About US

Home > About Us
About Us

Cultivating a Better Economic Ecosystem

Innovate Charlotte is working to build a bright future for entrepreneurs in Charlotte by reducing the obstacles entrepreneurs face.

Our Mission

Innovate Charlotte is an entrepreneurial support organization (ESO) that works to provide entrepreneurs with resources that will enable success. Our mission is to foster an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Charlotte, NC, and the broader region by tackling systemic barriers – including limited access to capital, talent pipeline development, racial diversity initiatives, and corporate involvement – that can impede entrepreneurial success. With this set of goals, Innovate Charlotte is committed to helping entrepreneurs achieve their business objectives and expand economic opportunities in the greater Charlotte area.

Our Team

Our team is passionate about helping entrepreneurs reach their goals, guided by leaders in the business,
government, and entrepreneurial communities

LORA SMITH

CEO

Davidson

Manager Director

Alexa

Manager Director

johnson

Senior Manager

johnson

Senior Manager

Alexa

Manager Director

LORA SMITH

CEO

Davidson

Manager Director

Our History

Charlotte Regional Fund for Entrepreneurship (CRFE) was established in 2012 as an effort to encourage businesses and startups that were forming in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. The fund provided resources and support to entrepreneurs and small business owners in the city, helping to create a welcoming and thriving environment for their endeavors.

To further solidify the mission of CRFE, they hosted a series of sponsored events and published two reports between 2012 and 2013: an Ecosystem Analysis and Charlotte Entrepreneurial Growth Report, which mapped the ecosystem at the time and identified programs available to entrepreneurs.
In 2017, CRFE received support and seed funding from both the Charlotte Chamber and City. This allowed them to create Innovate Charlotte (INCLT) which was launched in January 2018. Since then, INCLT has hosted numerous networking events, offered mentorship opportunities, and provided grant opportunities to local entrepreneurs.

Innovate Charlotte has worked tirelessly over the past few years to create an environment where entrepreneurs and small business owners can thrive. With the continued support of its community partners, they have been able to make strides and continue to foster an entrepreneurial spirit in Charlotte.

We build on this rich history with the newly created Innovate Charlotte Coalition, designed to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing entrepreneurs in the city, including limited access to capital, talent pipeline development, racial diversity initiatives, and corporate involvement.

Resource Hub

There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority have suffered alteration in some form, by injected humour, or randomised words which don’t look even slightly believable.

Report Name Goes Here

There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority have suffered alteration don’t look even slightly believable.
Download Now

Report Name Goes Here

There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority have suffered alteration don’t look even slightly believable.
Download Now

Report Name Goes Here

There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority have suffered alteration don’t look even slightly believable.
Download Now

Subscribe for latest newsletter

There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority have suffered alteration in slightly believable.

Business Types