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	Friday Fix: GRO11, SPRTN Technologies, ChampOS, and More! Posted Friday tl;dr GrepBeat.com shares startup and tech news, and their "Friday Fix" videos with David Schwartz help people catch up on everything they covered that week. This week's recap included stories on a company demo day, two Raleigh-based businesses, the launch of a fish camera, and a reminder that applications for their 2026 Startups to Watch list are due July 31st. You can watch the full video or subscribe to The GrepBeat Podcast to stay updated on local startup news, and don't forget to enjoy a safe 4th of July!
	NC State Brothers to Serve Restaurant Industry with AI-Voice Native Tech Posted Wednesday tl;dr Two brothers from North Carolina, Braden and Trevor Champion, grew up working in their father's restaurant and used that experience to create a startup called ChampOS. Their main product, Relay, uses a small microphone worn by servers to turn spoken orders into digital tickets sent straight to the kitchen, eliminating the need to manually re-enter orders into a separate system. The brothers hope Relay will save restaurants time and money while eventually expanding into a full AI-powered system that also handles tasks like scheduling and payroll.
	SPRTN Technologies Designs Waterproof, AI-Infused Earbuds for Athletes Posted Tuesday tl;dr A Raleigh startup called SPRTN Technologies is building special waterproof earbuds called SPRTN Swims that let swimmers listen to music and get real-time coaching feedback while they train, solving common problems like earbuds falling out or losing connection underwater. The earbuds use sensors to track things like heart rate and movement, then send that data to the cloud so an "AI Coach" can give athletes helpful tips without draining the battery. The founders, who started the company as college students, plan to launch the product in 2027, eventually expand to other water sports like surfing, and even explore uses in fields like the military someday.
	CED’s Eleventh GRO Incubator Cohort Wraps With Demo Day Posted June 29, 2026 tl;dr CED’s GRO Incubator, a 12-week program helping early-stage tech and health startups grow, recently wrapped up its 11th cohort with a Demo Day at North Carolina Central University. Nine founders pitched innovative ideas—ranging from eye-tracking technology and AI data tools to period-tracking wearables and voice disorder treatments—to a panel of judges and an audience of investors and supporters. Ellora McTaggart of Carolina Instruments won the audience’s “Crowd Favorite” award, while Nandini Kanthi of Sensible took home the judges’ top prize of $20,000, and applications are now open for the next cohort.
	Monday Mix: NC TECH Awards, AI Lunch and Learn, One Million Cups, and More! Posted June 29, 2026 tl;dr This weekly update, called the "Monday Mix," shares important events and deadlines happening in the last week of June and the first days of July. There are several events to check out, like an AI class, morning meetups for entrepreneurs called "1 Million Cups" in two different cities, and an out-of-office (OOO) get-together before the July 4th holiday. It also reminds people that applications for the NC TECH Awards are due soon, and mentions that a podcast and videos are available for those who prefer listening instead of reading.
	Friday Fix: Sensible, SenterME, RIoT’s RAP XXII, and GRO11 Posted June 26, 2026 tl;dr GrepBeat.com is a website that shares news about startups and technology, and their "Friday Fix" segment with David Schwartz helps people catch up on stories they might have missed each week. This week's recap included features on two companies, Sensible and SenterME, plus a podcast episode about Bill Spruill and a summary of a demo event called "RAP XXII." You can listen to the full recap on The GrepBeat Podcast, which you can subscribe to so you never miss the latest updates.
	RIoT Labs & NC IDEA’s “RAP XXII” Cohort Demos in Wilson Posted June 25, 2026 tl;dr The RIoT Accelerator Program's 20th cohort, called RAP XXII, wrapped up with a "Founder Showcase & Pitch Night" in Wilson, North Carolina, where eight startups pitched innovative ideas ranging from AI-powered robots and sleep-tracking fabric to vertical farming and community safety devices. After presentations, judges and audience members voted for their favorites, resulting in a rare tie between NeuroFin Inc. and Superior Love Forever, while NeuroFin ultimately won a unique handmade trophy from the judges. Wells Fargo also awarded $2,000 each to three startups—ImLoopedIn, Pod Farms, and GreySun Technologies—to support innovation and economic growth in the region.
	The Side Quest: Bill Spruill of 2ndF Posted June 25, 2026 tl;dr This week's episode of "The Side Quest" wraps up the Spring 2026 season with a special conversation between host Joe Colopy and guest Bill Spruill of 2ndF. They discuss how money and resources could be better used to support new startup businesses in North Carolina's Triangle area, along with Bill's experiences starting out in the business world. The episode combines Bill's many years of local business knowledge with his love of traveling and learning about different cultures, so be sure to listen or watch it and subscribe for future episodes!
	SenterME’s Evolution From Personal Wellness to Healthcare Burnout Prevention Posted June 24, 2026 tl;dr SenterME started in 2024 as an app to help stressed-out women professionals feel better, but its founder realized that just teaching people to cope wasn't fixing the real problem—the unhealthy work environments causing their burnout in the first place. So the company transformed into a tool for healthcare organizations, using anonymous check-ins from workers to spot early warning signs of team-wide stress before it leads to serious problems like nurses quitting or patient care suffering. Now being tested in real hospitals and gaining attention from startup competitions, SenterME helps leaders catch and address burnout patterns early, while keeping individual workers' feedback private and never singling anyone out.
	“Sensible” Chapel Hill Startup Streamlines Menstrual Health Tracking Posted June 22, 2026 tl;dr Nandini Kanthi grew up feeling confused and ashamed about her period due to cultural stigma, which inspired her to co-found Sensible, a startup creating a small sticker that attaches to a pad and analyzes menstrual blood for health information like inflammation and iron levels. Unlike typical period-tracking apps that rely on users manually entering data, Sensible uses real science to give people actual insights about their bodies, similar to how a smartwatch tracks health. The team has already won over $155,000 in startup competitions and plans to launch the product online in early 2027, with hopes of eventually helping diagnose conditions like endometriosis and PCOS.

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