NC IDEA has announced the winners of its latest grant program, which includes a Wilmington-based sleep technology company, Nuream. 

The NC IDEA SEED grant program’s spring 2026 cycle, which grants up to $50,000 to early-stage companies, officially closed last night with total awards of $350,000 to seven companies, according to a news release. 

“This cohort of SEED grantees is a reflection of the state’s diverse industry sectors and high-potential technology being commercialized at our universities,” said Thom Ruhe, CEO and president of NC IDEA, in the release. “In coordination with our ecosystem partners, we look forward to supporting the journey of these incredible founders. This is how efficient ecosystems are creating outsized returns and serve as a national model for economic development.”

The SEED grant program includes a three-month competitive application and selection process, and this spring cycle saw 185 applicants, according to the release. 

Nuream CEO Rob Cooley is optimistic about the company’s growth and told the Business Journal earlier this year that prospective grant funding would be used to advance the company’s core product – a fabric-sensor pillowcase to collect sleep data – and its go-to-market strategy. 

“We want to be in the commercial market about a year from now with our first pillowcase, plus a SaaS (software-as-a-service) model with a dashboard and clinical informatics and predictive analytics,” Cooley said in an April interview.

Nuream’s aim is to collect accurate sleep data through minimally invasive electroencephalogram (EEG) technology, which measures the brain’s electrical activity. Using the data, the goal is to create dashboards that provide insights into users' sleep patterns and long-term sleep trends.

 “We will collect the right data, not the wrong data, and not more data, but the right data seamlessly to you. So, we don’t change any human behavior,” Cooley said. “You go to sleep on your pillow in your bedroom at night, and then we protect, curate and then we deliver the right insights and recommendations to you.”

Earlier this year, Nuream was one of 10 startups tapped to participate in the RIoT Accelerator Program, a 12-week initiative for disruptive technology startups looking to scale. 

In addition to Nuream, the following startup companies from across the state were chosen as winners of the NC IDEA SEED spring 2026 funding:

• Joyntly, Charlotte: Management development software.
• ​On Holiday, Winston-Salem: Ready-to-drink wine spritz. 
• Phaseshift, Wake Forest: AI and data infrastructure platform for energy storage.
• ​Rooted-in-tech, Apex: Plant propagation technology focused on disease-free crops. 
• ​Ver Coaching, Durham: Virtual reality-based vision training technology.
• ​VibraPower, Raleigh: Battery-free wireless sensing technology for industrial environments.