact: Dina Rousset, (919) 423-2770, dina@launchchapelhill.com
Communications and Public Affairs contact: MC VanGraafeiland, (919) 962-7090, mc.vangraafeiland@unc.edu