Funding Partnerships CED has demonstrated successful grant funding from major financial and philanthropic sources (Wells Fargo, Regions Foundation) totaling over six figures in recent years, indicating openness to grant-based programs and potential co-funded initiatives.

Growth Programs The FORGE program and GRO Incubator are central to CED’s mission to scale startups in North Carolina, signaling opportunities to offer sponsorships, training platforms, or enterprise solutions tailored to accelerator and incubator ecosystems.

Strategic Alliances Longstanding partnerships with IBM and other corporate entities suggest a receptive environment for technology enablement, innovation labs, and enterprise collaboration projects that could benefit sponsors and technology vendors.

Statewide Reach With a history dating back to 1984 and a focus on transforming North Carolina’s startup ecosystem, there is potential for regional engagement programs, co-branded events, and multi-market pilot opportunities aligned with state economic development goals.

Tech & Digital CED’s tech stack and digital presence (Drupal, WordPress, YouTube, Google tools) indicate openness to technology partnerships, platform enhancements, and content or analytics services to amplify program impact and visibility.