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Charlotte’s 24HRPR Helps Startups Generate Press and Boost AEO Visibility
Posted Tuesday tl;dr 24HRPR is a startup created by Liz Brigham and Adrian Johnson to help small businesses share their news with the world, since hiring a professional public relations team is often too expensive for them. The platform uses guided prompts to write press releases, then matches startups with the most relevant journalists, bloggers, and podcasters—even in very specific fields like rodeo sports—so their announcements reach the right audience. Beyond writing and sending releases, 24HRPR also tracks how well the coverage performs and offers a free newsroom feature, allowing any founder to publish and share their story quickly and easily. |
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NEW’s 2026 Investor Buzz In Shines Spotlight on Wilmington Ecosystem
Posted Monday tl;dr Wilmington held its fourth annual "Investor Buzz In," a free one-day conference that brought together 322 investors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders to discuss growing the region's startup scene through panels, pitches, and networking. Speakers shared advice on building strong company culture, focusing on solving real problems rather than just pushing solutions, and using AI to improve processes without threatening jobs, while also highlighting Wilmington's unique appeal for tech and life-science founders. The event also featured presentations from six local startups—covering everything from coastal erosion tracking to AI-powered workforce training—showcasing the momentum and future potential of Wilmington's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem. |
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Monday Mix: Walking Masterminds, FFVC’s Itineraries, a Venture135 Deadline, and More!
Posted Monday tl;dr This week's Monday Mix highlights several networking and learning events happening across the Triangle and Wilmington areas of North Carolina, including walking meetups, startup lunches, and One Million Cups gatherings that connect entrepreneurs and community members. There's also a special session on healthy AI use happening in Pittsboro on Thursday. If you're interested in presenting at the Venture135 fintech conference in Charlotte this November, don't wait too long—the early decision application deadline is tonight at midnight! |
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GrepBeat Hosts Wilmington Happy Hour to Cap Off NEW’s Investor Buzz In
Posted Friday tl;dr GrepBeat quickly organized a Happy Hour at Flytrap Brewing in Wilmington right after a successful Investor Buzz In event, even though they only had about 10 days to plan it. Despite rainy, humid weather, nearly 100 people walked over to join, making it one of the best-attended Happy Hours in years. The event was made possible by teamwork, sponsors like Aprio, the welcoming staff at Flytrap, and the Wilmington crew who organized the whole day’s activities. |
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Friday Fix: Announcing our Executive Director, NEW’s BUZZ IN, and More!
Posted September 11, 2026 tl;dr GrepBeat.com is a website that shares news about startups and technology, and every Friday they post a "Friday Fix" to help readers catch up on anything they missed that week. In the week of September 11th, GrepBeat covered a story about a Charlotte-based company called Joyntly, announced their new Executive Director named Katy Breitenbach, and recapped a fun conference and happy hour event in Wilmington. Readers can listen to a podcast that explains all these stories in more detail, and they can subscribe so they never miss an update! |
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Meet GrepBeat’s Executive Director: Katy Breitenbach
Posted September 9, 2026 tl;dr GrepBeat, a nonprofit that highlights startups and innovation in North Carolina, has hired Katy Breitenbach as its first-ever Executive Director. With over 15 years of nonprofit experience, Katy is excited to build on GrepBeat's strong foundation, help it grow, and boost fundraising so it can keep telling important stories about innovation in the state. In a fun interview, she also shared personal details about her life, including her love of movies, her family, and her two quirky mixed-breed dogs. |
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Charlotte’s Joyntly Aims to Improve Behavior, Leadership Skills at Work
Posted September 8, 2026 tl;dr Joyntly is a Charlotte startup founded by Kate Frear that helps managers build better leadership skills using quick, personalized weekly assessments based on behavioral science, instead of long courses or coaching sessions. Drawing on her background in organizational psychology, Frear designed the platform so leaders spend just 5-10 minutes a week identifying habits to improve, making it easy to fit into a busy workday. Since launching in 2025, Joyntly has gained support through grants and is now working with companies in industries like finance and retail to refine its product based on customer feedback. |
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Monday Mix: NEW’s Investor BUZZ IN with our GrepBeat Happy Hour, and Much More!
Posted September 7, 2026 tl;dr This week's Monday Mix highlights several exciting events happening around North Carolina, including a PitchBreakfast in Charlotte, an AI-focused coffee chat in Chapel Hill, and a hands-on AI workshop in Durham. The biggest event is the Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington's Investor BUZZ IN on Thursday, a full day of networking, panels, and pitches at the beach. Afterward, Team GrepBeat is hosting a happy hour at Flytrap Brewing so people can relax and connect with others in a casual setting. |
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Friday Fix: ConvergeSouth, Fizz Studio, a QuantumBloom Catch-Up, and More!
Posted September 4, 2026 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. |
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QuantumBloom Co-Founders on Proving STEM Retention Infrastructure, Expanding Reach, TopGolf and Thrifting Dates, and 4:45am Workouts
Posted September 3, 2026 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. |
