Southeast Shoutouts | Asheville Entrepreneurship Week starts next Monday
Embarc Collective in Tampa has announced the appointment of its next Chief Executive Officer, and he comes from Cincinnati.
From Asheville, NC:
Asheville Entrepreneurship Week begins next Monday and continues through the final event on Saturday with programming all six days. The event overlaps with the “3686” event hosted by Launch Tennessee at the first of the week.
The weeklong series is coordinated by Venture Asheville, the high-growth entrepreneurship initiative of the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.
The finale is the second annual “Lion’s Den High School Pitch Competition,” hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Mars Hill University. More than $5,000 will be awarded to three teams and the high schools for those teams.
From Tampa, FL:
Embarc Collective has announced the appointment of its next Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Dr. Tim R. Holcomb, an experienced entrepreneur and educator with more than 35 years spent building and supporting high-growth start-ups and start-up incubators nationally, will succeed Lakshmi Shenoy. The latter assumed the CEO slot six years ago and grew Embarc Collective into one of the world’s leading start-up hubs for serious tech entrepreneurs. The transition will allow Embarc Collective to make an even bigger impact as the leading startup incubator across the Southeast U.S. and beyond.
Holcomb comes to Embarc Collective from Miami University in Oxford, OH, where he serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Director of the John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship, considered one of the top entrepreneurship programs in the world and ranked #7 globally by The Princeton Review®. He has served as a board member and advisor for dozens of companies, including ReliaQuest, and previously held the Jim Moran Professor of Entrepreneurship at Florida State University, where he served as Executive Director of the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship.
Holcomb will join Embarc effective Jan. 1, 2025. Shenoy will remain engaged at Embarc Collective as a member of the Embarc Collective Board of Directors and as an Embarc Collective coach to member startups.
From Alpharetta, GA:
Tech Alpharetta, the nonprofit organization helping the City of Alpharetta to lead in tech innovation, has announced that it is relocating its tech start-up incubator to new space this fall. Since the incubator was established in 2015, the local tech community has grown rapidly. With that growth comes the demand for start-up office space. Tech Alpharetta’s new, custom-designed space will double the incubator’s office footprint, allowing even more young tech start-ups to flourish.
According to the announcement, the organization will continue to provide its hot desk members and tenants with exceptional educational programming, mentoring, pitch coaching, and investor and other connections, for which its popular incubator has become known. The new space will offer ample free parking, Wi-Fi and high-speed internet, and complimentary snacks and coffee. Additionally, there is a premier fitness facility conveniently located next door to the incubator for members who wish to join.
The incubator is home to more than 50 tech start-ups and has been a tremendous success, producing 21 graduate companies, 1,462 new jobs for the City of Alpharetta, and 2,064 total new jobs for the State of Georgia.
From Birmingham, AL:
Applications for the next cohort of the five-week Voltage program operated by Innovation Depot are now being accepted. “This is your chance to take that brilliant tech or tech-enabled idea you’ve been nurturing and put it to the test. Voltage is all about doing the homework before jumping headfirst into building your start-up,” Innovation Depot writes. The deadline to apply is September 20 at this link.
The program launches October 9, then meets for four consecutive Saturdays, and has its graduation on November 6.
From Research Triangle Park, NC:
Atsena Therapeutics, a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on bringing the life-changing power of genetic medicine to reverse or prevent blindness, has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Rare Pediatric Disease designation for ATSN-201 for the treatment of X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS). ATSN-201, a best-in-class gene therapy product candidate, leverages AAV.SPR, the company’s novel spreading capsid, to achieve therapeutic levels of gene expression in photoreceptors of the central retina while avoiding the surgical risks of foveal detachment.
“We are pleased to receive the FDA’s Rare Pediatric Disease designation for ATSN-201, which also marks the second RPD designation granted to Atsena this year. Having both of our clinical-stage, ocular gene therapies receive this designation underscores the potential of our technology to address significant unmet needs for patients with inherited retinal diseases,” said Patrick Ritschel, Chief Executive Officer of Atsena Therapeutics. “We are committed to advancing ATSN-201 in clinical trials and offering hope to patients and families affected by XLRS.”
Currently, there are no approved treatments for XLRS, which is typically diagnosed in early childhood and primarily affects males. Approximately 30,000 males in the U.S. and EU are affected by this condition. The safety and tolerability of ATSN-201 is currently being evaluated in the LIGHTHOUSE study, a Phase I/II, open-label, dose-escalation and dose-expansion clinical trial in male patients ages six and older with a clinical diagnosis of XLRS caused by mutations in the RS1 gene. Enrollment for this study is ongoing.
From Miami, FL:
BeMe Health, a pioneering digital behavioral health start-up focusing on teen mental health, has announced the successful closure of additional capital — securing more than $12 million in funding to fuel growth prior to the planned upcoming Series A financing round.
“Our investment in BeMe highlights our commitment to back mission-driven companies with scalable business models that make a lasting societal impact,” said Michael Papile, Co-Founder of Hesperia Capital. “BeMe takes a different approach to the mental health issues faced during this formative stage of life and is laying the groundwork for healthier futures. My Partner Rhett Hunter and I, together with our operating partners who bring deep expertise in behavioral health and third-party reimbursement, are committed to actively supporting the company’s ongoing success.”
This latest funding will enable BeMe to enhance its platform, expand its reach, and continue innovating in youth behavioral healthcare. Such additional seed funding reaffirms BeMe’s critical role in addressing the growing mental health challenges young people face today.
Another from Research Triangle Park:
The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) has announced the eight innovative companies that have been accepted into its GRO Incubator for the eighth cohort. This group includes seven technology companies and one medical device company, each selected for their potential to make a significant impact in their respective industries. The companies will participate in an intensive 12-week program designed to accelerate their growth, culminating in a Demo Day scheduled for November 14.
To learn more about the companies, click here.
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