A dozen entrepreneurs are setting up space and getting help to launch their businesses in Durham.
They get free space together in downtown for 60 days and access to resources. It’s part of a program called “Bull City Startup Stampede” organized through the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Durham, Inc.
Stephanie Harris is among the hopefuls. Her idea is to eliminate the pagers when waiting in line at restaurants.
"So instead of them giving you those nasty, stinky outdated buzzers, they're going to buzz your cell phone,” she said.
She and her business partner are developing an app for restaurants called “i-buzzn.”
They’ve set up temporary office space, along with other budding business owners, to get their project off the ground.
Adam Klein, director of strategic initiatives for the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce , said giving people like Harris a boost is the entire point of the Startup Stampede.
"We're really giving them a runway in downtown Durham to grow here,” said Klein.
"That allows them to sharpen their ideas .They get to meet other entrepreneurs, other experts who started companies before. To meet with attorneys, accountants, marketers, people who can really help them take their idea to the next level,” he said.
About 55 people applied for the program and a dozen were accepted. The stampede, which started Friday, is the second of the year. About 15 businesses participated in the spring.
"We ended up keeping nine of those companies in downtown Durham. A number of them have raised their first round of seed funding. One company just got $100,000 in seed funding. A couple launched kick-starter campaigns. One raised almost $20,000 on their kick-starter campaign, almost double their goal,” said Matthew Coppedge, director of marketing and communications for Downtown Durham, Inc.
Harris hopes to create that same buzz for her business.
The Stampede, she said, "is most definitely needed because a lot of times people they're at home they have those ideas and they don't know who to reach out to."
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement