Seed the South is the only event in Charlotte highlighting early-stage startups through a pitch competition and investor symposium. This all-day event provides a unique opportunity to meet the leading investors in the Carolinas and see the businesses of the future.

Our goal: engage new and current investors, elevate the Charlotte ecosystem and showcase the Queen City's innovative startups.

View the official Seed the South page here.

10- 11:30 a.m.: Investor Symposium

The event will begin with an Investor-Focused Symposium. Our goal is to connect and engage new and current early-stage investors across North Carolina. Speakers include:

• Jason Caplain, General Partner at Bull City Venture Partners
• Lister Delgado, Managing Partner at IDEA Fund Partners
• Tim McLoughlin, Partner at Cofounders Capital
• Matt Lenora, Associate at Smith Anderson Law
• Juliana Iarossi, Angel Investor and Professor of Entrepreneurship at University of South Carolina
• Brandon Shelton, Founding & Managing Partner at Task Force X Capital
• Dr. Shante Williams, Founder at RW Capital
• Chris Langford, Managing Director at Lowes Ventures
• Justin Agan, Startup Lawyer at Spengler & Agans
• Mac Lackey, Investor at Venture South
• Merrill Mason, Investor at Triangle Angel Partners; Partner at Smith Anderson Law
• Ben Hicks, Corporate Attorney at Wagner Hicks PLLC
• Tom Ryan, Founder and General Partner at Start100

1 - 4:30 p.m.: Local Founder Panel & Pitch Competition

Meet the startups.

We will break for lunch, followed by a panel of successful founders and pitch competition among fundraising startups. Startups will have the chance to win three prizes:

• Judges select Best Pitch: $1,000 sponsored by Lowe's Ventures, one-year membership to BIG and $3,000 worth of bookkeeping from Reconciled.
  
• Audience select Best Pitch: $1,000 sponsored by Castle
• Best Demo Table 1-minute pitch: $1,000 sponsored by Hygge

We have 6 startups pitching on the main stage. All participants pitching on the main stage will win a one-year membership at Packard Place Coworking, $1,000 in AWS credits and 2-months of free membership at Advent Coworking.

There are 14 other startups taking part in our demo day to engage with local leaders and spread the word about their companies. Attendees will be able to vote on the best demo table and main stage pitch.

Collective Hustle focuses on the inclusion and empowerment of female and minority entrepreneurs and investors, providing angel, pre-seed and seed investors with a unique opportunity to engage with diverse and talented leaders in the Charlotte startup ecosystem. Ticket sales will help us to continue our efforts to build an inclusive Charlotte ecosystem.

The co-host of Seed the South, SoGal, is the largest global platform for diverse entrepreneurs and investors that provides resources, education and community for a 100K+ person network with chapters in 37 cities around the world. Learn more about SoGal here.