CO-LAB at UNC Charlotte Center City hosts MIT Foundry Fellows

Everywhere they traveled during an entrepreneurial ecosystem tour of Charlotte this spring, a group of MIT Foundry Fellows peppered experts they met with questions and observations. They were soaking up as much as they could during their whirlwind trip to the city and to UNC Charlotte.

Hosted on their Charlotte visit by the UNC Charlotte Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and CO-LAB at UNC Charlotte Center City, the visitors are members of the MIT Kuo Sharper Center for Prosperity and Entrepreneurship’s fourth cohort of fellows.

“Having the MIT Foundry Fellows here in Charlotte was an energizing experience for them and for us,” said CEI and CO-LAB Executive Director Brad Yeckley. “For the fellows, it was a valuable opportunity to see how innovation is being driven across sectors — from major corporations to emerging startups — and to gain insight into Charlotte’s momentum as a growing hub for entrepreneurship. For CO-LAB, it was a chance to highlight our members and community partners, while building global connections and taking part in a larger conversation about where innovation is headed in our ecosystem.”

The fellows are part of an eight-month transformative experience for accomplished entrepreneurs from Africa’s rapidly growing economies of Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, Zambia and Kenya. The 15 current fellows are leaders and founders of innovation-driven companies in sectors including education technology, fintech, agriculture, renewable energy, ethical mining and telecommunications.

“During our time in Charlotte, we discovered a spirit that is practical, visionary and deeply rooted in shared responsibility,” said Dina H. Sherif, executive director of the Sloan School of Management-based center. “Our fellows were able to explore how Charlotte is building a collaborative ecosystem around the existing assets of the city, including those offered by UNC Charlotte and many others who are part of the innovation and entrepreneurial landscape.”

A visit to the Truist Innovation and Technology Center highlighted how financial institutions are powering the region’s tech talent including through Truist’s ‘Innovators-in-Residence’ offices, while a trip to the Duke Energy’s Innovation Center explored how design thinking is used to enhance customer and employee experiences.

Other sessions included a conversation with historian Thomas Hanchett, who provided historical context. Fellows engaged with researchers and leaders across campus, exploring innovation in chats with experts with the Thomas L. Reynolds Center for Graduate Life and Learning and the Office of Research Commercialization & Partnerships. They also toured and met faculty and student researchers with the Super Fab Lab and the Center for Computational Intelligence to Predict Health & Environmental Risks, also known as CIPHER.

Belk College of Business Dean Richard Buttimer shared how the University is advancing entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly with its rise to R1, the highest research status. Fellows observed that Buttimer’s remarks prompted them to re-think the role of research in providing valuable input for entrepreneurs.

Sessions at CO-LAB included engagement with local ecosystem leaders from RevTech Labs Capital, EO Charlotte and The Boost Pad - all CO-LAB members - on building founder-first models and tackling corporate-startup disconnects. Other local ecosystem leaders who spoke with the group included William McNeely, with Do Greater, Inc. | DG Creative Labs.

“Many of us think about how we can leave this city better than how we found it,” McNeely observed, summing up the sentiments the fellows heard from many. “We are not where we want to be, but now we have a blueprint and a community that wants to see this city thrive.”