Council for Entrepreneurial Development NC

The North Carolina Council for Entrepreneurial Development, or CED, is kicking off their Tech Venture Conference tomorrow. This conference is set to focus on uniting technology entrepreneurs, businesses, and capital. The 29th annual conference – initially, the conference was just focused on the venture side of emerging companies within traditional industries like agriculture, medical technology and manufacturing; since 2011, the conference has had a focus on “All Things Tech.” –  is shaping up to be the largest such conference to-date.

The 2013 conference is broken into a few different parts, and features some really interesting startups, speakers, and other presenters. One of the sessions that we are most looking forward to, the “Featured Company Presentations,” will feature six companies with roots in the Research Triangle:

  • Bronto Software – A cloud-based marketing platform that consistently ranks in Inc. Magazine’s Top 5000 Fastest Growing Companies.
  • Netsertive – They have built a “Digital Marketing Engine,” that automates localized digital advertising and channel marketing programs. Similar to Balihoo.
  • Overture – These guys have developed technology that enables high-capacity Ethernet services over any media including fiber, copper and TDM.
  • ReverbNation – They have built a platform that connects the entire music ecosystem, to the benefit of all. Fans, artists, labels and managers, venues, and festivals with a distribution and promotional platform. It is really awesome for artist discovery too. In-fact, DIG SOUTH held a competition using the ReverbNation platform to select their music lineup.
  • StrikeIron – Provides customers with Data-as-a-Service in the form of end-to-end API management.
  • WebAssign – Partners with many of the leading textbook publishers to offer online instructional tools for faculty and students.

The conference will also feature presentations and demos from some really interesting startups. There are many more, but here are some that we will be looking for:

  • Fuel3D – They have built the Fuel3D handheld scanner, a point-and-shoot 3D imaging system that captures extremely high resolution mesh and color information of objects.
  • Leasalytics – Allows property management companies to tie leasing agent performance data to financial performance of the portfolio.
  • NeuroSpire – They offer a technology platform for conducting and analyzing neuromarketing studies. I really have no idea what to expect, but that sounds really interesting.
  • Spreedly – A payments API that works allows merchants to work with 35+ different payment gateways.
  • OneMorePallet – A supply chain management platform that allows small businesses to  bid on empty truck space in real time, use truck capacity more effectively, and drastically lower their shipping costs.
  • Pluribus Systems – Their product, Pokket, generates single-use credit card numbers, making ecommerce and online transactions super easy and secure

Beyond product demonstrations and demos, the 2013 CED Tech Venture Conference will feature some prominent speakers:

The CED has been wildly influential to the growth of the STEM companies within the Research Triangle region of North Carolina. The success and dedication to their mission statement, “To identify, enable and promote high-growth, high-impact companies and to accelerate the entrepreneurial culture of the Research Triangle and North Carolina,” is evident throughout North Carolina. A quick glance at the below map of tech companies and tech community members speaks volume towards the CED’s impact.

CED Tech companies within research Triangle of NC