NC IDEA

06/23/2026

𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗺 and few people embody that better than our friend Talib Graves-Manns.

In Episode 42 of , Thom Ruhe talks with Talib about ownership, wealth creation, , and expanding economic opportunity.

From increasing access to capital through Partners in Equity to helping acquire commercial real estate, Talib shares insights on building wealth and stronger communities.

🎧Listen here: https://bit.ly/3QKzQEP
🎥Watch here: https://bit.ly/4gnrWeT

Catch new episodes of 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 every other Tuesday on your favorite platform. 🎤

Knox St. Studios Black Wall Street

06/23/2026

in action! ⤵️🔥

Last night, our very own Tom Snyder and Rachael Meleney Newberry joined leaders from the townofgoldston.gov, silercity.org, Town Of Pittsboro, North Carolina, and Chatham County to discuss economic development and technology-based economic development (TBED) across the region.

Strong partnerships and collaborative conversations like these help build a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Exciting things are in the works and we look forward to sharing more soon!

06/23/2026

NC Idea is a scrappy foundation devoted to entrepreneurs. Leading the group is CEO Thom Ruhe, who says 2026 could be a “very historic” year for the organization. Here's why: bit.ly/4exr3Ow

06/23/2026

Hey founders! 🏖️

Interested in NC IDEA ($10K) or ($50K) funding this Fall? Join our upcoming NC IDEA Fall 2026 Grants Information Session at the UNCW CIE!

🗓️: Monday, July 20th, 12:00-1:30 PM
📍: 803 College Road Suite G, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403

✅ The Fall 2026 grant cycle
✅ Application timelines
✅ Tips for submitting a strong application
✅ Insights from the NC IDEA team and alumni

You'll also hear from NC IDEA alumni:

Robert S. Cooley, Jr. (Nuream) - grant recipient

🔗 Register: https://bit.ly/44rxH46

06/23/2026

Hey founders! 👑

Interested in NC IDEA ($10K) or ($50K) funding this Fall? Join our upcoming NC IDEA Fall 2026 Grants Information Session at Do Greater Charlotte Foundation!

🗓️: Tuesday, July 14th, 6:00-7:30 am
📍: 2400 Greenland Avenue, Charlotte, North Carolina 28208

✅ The Fall 2026 grant cycle
✅ Application timelines
✅ Tips for submitting a strong application
✅ Insights from the NC IDEA team and alumni

You'll also hear from NC IDEA alumni:

Toni Shub, Ed.D, OTR/L (QoreInsights) - grant recipient
Travis Mason (The Gamrly Company, Inc.) - grant recipient

🔗 Register: https://bit.ly/4uWpAat

06/23/2026

06/23/2026

He leads support for entrepreneurs in NC (podcast) >> See the full article below ⬇️

06/22/2026

It's almost that time... 💸

Applications for the NC IDEA ($10K) and ($50K) grant programs open on 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟳!

If you're considering applying and want guidance on building a competitive application, we're here to help. While attendance is not required to apply, we 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮 encourage founders to join one of our upcoming information sessions.

We'll cover:
✅ Grant program eligibility and requirements
✅ Application timelines and key deadlines
✅ Tips for submitting a stronger application directly from NC IDEA alumni
✅ Which funding opportunity may be right for your company

Upcoming Information Sessions:
📍 July 13 – Fall 2026 Grants Information Session Webinar
w/ Chip Kennedy of CivicReach ( and grantee)
https://bit.ly/4uAJjwy

📍 July 14 – Charlotte | Do Greater, Inc. | Sparkhouse Charlotte
w/ Toni Shub, Ed.D, OTR/L of QoreInsights ( grantee)
w/ Travis Mason of The Gamrly Company, Inc. ( grantee)
https://bit.ly/3S5xbGa

📍 July 15 – Asheville | Hatchworks Coworking
w/ Anthony Hernandez of Marla Amplification ( grantee)
w/ Katie-lynn McDonald of Full Moon Tea Company ( grantee)
https://bit.ly/3S8LCcw

📍 July 20 – Wilmington | UNCW CIE
w/ Robert S. Cooley, Jr. of Nuream ( grantee)
https://bit.ly/4fHmUd9

📍 July 21 – RTP | Frontier RTP
w/ Brennan Barber of Theralinq ( and grantee)
w/ Jeanine Fry of LOOM3D ( grantee)
https://bit.ly/44a7o28

📍 July 22 – Winston-Salem | Winston Starts
https://bit.ly/4xphnhH

This is your chance to meet some the NC IDEA team and learn directly from NC IDEA alumni! A special thank you to our partners for welcoming and hosting us.

06/22/2026

Hey founders!

Interested in NC IDEA ($10K) or ($50K) funding this Fall? Join our upcoming NC IDEA Fall 2026 Grants Information Session at Hatchworks Coworking!

🗓️: Wednesday, July 15th, 10:00-11:30am
📍: 45 S French Broad Ave Suite 170

✅ The Fall 2026 grant cycle
✅ Application timelines
✅ Tips for submitting a strong application
✅ Insights from the NC IDEA team and alumni

You'll also hear from NC IDEA alumni:

Anthony Hernandez (marlaamplification.com) - grant recipient
Katie-lynn McDonald (Full Moon Tea Company) - grant recipient

🔗 Register: https://bit.ly/4eDIdKi