Print
More News

Roberts Rolls Out 2 Entrepreneurship Entities

By Jenny Callison, posted Oct 21, 2015
Since leaving University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) last March, Jim Roberts has remained active in Wilmington’s startup scene. Through an informal arrangement with Ironclad Brewery, he has been hosting events for entrepreneurs and has remained in touch with many of the young companies he worked with at the CIE.

Now, Roberts has announced the official launch of two parallel initiatives, both designed to provide area startups with the support they need to grow and ultimately fuel the local economy.

One initiative is Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington, or NEW. Roberts says it’s the formal organization of his events series.

“It’s a nonprofit entrepreneur support organization much like the CED (Council for Entrepreneurship Development) in Raleigh-Durham,” he said Wednesday, adding that the organization is similar to ones he started in Charlotte and Asheville earlier in his career.

The organization’s activities will be sustained through sponsorships from area businesses that have an interest in supporting and providing services to the entrepreneurial community, Roberts said. He has two sponsors currently.

“There are a lot of people in this community that want a stronger local economy. Startups are a way to grow that, and a way to hold on to college graduates that desperately want to stay in Wilmington,” he said.

The second initiative is Wilmington Angels for Local Entrepreneurs (WALE), an investor network.

“WALE has been in process for months trying to find support from committed members but has now been formalized legally,” he said.

That organization is sustained through an annual membership fee. WALE is already functioning, Roberts said, and has had two sessions with a total of five early-stage companies looking for financial backing.

The first was an informal meeting, in late July, with a young venture that is – in Roberts’ words – in stealth mode. At the second, WALE members heard presentations from three of the five Wilmington startups that were chosen to participate in the CED’s TechVenture conference in September, plus one Elite Innovations makerspace client.

Roberts declined to name the presenters; he also did not say how many investors he has in his network, nor the amount of the annual membership fee.

He did indicate that his members have committed to investing in "at least two of the companies they have already seen."

WALE has also linked up with a syndicate of other investment groups in the Southeast, which offers further financing potential to startups the Wilmington group supports.

If the investors commit at least $50,000 to any one startup, WALE will be able to send that company to the syndicate for those groups’ consideration, Roberts said.
Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
Gretchen roberts 2021

New Requirements for Small Businesses: Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting

Gretchen Roberts - Red Bike Advisors
Unknown 7112393341

Why Feasibility is Paramount to Success

Holly Segur - Lead Intuitively – Corporate Coaching
Web awstaffpic2020 1 132245438

The 2024 Luncheon for Literacy featuring Special Guest Jason Mott

Alesha Edison Westbrook - Cape Fear Literacy Council

Trending News

New Hotel Proposed Along Market Street In Ogden

Emma Dill - Mar 15, 2024

Businesses Reopen A Week After Grace Street Facade Collapse

Emma Dill - Mar 15, 2024

Tech Upskilling Cohort To Host First Wilmington Class

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 15, 2024

In The Current Issue

Expanding Tastes On Castle Street

As John Willse and Beth Guertin, owners of Wilmington Wine bottle shop and now the recently opened Creative Tastings restaurant on Castle St...


Topsail-area Realtors Share Updates

Pender County Realtors recently shared updates about the coastal market at an event hosted by the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Associa...


Berries, A Battlefield And More In Pender

The N.C. Blueberry Festival, founded in 2003, is one of several events in Pender County that have drawn more attention over the years....

Book On Business

The 2024 WilmingtonBiz: Book on Business is an annual publication showcasing the Wilmington region as a center of business.

Order Your Copy Today!


Galleries

Videos

2023 Power Breakfast: Major Developments