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	Friday Fix: ConvergeSouth, Fizz Studio, a QuantumBloom Catch-Up, and More! Posted Today tl;dr GrepBeat.com covers lots of news about startups and technology, and every Friday, David Schwartz gives a quick recap called the "Friday Fix" to help readers catch up on anything they missed. This week's recap included stories about the 2026 ConvergeSouth Conference, Fizz Studio, Ask a Shop Owner, and the founders of a startup called QuantumBloom. You can listen to the full recap and subscribe to The GrepBeat Podcast to stay updated on local tech news.
	QuantumBloom Co-Founders on Proving STEM Retention Infrastructure, Expanding Reach, TopGolf and Thrifting Dates, and 4:45am Workouts Posted Yesterday tl;dr QuantumBloom is a company that helps STEM (science, tech, engineering, math) employees stay at their jobs and develop important human skills like communication and judgment, especially as AI takes over more technical work. The founders, Anne Hungate and Andrea Mohamed, started by focusing on women in STEM but expanded their program to help all young tech workers because the same skills benefit everyone. Their program has shown great results, like higher retention and promotion rates, and now they're working on selling their services to bigger companies while staying true to their mission of proving their methods actually work through careful measurement and research.
	Ask A Shop Owner Helps SMB Owners Answer Hard Questions With Relevant Expertise Posted Wednesday tl;dr Ron Nussbaum, a former Marine turned construction entrepreneur, teamed up with business coach Rawlings Barnes to create Ask a Shop Owner (AASO), an AI platform that helps small business owners get clear, practical advice instead of just endless information. Unlike typical AI chatbots, AASO pulls its answers from over 19,000 real business experiences rather than the whole internet, and it's honest when it doesn't have a good answer instead of making one up. Since launching in 2025, the Wilmington-based startup has grown to serve 20 industries and hundreds of business niches, with founders now focused on improving the platform and building a supportive community for business owners.
	Chapel Hill’s Fizz Studio Makes Data Visualization Accessible to the Blind Posted Tuesday tl;dr Doug Schepers, who used to help set web standards, started a company called Fizz Studio to make charts and graphs understandable for blind people, since simply listing every data point on a chart isn't very helpful. His product, ParaCharts, uses computer programs to spot important trends in charts and turn them into clear, consistent written descriptions, sounds, or spoken words, all without sending any data over the internet. Schepers believes these accessibility tools—like ramps that help strollers as well as wheelchairs—end up making charts clearer and easier for everyone to understand, not just people with disabilities.
	Startups From the Southeast (and Beyond) Converge in Winston-Salem Posted Monday tl;dr Last week, Winston-Salem hosted the 10th ConvergeSouth conference, where over 150 startups from North Carolina and beyond gathered to pitch their ideas and show off their work in fields like health, food, and technology. Instead of following a strict schedule, the two-day event let attendees explore speakers and startup booths based on their own interests, making each person's experience unique. A pitch competition ran throughout the conference, with Chonex, a company that uses insects to improve soil for farmers, winning the grand prize of a chance to compete for $1 million in funding.
	Monday Mix: LiLa, Strength in Numbers, Test Flight Pitch Practice, and Much More! Posted Monday tl;dr This week's Monday Mix highlights several business and entrepreneurship events happening across the Raleigh-Durham area. Throughout the week, there are pitch practice sessions, a talk by author Jess Ekstrom, an investing event featuring a local founder, and a rebrand celebration at Davidson. Additionally, students interested in UNC Wilmington's THRIVE Lab program need to submit their applications by Friday at 5pm.
	Friday Fix: Koolbridge Energy, Path Intelligence, The Download, and More! Posted August 28, 2026 tl;dr GrepBeat.com shares news about startups and technology, and each week David Schwartz creates a "Friday Fix" to help readers catch up on stories they might have missed. This week's recap included features on Koolbridge Energy, an award-winning company, and Readalot.ai, along with an update from Path Intelligence founder Nate Robert-Eze and a new "Download" episode with Brooks Malone and guest Erkang Zheng. Readers can listen to the full recap and subscribe to The GrepBeat Podcast to stay updated on tech news in their area.
	The Download: Erkang Zheng, Founder and CEO, Ariso Posted August 27, 2026 tl;dr Erkang Zheng is a tech entrepreneur who previously built a successful cybersecurity company and is now leading Ariso, a startup that uses AI to help people and organizations manage information and work more efficiently. He believes that as AI takes over routine production tasks, everyone increasingly becomes a "manager" who must organize, track, and make sense of everything being produced—a theme he explores in his upcoming book, "Everyone Is a Manager Now." Beyond his company, Erkang stays busy mentoring students, serving on university advisory boards, and splitting his time between Raleigh and Austin while enjoying local coffee shops and restaurants.
	Charlotte Student’s Readalot.ai Generates Stories to Enhance Reading Lessons Posted August 26, 2026 tl;dr Sofia Norenko, a middle school student in Charlotte, created Readalot.ai, an AI-powered platform that lets kids ages 3-12 create their own personalized stories where they can be the main character in adventures like exploring space or discovering magical forests. The platform combines fun storytelling with educational content, including reading comprehension questions, to help kids improve their literacy skills at their own pace while staying entertained. Readalot.ai has already partnered with a local middle school and received a $17,100 grant to help grow the business, with plans to expand into more schools in the future.
	Path’s Nate Robert-Eze on Winning Invest Fest, Playing Four Instruments, and Wrapping a $2.3M Seed Round Posted August 25, 2026 tl;dr Path Intelligence is a startup led by founder Nate Robert-Eze that created an AI "sales agent" for real estate — instead of just showing buyers virtual tours of homes, this AI actually talks with them in over 42 languages, answering their questions any time of day. The company has grown a lot since last summer, winning a big pitch competition in Atlanta that earned them $125,000, receiving grants and recognition, and working with major real estate companies like Ritz-Carlton Residences and Hines. Robert-Eze shared that his biggest lesson was learning to explain his product simply (saying "we sell homes faster" instead of using fancy tech language), and he hopes his AI can someday help everyday people get honest answers about buying homes, not just wealthy luxury buyers.

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