Category: Launchpad

2023 Countdown to the Holidays Recap

ICYMI, we counted down to the holidays on social media – let’s recap:

In 2023… we added 12 new mentors and 12 new mentees to our Venture Mentor Services program. One of our signature programs, it has been around since 2015 and has almost 50 mentors working alongside 30 companies.

11 startup companies collaborated with university students from Clemson University’s Venture Consulting Class and the Furman Hill Institute Summer Bootcamp. We are grateful for our university partnerships and look forward to growing them in 2024. Thanks to Bricolage Dynamics, Custom Donations, Food Coach, Incora Health, Instaheat, Matty.ai, Myn.Health, TestedHQ, skillsgapp, Surcee, and Vicinity Capital for participating and providing these students with some great work experience!

We executed 10 Founders Forums covering a wide range of topics from Angel Investing to Storytelling! Thanks to all who attended and look for more in 2024.

There were 9 innings in the first game of the #StartupGVL Innovation & Entrepreneurship Night at the Drive. We’re already planning for next year – get ready!

We held our 8th NEXT Venture Summit. The shining star this year was our first-ever Investor Match Day which connected 24 investors with 47 founders followed by an incredible welcome reception. Day 2 was the Summit which highlighted the 10 Most Exciting Startups in the region and hosted 300 guests.

Our signature Launchpad event awarded 7 ventures with service packages ranging from marketing to financial support. Thanks to our partners who provided packages: Elliott Davis, DFS Creative Concepts, Find Great People, SCRA, Slant, and Wych PA provided packages to AR Funding, Avallano, BottleTitan, Builder Rocket, Incora Health, Metatomic Inc, and Stay Modal.

6,000+ of you subscribe to our community newsletter. Not on our the list? You can sign up for our newsletter by going to the footer of this website. It’s full of exciting #StartupGVL news, events, and more!

NEXT presented to 5 different visiting cities from Arizona to Belgium about economic development and the startup ecosystem!

NEXT couldn’t do ALL it does without the Fab 4 – our team. And, thanks to everyone from our sponsors, mentors, and ecosystem partners who help us.

We have 3 amazing organizational sponsors. We could not do our work without the support of the City of Greenville, Greenville County, and the Greenville Chamber of Commerce.

2 cohorts, equaling 18 companies, graduated from our Accelerator program. Congrats again to Bottle Titan, Bricolage Dynamics, Carbon Cents, Custom Donations, Digital Site Box, Incora Health, Performance Enhanced Delivery, Mapsheet, MyUI.ai, Pixlmob, RAAMP, Rebel Rabbit, Ruffian Software, skillsgapp, Susu Lend, TestedHQ, Vicinity, and WAVS Custom.

We finally counted down to celebrate 1 kick@ss #StartupGVL Ecosystem! Let’s continue to grow and build and scale businesses in this city we love.

2023 Year in Review

As we reflect on this past year (how is it already 2024?!), NEXT focused on our main goals: support the broader #StartupGVL community, engage high-growth entrepreneurs, and measure the impact of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Our vision is of a robust community that provides entrepreneurs with the resources they need to scale a business in this amazing city we love. (ICYMI, check out our countdown to the holidays!)

Let’s look back on some snapshots of how we did this in 2023:

NEW Programs we have launched

Accelerator Program – Graduated 2 cohorts of 18 companies
Growth Labs – 2 focused on Design Thinking & No Code Solutions

NEXT Events

10 Founders Forums – ranging from storytelling to angel investing
#StartupGVL Launchpad – 7 startups won packages from SEO to finance help
NEXT Venture Summit – including the very 1st Match Day!
2 Accelerator Showcases – 18 pitches and lots of great memories
1 SUDs – startup drinks in the summer

1st Greenville-based Match Day @ NEXT Venture Summit

24 investors met with 47 ventures speed-dating style
186 curated pairings = countless conversations, connections, and at least 1 investment (so far…)

Community Events [featuring NEXT]

#StartupGVL Night at the Greenville Drive (where we announced the 10 Most Exciting Startups in the Region)
October Beer & Napkins
Chamber of Commerce Leadership Exchange to Nashville, TN

Other City Visits to Greenville:

VOKA, 14 Flemish entrepreneurs traveled to the Upstate from Belgium
Hattiesburg, MS
Paragould, AR
New Braunfels, TX

Founders – You inspire us. Every day.

Here’s to our continued success in 2024 and beyond!

NEXT awards $95k worth of prizes at second annual #StartupGVL Launchpad event

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- April 7, 2023 (Greenville, SC) – The second annual #StartupGVL Launchpad event took place on Thursday, April 6th, and was an incredible celebration of early-stage innovation and entrepreneurship. With over 50 applicants for prizes in 7 categories, 7 winners were selected to receive prize packages that, in total, represent more than $95k.

Prize winners from the 2023 #StartupGVL Launchpad reception

The winner of the Business Consulting package provided by Elliott Davis was Modal, a globally-recognized and technically-advanced hostel concept shaping the short-term lodging industry.

The winner of the HR/Team Development package provided by Find Great People was Avallano, a SaaS platform that improves patient recruitment and retention using a secure, personalized, patient-centric approach.

The winner of the Branding and Design package provided by SLANT was Incora Health, an innovative, data-driven solution for fertility health and wellness management.

The winner of the Legal Servies package provided by Wyche was Bottle Titan, which produces customizable solutions to next-generation real-time asset tracking in any industry or sector.

The winner of the SEO and Digital Marketing Services package provided by DFS Creative Concepts was Metatomic, the premier company in dry spent nuclear fuel processing, by providing fuel salt for both thermal and fast molten salt reactors, which will produce carbon free electricity in the United States

The winner of the Seed Grant provided by SCRA was Builder Rocket, an intelligent digital platform that integrates builders, buyers, and brands to minimize or eliminate the communication gap between builders, home buyers, subcontractors, distributors, and manufacturers.

The winner of the bonus prize category Software Prototyping provided by Designli was AR Funding, which provides working capital through invoice factoring using Smart Contracts and Blockchain technology.

About NEXT

NEXT is a non-profit entrepreneurial support organization that attracts and helps grow high-impact, knowledge-based companies by developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Greenville, SC and connecting entrepreneurs to it. Our mission is to identify, engage and provide support for high-growth entrepreneurs and their teams as they build scaling, investor-ready companies through programming, connections and support whether just starting out or well on their way. For more information, visit www.nextgengvl.org

CONTACT:

Susan Durden | 864-735-7516 | sdurden@nextsc.org

NEXT Launchpad event awards 8 entrepreneurs with over $125k in prizes

The first-ever #StartupGVL Week was a huge success, with events from ecosystem partners including NEXT, Flywheel, The Hill Institute at Furman University and the City of Greenville, all collaborating to turn the spotlight on startups.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- April 7, 2022 (Greenville, SC) – The inaugural NEXT Launchpad event was an incredible celebration of early-stage innovation and entrepreneurship! With over 80 applicants for prizes in 6 categories, 8 winners were selected to receive prize packages that, in total, represent more than $100k.

And the winners are…

HR/Team Development (Find Great People) – Charcuterthree
Valuation (VentureFirst) – GoBeep
Finance/Accounting/Business Services (Elliott Davis) – A Polished Man
Legal Services (Wyche) – Aconabolics
Design and Branding (Brains on Fire) – Livi Lou Laine
Seed Capital from SCRA – Bottle Titan, Offeroo, SafeHelipad

In addition, Carl Sobocinski, founder and president of Table 301 Restaurant Group, joined Beth Brotherton for a candid conversation on-stage about facing fear and gaining courage throughout his entrepreneurship journey. NEXT also unveiled the first iteration of the StartupGVL Ecosystem Resource map, which features more than 50 local resources for startups and entrepreneurs in the Greenville region AND had StartupGVL T-shirts for everyone who attended.

ABOUT NEXT

NEXT is an entrepreneurial support organization that attracts and helps high-impact, knowledge-based companies grow by developing an entrepreneurial ecosystem and connecting entrepreneurs to it. NEXT currently supports over 120 knowledge-based companies in Upstate South Carolina. For more information, visit www.nextgengvl.org

CONTACT:

Susan Durden | 864-735-7516 | sdurden@nextsc.org

NEXT Announces new #StartupGVL initiative, bringing together ecosystem partners to champion entrepreneurship

StartupGVL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- April 7, 2022 (Greenville, SC) – At the first-ever NEXT Launchpad event on April 7th, NEXT unveiled the first iteration of the StartupGVL Ecosystem Resource map, which features more than 50 local resources for startups and entrepreneurs in the Greenville region AND had StartupGVL T-shirts for everyone who attended.

ABOUT #STARTUPGVL

Momentum is building across the Upstate of South Carolina. The region is realizing its potential as an innovation hub and making another storied move to anticipate where the puck is going, not where it’s been. StartupGVL is a destination. It represents the spirit of entrepreneurship and personifies innovation flowing from a diverse set of resources. From the chefs and foodies following their dreams along Main Street to the software geeks building tech-based businesses on the banks of the Reedy River – StartupGVL provides inspiration, connections and support. We believe that the spirit of innovation and the bold bravery of entrepreneurs will stimulate our entire economy and invigorate an integrated community.

ABOUT NEXT

CONTACT:

Susan Durden | 864-735-7516 | sdurden@nextsc.org