SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT
James “Jay” Bailey CEO & President Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Looks whoCommitted to living by his personal motto, “Build As We Climb,” change agent, thought leader, entrepreneur and emerging philanthropist, James M. Bailey has dedicated his life to serving others.
James serves as President and CEO of the Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RCIE). Honoring the great legacy and visionary business leadership of Herman J. Russell, Sr., he leads the development of the largest center in America, driven by impact, dedicated to empowering Black entrepreneurs and small business
owners; over 50,000 square feet designed to inspire ideas, create jobs, grow companies, and increase wealth in the community
Jay will be one of 75+ speakers at the 2022 DIG SOUTH Tech Summit in Charleston, SC, May 11-13. Register now and learn more at digsummit.com.
WANT TO HELP UKRAINE BUT NOT SURE HOW?
Here’s an option related to tech shared by longtime DIG SOUTH supporter and gaming and blockchain expert Doug Dyer.
Dyer consults with Ukrainian-based Innovecs, a digital solutions company, and says they have “relocated many of their 1200 employees to different offices throughout Europe and a few in South America and the US. About 400 have stayed in Kyiv to fight and support.” They’re a software development company that builds enterprise-grade solutions for businesses across the globe and is recognized as one of the fastest-growing outsourcing companies in the USA.
Dyer suggests steering your donations to Monobank. Once a day, the bank transfers this money to a single account at the National Bank of Ukraine to help the Ukrainian army. According to Dyer, “100% goes to Ukraine without taking out a percentage for staff or any overhead.” Get more info!
TECH NEWS IN THE SOUTH
CHARLESTON – Powering Change. A rapidly expanding Charleston energy company has raised an eye-popping $375 million to help fuel the adoption of residential solar power across the country in what is one the largest fundraisers for a privately held business in the region. Palmetto Clean Technology Inc. said it plans to use the proceeds to expand its marketplace of independent contractors and invest in technology, staff and resources to maintain its operating efficiencies. Led by founder and CEO Chris Kemper, Palmetto has developed a clean energy marketplace that includes a national third-party network of sales representatives and technicians. Get the scoop.
ATLANTA – Financially Inclusive. A group of researchers at Georgia Tech are looking to better understand financial inclusion, and they said it could help propel the next generation of responsible-focused FinTech startups in the city. The Financial Services Innovation Lab, housed inside Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business, has been a hub for finance research on campus and across the Metro region for some time. The Lab just announced a new partnership with Atlanta-based Equifax to help better understand what it means to make FinTech and the broader financial sector more inclusive. Director Sudheer Chava said that responsible finance, machine learning, analytical finance, FinTech, and cryptocurrencies are the main research areas for the lab. Within responsible and sustainable finance, the Lab is tapping into large, anonymous datasets to better understand what things really serve as “barriers to credit access.” The partnership will give the Lab comprehensive alternative data sources and access to credit modeling experts through the Equifax Data Science Lab. Dig it.
CHARLOTTE – Neighborhood of the Future. Atrium Health and Wexford Science & Technology, LLC announced a new project in Charlotte this week, billing it as a future innovation district in the Queen City. The project, to be constructed in the neighborhood of Charlotte known as “Brooklyn,” will house the future Wake Forest University School of Medicine Charlotte campus, and will be known as “The Pearl,” according to a statement.The new project will be based along the intersection of Baxter Street and McDowell Street, and the developers plan a mixed-use development that features “education, retail, apartments, a hotel and an open community space, in addition to being ground-zero for entrepreneurial activity, research and development that is expected to reshape the economy of the Charlotte region,” according to the statement. For example, the projections shared in the statement note that through the next 15 years, there will be more than 5,500 onsite jobs and support an additional 11,500 jobs across Charlotte. Read more.
VOLUNTEER AT DIG SOUTH
XWant to meet tech executives, founders and top-shelf speakers with deep domain expertise? Get a great job? Or maybe just hang with the cool innovator kids and jet about Charleston? Excellent. Volunteer for DIG SOUTH Tech Summit. Spaces limited. Email info@digsouth.com for details.
SPEAK YOUR MIND AND WIN A BADGE
DIG SOUTH wants to know what you think and is offering a golden ticket for those pearls of wisdom. Dangerous, we know. Please take our 2-minute survey – found here – and one lucky duck will win a free badge to DIG SOUTH Tech Summit, May 11-13. Thanks!
