Partnerships
North Carolina League of Municipalities
The North Carolina League of Municipalities is a member-driven organization representing the interests of cities and towns in the state. Through collective efforts, League member cities and towns better serve their residents and improve quality of life. Working as one. Advancing all.
NC IDEA is an independent private foundation committed to empowering North Carolinians to achieve their entrepreneurial potential. Through a powerful combination of competitive grants and programs, and a network of strategic partners, we help entrepreneurs when they need it most. We believe entrepreneurs transform communities and view our work as a catalyst for positive change.
The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to receive a portion of North Carolina’s funding received from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers. For 20 years, Golden LEAF has worked to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities through leadership in grant-making, collaboration, innovation, and stewardship as an independent and perpetual foundation. The Foundation has provided lasting impact by helping create 65,000 jobs, over half a billion dollars in new payrolls and more than 84,000 workers trained or retrained for higher wages.
The NCEast Alliance is the lead economic development organization serving eastern North Carolina. We work with state, local and national economic development organizations to help existing industries expand; actively market to and assist in the recruitment of new businesses into the area; build regional economic capacity; and provide confidential site location assistance for companies seeking available buildings and sites for expansion or relocation.
Since 1987, the Rural Center has worked to improve the quality of life for the state’s rural people and places. We operate with the core belief that rural communities have inherent cultural value and are vital to the overall economic health of the state. The NC Rural Center’s mission is to develop, promote, and implement sound economic strategies to improve the quality of life of rural North Carolinians. We serve the state’s 80 rural counties, with a special focus on individuals with low to moderate incomes and communities with limited resources.
The NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center works in regions, counties, cities, towns, downtown districts and in designated North Carolina Main Street communities, to inspire place-making through building asset-based economic development strategies that achieve measurable results such as investment, business growth and jobs.
U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) is an inclusive community advancing entrepreneurship education through bold teaching, scholarship, and practice. Scholars advance entrepreneurship education through cutting-edge entrepreneurship research and translating existing entrepreneurship research into teachable content.
The mission of the Small Business Institute® is to be the premier provider of professional development for those engaged in experiential student team consulting and related entrepreneurship education, research and activities. SBI is the link between business, education and community.
The Duke Law School Start-Up Ventures Clinic (SUVC) provides legal advice and assistance to entrepreneurs and seed and early stage entrepreneurial ventures that have not yet raised significant amounts of outside capital. Student attorneys in the SUVC assist clients in a wide variety of legal matters including company formation, intellectual property protection, commercialization strategies and operational issues.
NC State Entrepreneurship Clinic
Inspired by the hospital teaching model applied to entrepreneurship, the Clinic integrates research, teaching, and real-world experience. Students have the opportunity to work alongside the best startups and corporations while earning credit. Students get real-life experience and companies get top interdisciplinary talent at NC State.
Pitt Community College
Small Business Center
The SBC is committed to helping prospective and existing small business owners in the community succeed, leading to job creation and retention in Pitt County. The SBC specializes in assisting startups, early stage, and troubled businesses — and proudly contribute to the continuing education efforts of over 30,000 Pitt County residents each year.
Beaufort Community College
Small Business Center
The Mission of the Small Business Center Network (SBCN) is to increase the success rate and the number of viable small businesses in North Carolina by providing high quality, readily accessible assistance to prospective and existing small business owners, which will lead to job creation and retention.
Wilson Community College
Small Business Center
The SBC supports the development and success rate of Wilson County new businesses and the growth of existing businesses by providing high-quality assistance as a community-based provider of information, training, counseling, and referral. Confidential counseling services and access to resource libraries are free of charge. Most seminars, webinars, and workshops are also offered at no charge. Services provided can be customized to suit a client’s specific business needs.
Future Business Leaders of America
North Carolina Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is a student organization for middle and high school students. It prepares students for careers in business, marketing, information technology and a host of other fields through academic competitions, leadership development, and educational programs.
Pitt Greenville Chamber of Commerce
Greenville and Pitt County make up one of the fastest growing areas in the state and the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce has been a major player in bringing new business and development into the county. The Chamber plays a vital role as a uniting force between business and citizens to ensure continued progress.
Uptown Greenville is the voice of the downtown. We exist to promote quality cultural, residential, and economic development.
Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber is a volunteer organization of business, professional, industrial, and community leaders working together to create and maintain an economically strong county. Its objectives are designed to advance the development of the community, to ensure effective government, to maintain a favorable climate for sound economic growth, and to improve the overall quality of life for Beaufort County’s citizens.
Martin County Chamber of Commerce
The Martin County Chamber of Commerce is committed to helping drive community growth by serving as a gateway for businesses to grow through partnerships and networking that encourage economic advancement all while maintaining its rural character.
ECU Office of New Ventures and Commercialization
The Office of Innovation and New Ventures is the cornerstone of a campus-wide movement designed to spur social and economic growth by using new innovations and discoveries to create valuable products, processes and services for the benefit of our region and beyond. Whether you are an accomplished scientist performing cutting edge research, an educator preparing the next generation of thought leaders, a student with a passion for making the world a better place or a business looking for new products and opportunities, the Office of Innovation and New Ventures can help you find the resources you need. The Office of Innovation and New Ventures is comprised of three offices: Licensing & Commercialization, Greenville SEED and the Small Business Technology Development Center.
ECU Office of Community Engagement and Research
Many ECU students, faculty and staff members know that conducting research is important to the university’s mission, but what happens when you work in partnership with community members to solve problems? That’s when traditional research becomes community engaged research – with students and faculty working together alongside community partners to develop research questions, determine methods to investigate an identified problem, collect and analyze data, interpret the data and share results with others.
Funded by the National Science Foundation, Innovation Corps@ECU embraces the formation of ideas, innovation and commercialization of inventions by using proven methods in lean launch, customer discovery and business model innovation. The project aims to prepare and support ECU faculty, staff, students, entrepreneurs and industries in the process of validating the potential for new products, services and technologies while launching new companies. Whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, our extensive network of resources, personalized training and diverse mentors will guide you in fully exploring the value of your idea. I-Corps@ECU supports 30 entrepreneurial teams per year and provides seed grants of up to $3,000 per team to help fund customer discovery and prototype development activities.
The SBTDC’s East Carolina University location in Greenville is committed to helping make your business better. Our team of experienced business professionals is here to help your small & mid-size business:
- Make better, more informed decisions
- Access sources of capital and financing
- Evaluate and improve your financial performance
- Obtain quality business and market information
- Improve leadership skills and employee performance
- Plan for a better future
The Honors College at East Carolina University is comprised of a remarkable group of students. Bolstered by award-winning faculty and innovative programs, we are a growing community of diverse, innovative, curious and creative students. Each member of the Honors College is awarded one of three scholarships and take part in a diverse range of high-impact experiences that extend far beyond the classroom. Our alumni have gone on to UNC School of Law, Georgia Tech, Duke University School of Medicine, University of Michigan, Vanderbilt University, Cornell University and many more!
The Innovation Design Lab is a collaborative venue for leading-edge research and design-driven innovation. A best-in-class facility, the lab was one of three national finalists in the 2016 Community Connected Campus Awards of Excellence given by the University Economic Development Association.