News Summary

• Statewide initiative engaged more than 300 applicants and 17 finalists from across North Carolina, awarding $60,000 in startup funding through the N.C.
• Community College System's Small Business Center Network.
• Rinse-A-Poo, Victorious Wellness, and The Gilded Lantern are the first-, second- and third-place winners, respectively.
• The Startup Showdown – the first statewide entrepreneurship accelerator of its kind – was made possible through funding by the Wells Fargo Foundation and the North Carolina Community Colleges Foundation.