When it comes to resources and collaboration, Wake County is one of the best places in the U.S. to start a business. Fueled by talent from the region’s three tier-one research universities and opportunities offered by organizations like the CED, HQ Founded, or RIoT Accelerator Program, the ecosystem is ripe for startups.
In addition, there are organizations like Innovate Raleigh that act as a catalyst, connector, and convener by bringing together entrepreneurs, corporations, community leaders, and government at year-round events and theme-driven summits.
In the first quarter of 2019, just under 30 thousand new business applications were filed in North Carolina – which is the highest number ever recorded. With most of the applications filed in Wake County, this shows that the infrastructure in Wake County can support startups.
Are you a new startup in Wake County? Download our entrepreneur media kit here or check out our small business resource guide.
Here is a snapshot of Wake County’s innovation ecosystem:
CoWorking
- ARISE Coworking
- BioLabsNC
- CommonDesk
- Downtown Apex + Holly Springs Coworking Station
- Fuquay Coworking
- Gridworks Durham
- Hatch Coworking
- Industrious
- The Loading Dock
- Nest Raleigh
- Nido Coworking + Childcare
- NCBiotech Library
- Office Evolution
- Office Ours
- Olive Chapel Coworking station
- ReCity
- Spaces
- The Frontier at RTP
- Transfer Co Work Hall
- Vibe Cary Coworking
- Venture X
- Wake Forest Coworking Space
- WeWork
- The Wright Village Co-Working Space
Incubators
- American Underground
- First Flight Venture Center
- Raleigh Founded - Capital Club, Warehouse, Gateway, Centennial Campus
- The Cookery
- Pinkubator
Executive Suites
Accelerator Programs
- Audacity Factory
- Bunker Labs RDU
- Cary CoFounders Lab
- Carolina Small Business Development Fund
- CED GRO Online Incubator
- Center for Advanced Hindsight Startup Lab
- UNC Campus Y
- Duke Law Tech Lab
- Duke-UNICEF Innovation Accelerator
- FHI Ventures
- Launch Chapel Hill
- LaunchDURHAM
- LaunchWakeCounty (includes all municipalities)
- LexisNexis Legal Tech Accelerator
- NC IDEA LABS
- NC State Andrews Launch Accelerator and Acceleration Fund
- RIoT Accelerator Program (RAP)
- Shaw University Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center
If you are looking for more information on the startup ecosystem in Wake County or the Triangle Region, visit Innovate Raleigh.