Category: Business Growth
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Power Up with These 8 Southern Solar Innovators
This week’s Total Eclipse has us nerding out on all things solar. The solar power industry is ripe for disruption; pair the big utilities landscape with a need to improve efficiency, access, and affordability, and you have an innovative entrepreneur’s dream landscape. Plus, as solar energy becomes cheaper, new startup opportunities increase. According to the…
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Are the Carolinas Leading the Next Industrial Revolution?
This is the first in a series of posts by Tom Snyder, Executive Director of RIoT, which brings together technologists, engineers, business leaders, academics, policy makers, and entrepreneurs, to capture and create Internet of Things opportunities across the region. Historians point to three times that technology advancements have fundamentally changed societal quality of life and the…
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Hit the Books: Southern Universities Play a New Role as Venture Capitalists
An increasing number of Southern universities are forming venture capital funds, and if you consider the basic ingredients for successful venture investing — innovation, capital and entrepreneurship — it makes sense. Universities have become a key source of applied research and innovation in recent years, reflecting the priorities of their primary bankroller – the federal government.…
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K4Connect Teams Up With Garmin to Revolutionize Senior Living Community Wellness
According to a recent report from AARP, “Building a Better Tracker: Older Consumers Weigh In on Activity and Sleep Monitoring Devices,” older adults are highly interested in using technology to help them track and improve their own health. In fact, over 75 percent of participants in the study reported activity and sleep trackers to be…
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How StartOut Austin Empowers LGBTQ Entrepreneurs
LGBTQ entrepreneurs in Austin, Texas can tap into a growing support system thanks to StartOut, a non-profit that provides access to capital, mentorship and education to empower LGBTQ business leaders. The organization has six chapters across the country and counts 15,000 members in its national network. Last year, its Austin chapter became the birthplace of…
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How Ceterus snagged $10.2 million from Southern VCs in just one year
Since taking the stage at DIG SOUTH’s Wild Pitch in April, Charleston-based Ceterus has raised $6 million, bringing their total funding to $10.2 million in just over a year. Their impressive success hasn’t stopped there — the automated bookkeeping platform has quadrupled in size (their 100th employee joined the team in June) and tripled their…
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Could Atlanta be the New Hollywood? According to TERMINUS Festival, the Answer is Yes.
If you’re into movies, gaming, and interactive media, you probably know about TERMINUS Conference & Festival. The four-day event brings together emerging filmmakers, game developers, and major brands like Trick3D, Adobe, and Marvel Studios for workshops, demos, tournaments, screenings, and more. And while you might think it’s happening in Los Angeles, the action actually goes…
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QC FinTech’s 2017 Cohort Weighs In: Why Charlotte and What’s Next?
As the second-largest banking center in the nation (home to Bank of America’s corporate headquarters, Wells Fargo’s east coast operations, and myriad other financial institutions), it’s no wonder Charlotte, NC is also quickly emerging as a leading hub for fintech innovation. Several younger, growth-stage companies have already found huge success in ‘bank city.’ DealCloud, a…
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How Atlanta Became a Startup Boomtown
Over the past year, Atlanta sports has finally had its fair share of the national spotlight – from the Falcons’ Super Bowl season, to our new MLS team, to the construction of the two most advanced pro sports stadiums in the country. But there’s another sector of Atlanta’s economy, which also happens to begin with…
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Four Technologies Creating Positive Change in Healthcare
Healthcare is changing on so many levels. Patients’ needs are evolving, and expectations are increasing for the quality and access of services offered by providers. The main catalyst igniting these changes, as is the case with most things these days, is technology. In years past, patient experience and doctor-patient relationships weren’t at the forefront of…
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20 Powerful Women in Business Speaking at DIG SOUTH
DIG SOUTH’s 5th Annual Innovation Conference is less than a month away! The speaker lineup features 150+ successful entrepreneurs, executives, and investors from around the country, including several glass-ceiling-shattering women who are leading the charge in marketing, media, e-commerce, technology, healthcare, and more. Here’s a sampling of some of the women powering up our agenda this April,…
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How Casper Became a $555 Million Company: A Q&A with Co-Founder Philip Krim
Casper CEO and Co-Founder Philip Krim has grown the online mattress company into a $555 million global operation in less than three years. We sat down with him to get a quick sneak-peek at some of the brilliant strategies he’ll share during the DIG SOUTH Innovation Conference this April. DIG SOUTH: You’ve written about buying Casper…
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Three Good Reasons Your Boss Should Send You to DIG SOUTH
The fifth annual DIG SOUTH Innovation Conference is just one month away! Our founder, Stanfield Gray, shares three reasons why you need to be there. And if you’re waiting to register — don’t forget! Badge rates increase on March 31. 1. Hyper-efficient use of the company’s resources DIG the deal. How much would it cost…
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DIG SOUTH Unveils 2017 Speaker Lineup, Featuring 155 Top Executives, Entrepreneurs and Venture Capitalists
Fifth annual conference to include C-Suite presenters from Vox Media, Jet.com, Casper, DraftKings, Rubicon Global, Blackbaud, BoomTown, MakerBot and more Charleston, SC – March 20, 2017 – DIG SOUTH Innovation Conference (DIG ICON), the Southeast’s premier event for digital innovators, today announced its 2017 speaker lineup featuring 155 leading executives and entrepreneurs including Jet.com President Liza…
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DIG the Innovators: March 14, 2017
DIG the Innovators is a bi-weekly brief on the latest and greatest from leading brands and fiercely ambitious entrepreneurs across the South. These are the people and companies who make our #SucceedInTheSouth motto ring true. Casper brings rest to the weary at SXSW DIG ICON presenting company Casper has been snoozing in Austin since last…
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DIG the Innovators: February 28, 2017
DIG the Innovators is a bi-weekly brief on the latest and greatest from leading brands and fiercely ambitious entrepreneurs across the South. These are the people and companies who make our #SucceedInTheSouth motto ring true. Accelerator Opportunities Abound The BridgeCommunity, an Atlanta-based startup commercialization program founded by Coca-Cola, has officially opened applications for its second…
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What a Coffee Shop Run-In Showed Me About Mentorship
“Hey, did you teach Music Management at the College of Charleston?” said the smiling, tatt-sleeved woman, snagging her espresso on the counter next to mine. “Yes, I did.” Doing the math in my head … eleven, twelve years ago, was it? “I graduated and went straight into the music business,” she continued, “… toured with…
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How Southern Entrepreneurial Ecosystems are Addressing the Diversity Gap
The Kauffman Foundation just released their annual State of Entrepreneurship report, outlining three “mega trends” that will shape the future of entrepreneurship. Along with shifting trends in geography and the nature and frequency of job creation, demographics will play an increasingly important role in the health and speed of our nation’s innovation. According to their…
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Why I Dig Vox, Jet, Casper and the Timeless Streets of Charleston – And You Will Too
At its best, DIG Innovation Conference should inspire and connect you in original fashion. To do that, we have to think and do things differently from the typical conference. And we do. DIG SOUTH is produced in a beautiful performing arts center, not a hotel ballroom. We curate inimitable speakers like Dr. Robert Cooper, a…
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DIG the Innovators: February 14, 2017
DIG the Innovators is a bi-weekly brief on the latest and greatest from leading brands and fiercely ambitious entrepreneurs across the South. These are the people and companies who make our #SucceedInTheSouth motto ring true. Southern cities getting their daily dose of Fiber Google Fiber, that is. The super-fast Internet recently debuted a swanky new…
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8 Southern Companies Who Won Big During Super Bowl 51
First, let’s just be honest: we’re sad the Falcons didn’t #RiseUp to win Sunday’s big game. But at least we’ve got leftover guacamole to ease our sorrows, and the fact that with Houston playing host and Atlanta on the field, Super Bowl 51 drew some exciting attention to the South. Last week, #FalconsFriday was celebrated…
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Wising Up Waste: Atlanta and Trash Tech Company Rubicon Pilot Smart City Program
The Internet of Things is a booming industry. It seems like almost every ordinary device, from speakers and automobiles to housekeeping products, has a connected version nowadays (Case in point: you can now buy a Wifi-connected, smartphone-triggered dog treat dispenser). With technology giants expanding into industries beyond their original focus and consumers using a wide…
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SalesLoft Raises $15 Million Series B From Primarily Atlanta Investors
In a town that sees no shortage of B2B software successes, SalesLoft has shown a particularly impressive determination to rise to the top. Yesterday, the sales development platform announced a Series B funding round of $15 million led by Atlanta SaaS legend David Cummings, with contributions by former funders Tom Noonan and Emergence Capital. The…
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4 Industries That Are Set To Explode In The South This Year
2016 was quite the year for co-working, SnapChat, online retail, and digital sports (and we’ll surely hear more about all of those from the likes of Casper CEO Philip Krim, Jet.com’s Liza Landsman, and the Atlanta Hawks’ Chief Creative Officer Peter Sorckoff at DIG ICON). Last year also laid a solid foundation for new developments…
