Winston Salem, NC – January 18, 2021 –  Center for Creative Economy (CCE) welcomes Suzanne Moore in the new position of Community Engagement Manager.  Suzanne joins CCE with over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector focusing on Advancement and Resource Development. She is a native of Winston Salem and has worked most recently in Asheville, NC.   She will be responsible for developing and directing stewardship and sustainable funding activities for the organization. Ms. Moore is an accomplished fundraising professional with extensive experience in nonprofit development. 

According to Founding Executive Director, Margaret Collins, “CCE is fortunate to have found a stellar candidate in Suzanne Moore with her amazing skills and experience. As we celebrate our 10th anniversary in 2011, we are devoting a new position on our team to secure the resources for CCE to be sustainable for the next 10 years!”

We would like to acknowledge The Winston Salem Foundation in selecting CCE for a capacity building grant for the next three years.  These funds will secure the Community Engagement Manager position, and help CCE grow and continue to impact creative entrepreneurs, and jobs in Winston-Salem, and across the U.S.  

Since 2011 CCE has created and launched programs that provide inception stage business training to strengthen and expand the capacity for creatives and artists to launch sustainable companies.  CCE is a nonprofit organization building the creative economy and creative community in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the U.S.   Since 2016 CCE has launched 50 creative startups in its accelerator, which have produced $8.1 million in revenue and raised $7.4 million in investment.  Collectively these companies have created 177 new jobs.  www.ccetriad.com  

A new year brings new possibilities and the Momentum January meetup provided the chance for our local audiences in Winston-Salem and new fans across the country to increase their knowledge of Web 3 technology and the Metaverse. The discussion was led by Kevin Clark, Founder of Point Motion, and a true creative entrepreneur. Kevin’s talent enables him to combine music, technology, and health care into an application to help people with disabilities. Clark has been investing in blockchain since 2017 and consults for companies such as Decentraland, The Meta Key, Polygonal Minds, Warriors of Aradena, and numerous artists to integrate their work into the Metaverse. He stated that the “goal here is to open your minds as creative entrepreneurs as to the potential value of creation that can be made using this technology, leveraging it in a way for your skills and your expertise.” 

Clark provided an introduction to Web3 and the Metaverse through these five key points:

1. Web2 is the internet as we know it, built from a 3rd party trusted system. Web3 has changed that 3rd party system into a network of computers around the world with one decentralized ledger.
2. The Metaverse contains assets that are traded on the blockchain 
3. The Metaverse provides a way to exchange data and information in a way that seems more human
4. Every aspect of the music, fashion, and visual art industries are being disrupted by this technology
5. The importance of security in this new technology and tips on how to operate safely within the virtual world

The Metaverse allows artists to grow, share their work, and earn revenue in new ways. Clark said that to learn about this method, it’s important for artists to immerse themselves in it, try the new technology (safely), and become part of a community. As entrepreneurs, we know that where there is risk there is opportunity. The Metaverse offers opportunities for creative entrepreneurs to take risks and try new avenues.

Clark’s goal in sharing this knowledge is to empower the artist and creative community through informational and inspiring discussions. The audience responded from across the US. Following the event, Kevin offered one on one consultations on how to engage in the Metaverse. CBS News also came to Winston-Salem to interview Kevin about his Metaverse experiences. That program will air in March. 

You can view the recording from the Momentum January event on the Metaverse at this link. https://youtu.be/tZXgryBEkeE

Please join us for Part 2 of this Web 3 series on Wed. February 23rd when Kevin Clark focuses on NFT’s. CCE will be welcoming Ryan Schmaltz, Director of METL, at UNCSA as the Moderator for the session. You will learn more about this new technology and be part of a live experience in making an NFT.

“See you in the Metaverse”

Four idea-stage entrepreneurs earned awards during the Center for Creative Economy’s Kinetic Creative Bootcamp final presentation.

CCE accepted four creative entrepreneurs from Winston Salem, NC and Berlin, Germany to participate in Kinetic, a 4-week intensive entrepreneurial program guaranteed to turn creative ideas into growing businesses. Throughout the program, participants showed immense growth in validating their creative ideas, developing strong business models, identifying consumer bases, and building sustainable budgets.

The 4-week bootcamp culminated in a final presentation where founders gave a five minute pitch to CCE’s mentor and investor network. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CCE conducted its final Kinetic presentation in a hybrid format on December 5, welcoming limited in-person attendees at 500 W Fifth Street in Winston Salem and external attendees via Zoom.

DIY Advisor, a Winston Salem-based platform that connects first time homeowners with experts in home improvement, was granted a $3,000 technology consultation package from Sightsource to further develop their software. Founder Angela Strader won the pitch competition and received CCE’s Financial Award which included four hours of pro-bono financial consulting  from Bonnie Bowen Advisors. 

SURU Together, a Berlin-based company, presented their PSiCHArt co-creativity interface that conducts team building through art. PSiCHArt allows companies to host live-streamed events that foster real-time collaboration through arts programming. Founders Nicollo Pescatelli and Georgina Denis joined Kinetic virtually from Berlin due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SURU received The CCE Marketing award which includes 3 hours of pro bono consulting from Daryl Shaw’s Royalty Marketing. 

Shairpins, a Winston-Salem based jewelry and accessory company focused on women’s empowerment, received a $300 business coaching package from ActionCOACH. Sheridan Watkins, founder and crafter, also received the CCE Business Consulting Award which includes 3 hours of pro-bono consulting with Dawn Booker, a professional strategic communications and marketing consultant.

Experiential Outdoor Education, founded by Scott Sanders, provides enriching outdoor and educational experiences through hiking, paddling, and camping adventures. Sanders was awarded $1,500 in pro-bono legal services by Jeff Wolfe at Schell Bray.

Within Kinetic’s performance competition, mentors reviewed each company’s documents including a financial forecast, marketing one page collateral, and website landing pages. Our mentors provided helpful feedback and comments.  A special thanks to Jenni Earle Hopkins, founder of  Jennie Earle who provided an inspirational mentor session on the final day. 

Flywheel CoWork, a community coworking innovation space and CCE’s home base, presented membership awards to all four Kinetic participants. Flywheel also offers self-directed entrepreneurial courses that further develop business skills and expand start-up networks. DIY Advisor received a 6 month membership; Shairpins, a 3 month membership; Outdoor Experiential, a 2 month membership; and SURU a 1 month virtual membership that includes access to virtual educational programming.

Of the 2020 Kinetic cohort chosen for the program, 75% are female and 50% are people of color. 

CCE extends a special thanks to our sponsors for the Kinetic 2020 boot camps. These include NC IDEA, DataMax, Parsec Financial, Salem Academy and College.

Three startups have earned the top seed-stage investment awards in the Center for Creative Economy’s Velocity Creative Accelerator.

In the organization’s fifth annual education and seed funding program, ten creative entrepreneurs completed a 9-week entrepreneur education program that refined their business plans and pitches to investors to be one of the top three startups to split a pool of $50,000 in seed-stage investment.

The Agent Accelerator, a Winston-Salem based startup that helps real estate brokerages scale their business by providing innovative training solutions, took the top award of $25,000, presented by NC IDEA Foundation CEO and President, Thom Ruhe. The Agent Accelerator founder, Chelsea Goodwin, was invited by Winston Starts President, Bob Boles, into their eight-week Explore Program, a startup incubator that provides office space and supportive services to Winston-Salem entrepreneurs.

LiveMo from Seattle received the second-place award of $15,000 with their startup that empowers artists to easily share and monetize their content through LiveMo’s concert live-streaming platform. LiveMo founder, Fernando Turrent, also received a consultation package for $5,000 from Sightsource to further develop their technology.

Running third, receiving $10,000, was FELOH, founded by Camille Heard in Cleveland. FELOH is a social marketplace for hair care and beauty enthusiasts. FELOH also received a day of consulting from Sightsource and $2,500 of in-kind social media marketing services from Royalty Marketing.

Daryl Shaw with Royalty Marketing also presented a marketing and social media award for $2,500 to Y’all Company, uniting people through food and Y’all Sauce, southern charm in a bottle, and Wavlength, a creative agency that helps musicians build their brand and enhance their creative direction by connecting them with a global network of creatives.

Winston Starts also welcomed Upshots, a line of premium alcoholic desserts and savory shots, and MAXIMYZ, a mind focused, gamification platform designed to build smarter and healthier communicating teams, into their Explore program. 

Other awards include additional one-day technology consultations provided by Sightsource, pro bono legal services from Kilpatrick Townsend, business coaching packages from ActionCOACH – Team Hauser, and the Velocity Connections Award presented by SueMo Consulting. 

40 startups from 11 U.S. states and 11 countries globally applied to participate in this year’s accelerator. Of the 10 startups chosen for the program, 50% are run by women entrepreneurs and 50% are founded by people of color.  

According to Executive Director, Margaret Collins, “We are so proud of the progress made during Velocity this year. The startups really worked hard, honed their business models,  and financials.  They made informative and compelling pitches at the October 1st Demo Day.”

The other companies that completed the Velocity Creative Accelerator included:

• 2923 Comics (Kansas City, MO): Creates comic books that show the abuse of power in underserved communities, and how to overcome it. Founder Jauquan Herron showcases a wide representation of diverse urban communities within the stories. 
• Mobiiuz (Lyon, France): A patented add-on for standing desks that encourage users to naturally maintain a healthy posture and expend energy without fatigue while working.
• OWOGAME (Malaga, Spain): A wireless suit that allows players to feel over 30 different sensations in real-time while playing video games, and controlled through a mobile application, which allows users to increase or decrease the intensity of the sensations.

Winston-Salem, NC (August 11, 2020) – The Center for Creative Economy has selected 10 creative entrepreneurs to participate in the organization’s fifth creative accelerator. Velocity is an intensive high impact program that helps creative entrepreneurs discover their target customers, develop business models, and develop a go-to-market strategy. Top startups in this 9-week program will split a pool of $50,000 in seed-stage funding. 

40 startups from 11 U.S. states and 11 countries globally applied to participate in this year’s accelerator. Of the 10 startups chosen for the program, 50% are run by women entrepreneurs and 50% are founded by people of color.

Velocity will be in session July 28 to October 2 and engages a curriculum developed by Professor of Practice at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, Chris Mumford. This rigorous, street-smart curriculum is organized around the themes of Create, Tell, Sell, and Run, focusing on customer development, financial forecasting, business model, and product-market fit. Startups will also work with professional mentors to guide them through the program.

Due to COVID-19, the entire program is being offered online for those not able to meet in person. CCE will continue with its in-person components, which began with Kick-Off Weekend in Winston-Salem, August 7th through the 9th. Six startups joined CCE for the opening event to jumpstart the program, introduce the cohort and mentors, and catalyze their workflow. 

Participants are invited back to Winston-Salem for Velocity Week taking place September 27th through October 2nd. Post Velocity, startups have the opportunity to continue to work with their mentors and showcase their business to prospective funders. 

Since its inception in 2016, CCE’s creative accelerator has launched 40 companies, with 90% still in business, having made $8.1 million in revenue, raising $7.4 million in investments, and having created 177 jobs. “Our startups have made huge strides each year. We are proud of their great work serving customers and growing their businesses. The 2020 cohort is no exception, and I’m sure will do very well in the marketplace,” says, Margaret Collins, CCE’s Founding Executive Director.  

This year’s cohort is using their creative talents to bring innovation to their industries:

• 2923 Comics (Kansas City, MO): Creates comic books that show the abuse of power in underserved communities, and how to overcome it. Founder Jauquan Herron showcases a wide representation of diverse urban communities within the stories. 
• The Agent Accelerator (Winston-Salem, NC): A real estate franchise model and community that provides training and coaching for new real estate agents to thrive.
• FELOH (Cleveland, OH): A social marketplace for hair care and beauty. Social activity within the platform allows users to earn cash to go towards purchases within the FELOH store. Brands have the ability to post products for purchase.
• LiveMo (Seattle, WA): a concert live-streaming platform focused on high-quality audio, that makes it easy for artists to share and monetize their content.
• M1ND 6YM (Winston-Salem, NC): Strengthening mental fitness through uniquely themed interactive, immersive, and engaging brain game adventures both online and in-person.
• Mobiiuz (Lyon, France): A patented add-on for standing desks that encourage users to naturally maintain a healthy posture and expend energy without fatigue while working.
• OWOGAME (Malaga, Spain): A wireless suit that allows players to feel over 30 different sensations in real-time while playing video games, and controlled through a mobile application, which allows users to increase or decrease the intensity of the sensations.
• Upshots (Winston-Salem, NC): A line of premium alcoholic desserts and savory shots in individual servings available through bars, restaurants, and caterers.
• Wavelength (Philadelphia, PA): A creative agency that helps musicians build their brand and enhance their creative direction by connecting them with a global network of creatives.
• Y’all Company, Inc. (Winston-Salem, NC): Uniting people through food and Y’all Sauce, southern charm in a bottle.