City of Wilson recently issued the following announcement.
RIoT, the largest internet of things (IoT) economic development organization in the United States, is bringing its successful RIoT Accelerator Program to Wilson through its partnership with Gig East.
RAP Wilson will be a core offering of the Gig East Exchange. Applicants will be accepted from new companies and entrepreneurs in Wilson, eastern North Carolina and the Triangle area. Mentors from both successful Wilson-based, Triangle-based and national companies will guide the group. The cohort will also participate in Wilson’s first pitch night on May 8, coinciding with the Gig East Summit 2020.
RAP is a 12-week guided program for early stage startups. RAP increases the impact of traditional business support by connecting startups with a network of more than 75 companies representing a variety of technology resources and services. RAP participants will attend weekly workshops and mentoring sessions, as well as regularly work together with the program director through market validation, product development, go to market and growth strategies.
RAP Wilson will be led by Rachael Meleney, RIoT program director, with support from Darren Smith, manager of the Exchange.
"Over the last few years, RIoT has supported dozens of startups, and these companies have gone on to create 500 jobs in the region,” said Meleney. “The RIoT Accelerator Program is designed to put focused support around growing businesses, an essential part of local economies across North Carolina. RIoT is thrilled to build a deep partnership with a community as forward-thinking as the City of Wilson."
RAP Wilson is offered at no cost to participating companies. All participants will be provided space in the Gig East Exchange, opening in Spring 2020. RAP Wilson will be hosted at a downtown Wilson location until the Exchange is open.
“RAP Wilson will add an extra layer of support for innovation and entrepreneurial endeavors in our region,” said Smith. “Bringing Triangle-based opportunities to Wilson and Eastern North Carolina is core to Gig East’s mission. We are thrilled to bring RAP Wilson to our community, even before the Exchange is fully operational.”
RIoT has worked with 25 companies since RAP’s launch in 2018. These companies have created about 100 jobs and generated over $10 million in revenue over the past two years.
The application period is open from November 4 through December 16, 2019. Several information sessions will be held, including a Greenville locations that will be announced soon.
Wilson: Nov 14 at 4:30 p.m. at Brewmasters
Rocky Mount: Nov 26 at 4 p.m. at Rocky Mount Mills
RTP: Dec 2 at 4 p.m. at The Frontier (Fusion Room)
Raleigh: Dec 3 at 8:30 a.m. at RIoT Labs
Applications are available at www.ncriot.org/rap. For more information on Gig East, visit www.gigeast.com.
Original source: https://www.wilsonnc.org/Home/Components/News/News/222/16
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