The newly expanded NC Tweener Fund announced its first investments this week, including two startups headquartered in the Wilmington area. 

The NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA, made seven new investments in startups across the state, including locally-based companies Skillmaker.ai and NeuroTech Insights, according to a press release issued Monday. The fund also made seven follow-on investments in companies located in the Triangle area. In total, the fund awarded $700,000 to 14 companies in the first quarter of 2026, the release stated.

The NC Tweener Fund, which was previously limited to funding startups in the Triangle region, underwent a transformation earlier this year when NC IDEA signed on as an anchor investor, promising a $4 million, five-year limited partner investment. 

“Following our announcement with NC IDEA, this first quarter of investments reflects both strong continuity and meaningful expansion,” said Scot Wingo, general partner of the NC Tweener Fund, in the release. “In addition to great opportunities to invest in scaling companies across the state, we are seeing interest from potential investors from a much larger geographical footprint as well.”

The Tweener Fund employs an “index-style” investment approach, making smaller investments across a larger number of later-stage startups that must meet specific requirements, such as $1 million in annual revenue. According to its website, the minimum annual investment is $20,000 or four investments of $5,000 per quarter. 

Carolina Beach-based Skillmaker.ai received $50,000 from the NC Tweener Fund, according to company officials, intended to go toward product development and hiring. 

Founded in 2024, Skillmaker was a winner in the emerging company category of the 2026 Coastal Entrepreneur Awards, an event hosted by the Greater Wilmington Business Journal and UNCW’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 

The company uses extended reality and artificial intelligence to train workers from industries facing labor shortages. It was also named NAPA Auto Care’s Strategic Partner of the Year for 2025. 

"We've been tracking Skillmaker's progress since Sept 2024 and we're excited by their progress across dimensions aligned with our expansion to investing NC-wide at the NC Tweener Fund, powered by NC IDEA," said Wingo in a statement. "I know from first-hand experience, we don't have a shortage of (Automotive Service Excellence-certified technicians), we have a crisis, and Skillmaker is poised to solve this problem, and also uniquely positioned to monetize the opportunity."

One of the locally headquartered startups slated to receive funding, NeuroTech Insights, was formed in 2025 as a merger between Wilmington-based SportGait and Chapel Hill-based Heads Together Health, according to a press release. The company’s mission is to advance neurofunctional health by combining gait and cognitive analysis using an AI-driven approach, the release stated. 

“NC IDEA wants to ensure founders across North Carolina have the support, resources and community they need to build something, and it’s exciting to see that momentum already taking shape, including investments in several companies we’ve previously supported through NC IDEA grants,” said Thom Ruhe, president and CEO of NC IDEA, in the press release.

According to the NC Tweener Fund’s website, the fund has invested nearly $12 million across over 170 companies over time. 

The seven companies receiving new investments are:

• Beam Dynamics – Winston-Salem, NC 
• BEAMRaiL – Cary, NC 
• Lucid Bots – Charlotte, NC 
• NeuroTech Insights – Wilmington, NC 
• OOGA Technologies – Cary, NC 
• Skillmaker.ai – Carolina Beach, NC 
• Spidr – Charlotte, NC 

The seven companies receiving follow-up investments are:

• Futureproof Ops – Cary, NC 
• Truentity Health– Raleigh, NC 
• Keebler Health – Durham, NC 
• Blue Sky Robotics – Chapel Hill, NC 
• Arpio – Durham, NC 
• Cycle Labs – Raleigh, NC 
• ​Troupe AI – Raleigh, NC