Happy July! We hope you’re soaking up the summer and finding ways to stay cool. Here at CCE, the season is heating up with anticipation as we prepare to launch Velocity 2025 in just two weeks!

On August 12th, we’ll welcome our 10th cohort of creative entrepreneurs into our 10-week accelerator. Over the past decade, the Center for Creative Economy has helped 178 founders refine their business models, connect with mentors, and pitch for seed-stage funding. This year promises to be no different, and we’re eager to see the bold ideas this new group will bring to life.

The excitement builds all the way to Demo Day on October 16th, where our entrepreneurs will pitch their businesses for a share of $20K in seed-stage grants. It’s always an inspiring evening and we’d love for you to be there! Register now to secure your spot.

Register Here

As we look toward Velocity’s milestone 10th cohort, we’re reminded of how every CCE program contributes to growing creative businesses. This month, we’re thrilled to share newly released videos for Pathways and Kinetic, two of our programs designed to support creatives at earlier stages of their journey. Pathways provides residents of Winston-Salem with the space to develop their mindset as aspiring entrepreneurs and explore business ideas. Kinetic is the next step that provides a hands-on environment to validate business models and work through the customer discovery process. Please enjoy the videos linked here to see these programs in action.

Momentum like this is only possible through the generosity of our community. With sponsorship opportunities for Demo Day now open, there’s never been a better time to partner with us and help fuel the future of creative entrepreneurship. Contact Margaret Collins to learn more about how you can get involved.

Thank you for standing with us as we empower creative entrepreneurs. Together, we’re building a thriving ecosystem of innovation and creativity, and we can’t wait to celebrate more success stories with you this fall.

Donate Now

We’re so glad you are a part of the CCE family!

With gratitude,

The CCE Team

Thank you to First Citizens Bank for supporting CCE’s mission to empower creative entrepreneurs. Their investment in our programs and Morgan Moore’s mentorship during our Kinetic boot camp helped provide hands-on guidance to early-stage founders. We’re grateful for their partnership in building a more vibrant and sustainable creative economy.

“First Citizens Bank is honored to support the Center for Creative Economy and its transformative programs. Seeing the growth of the Kinetic participants firsthand, through our team member’s mentoring experience and viewing the final presentations, was truly inspiring. CCE provides the tools, guidance, and encouragement that creative entrepreneurs need to succeed, and we’re proud to be part of that journey.”

Kim Burchell, Area Executive, Triad Area, First Citizens Bank

We kicked off the season by wrapping up Kinetic 2025 on April 10th. This six-week creative business boot camp brought together a passionate group of early-stage entrepreneurs, and we couldn’t be more proud of their growth. Congratulations to Cirque du Sucre, winner of the $1,000 Kinetic Potential Award. Most participants also received generous in-kind awards from our community partners, including legal services, business coaching, and co-working space. A huge thanks to everyone who helped make this Kinetic cohort such a success!

We are thrilled to announce a new partnership with leaders in Winston-Salem’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. On May 1st, CCE will cohost Capital Coach, a workshop for early-stage business owners. The first session will focus on Grants and becoming business grant eligible. Our partners include Forsyth Tech’s Small Business Center, Goler CDC, Winston-Salem Black Chamber of Commerce, Women’s Business Center at SG Atkins, Triad Minority and Women’s Business Expo, Greater Winston-Salem Inc., and Winston Starts. We are delighted to work with our partners on a program to support financial sustainability for small businesses and early-stage entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, it is officially Velocity time! Applications are open for our signature 10-week accelerator for creative entrepreneurs. This program is designed for early-stage founders who are ready to master business fundamentals and take their ventures to the next level. Velocity includes hands-on workshops, a tailored curriculum, expert mentors, and the opportunity to compete for up to $10,000 in seed-stage grants. Applications close on June 10, so please spread the word or apply today.

April brings the launch of our Spring Giving Campaign. We are very grateful for the individual support CCE receives to host and implement our unique programs for creative entrepreneurs. Your donation helps us provide the tools, training, and resources that creative and artists need to grow their businesses. Whether you give $25, $100, or $1,000 your support makes a real impact!
If you believe in the power of creativity and entrepreneurship to strengthen our community, we invite you to make a donation to CCE by June 30th. Every gift helps us build a thriving creative economy.

Thank you for being part of our journey!

March is off to a great start here at CCE. We’re proud to announce the launch of our Kinetic Boot Camp 2025 with eleven new entrepreneurs! This six-week program helps idea-stage business owners focus on customers and validate their ideas. Stay tuned on our social media. We’ll be introducing each new founder and their business soon!

But that’s not all! Our Pathways for Entrepreneurial Success program just celebrated the presentations and graduation of nine new cohort members as they strengthened their entrepreneurial mindset. During this program “lived experience speakers” share their personal stories and model important skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and resiliency. In addition, CCE introduces the cohort to leaders of the Winston-Salem Entrepreneurial Ecosystem to explore their programs and resources. Our graduates create a road map for their next steps, and we can’t wait to see how they bloom as entrepreneurs!

CCE was honored to participate as a sponsor and table host at the Access to Capital Summit last month at the Enterprise Center at Winston-Salem State University. This event brought together small business owners, financial institutions, and entrepreneurial service organizations for a day of learning, networking, and growth. The inspiring speakers and hands-on workshops helped everyone make new connections.

⚠️ Note: This blog post is part of our archives and may contain outdated information.

CCE Alumni Invited to Pitch for Investor Forum

On March 20th, four CCE alumni will pitch for prizes at the 2025 Winston Starts Investor Forum. This annual event provides founders with the opportunity to connect with investors from across North Carolina and the Southeast, helping them gain valuable support and take their businesses to the next level.

This year, Seth Wingate of Ready Set Go Media, Kelly Maxey of Mom League from Kinetic 2022, Q. Nicole Vanderhorst of WH Farms from Velocity 2023, and Josh McGee of Y’all Company from Velocity 2020 will take the stage to share their ventures.

We hope you can attend and show your support for these founders as they pitch their businesses to investors. It’s a great opportunity to engage with the startup community and see firsthand the innovation happening in our network. 

⚠️ Note: This blog post is part of our archives and may contain outdated information.

Happy New Year! We hope your 2025 is off to a great start. A new year is the perfect time for fresh ideas and exciting goals. If you or someone you know has been thinking about turning a creative business idea into reality, our Kinetic Bootcamp is the perfect place to start!

Kinetic is a 6-week program where aspiring entrepreneurs can develop their early business ideas and learn more about their future customers. Each week, participants work with expert mentors and facilitators who guide them through customer discovery and idea validation. Graduates of Kinetic have started their own businesses, joined advanced programs, and even received additional external funding. Applications are open now and close on January 21st, so don’t wait! Please share this opportunity with your friends and network so we can make 2025 the year of bold beginnings.

We’re also starting the year with some great news at CCE. We’re excited to welcome Darilyn Nieto, our new intern, to the team! Darilyn has a passion for entrepreneurship and her fresh ideas fit perfectly with our mission. We are grateful for our partnership with Salem College, which makes this possible. We are looking forward to the impact she will make! 

Thank you for supporting the creative economy! Let’s make this year one full of growth and success.

As 2024 comes to an end, we’re looking back on an amazing year at CCE. With the help of 45 volunteer mentors, we worked with 53 entrepreneurs through our Pathways, Kinetic, and Velocity programs. These programs give creative business owners the tools and support they need to grow their ideas. This year, we also awarded $24,000 in seed grants to help these entrepreneurs take their next steps.

To show our thanks, we held a volunteer appreciation event to celebrate the mentors, facilitators, board members, and guest speakers who make our work possible. Their passion and hard work have made a real difference for the entrepreneurs we serve, and we couldn’t do it without them. Plus, they showed off some awesome (and impressively ugly) sweaters!

Looking ahead to 2025, we’re excited to kick off new Pathways and Kinetic cohorts. Pathways for Entrepreneurial Success is a six-week program that helps new entrepreneurs build the right mindset for growth. Kinetic is a six-week boot camp for early-stage entrepreneurs who want to test their ideas and learn about their customers. If you or someone you know is interested, visit ccetriad.com to learn more and apply.

We’re so grateful for everyone who has supported CCE this year. Whether you volunteered, donated, or cheered us on, you’ve helped us empower creative entrepreneurs. Your support means so much. If you’d like to donate, visit ccetriad.com and click “Donate Now.”

From all of us at CCE, we wish you and your loved ones a happy holiday season. Here’s to new beginnings and exciting opportunities in 2025!

“Inmar Intelligence is proud to sponsor the Center for Creative Economy in 2024.  Their Velocity and Kinetic programs for startups and early stage entrepreneurs bring an important dimension to the Winston-Salem community.  As our company continues to strive to leverage a unique combination of curiosity, data and technology in ways that benefit our customers, we are also working to support the local communities surrounding our many offices across the country.   In this case with the CCE, our investment reflects a belief that supporting local innovation by way of supporting local entrepreneurs is positive on a number of levels.”

Spencer Baird, Chief Executive Officer, Inmar Intelligence

“Reynolds is proud to support the Center for Creative Economy in 2024. Their Velocity and Kinetic programs for the inception stage and small businesses fit beautifully with our focus areas of People, Planet, and Prosperity. 

Our Prosperity pillar, which promotes equity through diversity, inclusion, and opportunities, complements CCE’s mission to provide inclusive programming for various creatives to develop their business skills and become viable entrepreneurs.

Each year, CCE attracts and accepts new entrepreneurs at the idea stage. Reynolds is proud to help these new businesses and continue the legacy of entrepreneurship in Winston-Salem. CCE has the passion, plan, and resources to drive ideas forward effectively.”

Kara Calderon, Head of ESG & Community Engagement, Reynolds

Kinetic 2024 Cohort