PowerUp, Center of Excellence in Entrepreneurship and Innovation to Host Pitch Workshop

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Feb. 17, 2023) – PowerUp is partnering with North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s Center of Excellence in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEEI) to host a venture ideation and pitch workshop for the university’s students, faculty and staff.

Through this partnership, PowerUp will seek to fund student-, faculty- and staff-led ventures that deliver innovative solutions to underserved communities at the intersection of mental health and nutrition.

The event will begin with a dinner Wednesday, Feb. 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. in Craig Hall Room 337, where participants will be able to collaborate with peers to refine their ideas and pitch them to the broader group. At the end of the dinner, select participants with unique ideas will be invited to the next day’s workshop.

The workshop is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 23, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Craig Hall Room 337. There, selected participants will be provided with tools to improve their solutions and refine their markets and business models while critically evaluating the potential trajectory of their ventures. At the workshop’s conclusion, they will present their concepts to a panel of local community leaders and receive feedback, including guidance on possible next steps if PowerUp expresses interest in pursuing their venture.

PowerUp is a program that identifies and supports innovators as they try to solve health equity challenges in underrepresented communities across North Carolina.

The program was developed through the Eshelman Institute for Innovation, within the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Founders Initiative, a nonprofit that supports HBCU students, alumni and faculty along their entrepreneurial journey.

PowerUp’s goal is to connect top talent with investment and advisory support to launch innovative digital health startups that will provide health care solutions to communities.

Within three years, PowerUp plans to deliver at least six validated venture concepts from diverse communities, at least six diverse founders to lead and three venture-based startups. These startups will be eligible to receive funding from the HBCU Founders Fund, a $40 million accelerator fund and venture studio investing in the most promising startups where at least one of the founders is an HBCU student, alumnus or faculty member.

For more information about the venture ideation and pitch workshop, contact Joel Wiggins, CEEI interim executive director, at 336-285-2658 or jcwiggins@ncat.edu.