By Allan Maurer, WRAL TechWire | May 2, 2018
RALEIGH – The RIoT startup accelerator in Raleigh has selected 10 startup teams for its inaugural program. Applicants came from as far north as Maryland and as far South as Florida, says Tom Snyder, executive director of NC RIoT.
Known as RAP, the RIoT Accelerator Program facilitates entrepreneurship end-to-end from academic research and education through to rapid commercial growth. RAP will partner startups with an industry consortium of more than 60 companies such as IBM.
“Industry seeds the accelerator with market-driven problems they are motivated to solve through entrepreneurial partnerships,” RIoT notes. “Partners provide access to complimentary resources and seed investor capital necessary to launch new products and services to market.”
RIoT is funding the program with a variety of grants, including $500,000 from the federal government, and has support from the NC IDEA Foundation. The RAP operates out of RIoT’s headquarters in Raleigh.RIoT is focused on Internet of Things (IoT) companies, but the accelerator considers startups that would not be considered traditional IoT firms. In four years, it has worked with 40 companies tat collectively raised more than $275 million and created more than 400 jobs in North Carolina.
Submissions for its accelerator program came from a variety of industries, Snyder said, including consumer products, home automation, industrial, transportation, medical device, education, sports & entertainment, public health, smart cities, and more.
“We chose to be somewhat stage agnostic, accepting a few early stage teams not yet incorporated and in one case a university sophomore,” Snyder tells WRAL Techwire. “On the other side of the spectrum, we have a team that represents an existing company exploring a new product offering with a technology completely new to them.”
Some of the startups do not yet have a website.
THE LINEUP
Here’s a look at the startups, based in NC, selected for the accelerator program:
- Aeva Labs tackles the $350 billion alcohol market with IoT-enabled equipment that ages liquor through the distillation process more than 100 times faster than barrel aging without loss of flavor or quality. NC State affiliated – Raleigh
- Atomo has developed advanced indoor positioning technology, useful for providing high fidelity maps and wayfinding within buildings and for facility usage analytics. NC State affiliated – Raleigh
- Eversafe Bracelet has created a wearable band that helps parents, babysitters and field trip chaperones to better keep track of children in crowded situations, thereby reducing the staggering 800,000 children that get lost in the US annually today. High Point University affiliated – High Point
- GreenToGo aims to move the needle positively from recyclables to reusables with tech-enabled restaurant to-go boxes that save the environment while better connecting restaurants and customers. Durham — http://www.durhamgreentogo.com/
- HotDAWG Company embeds safety and tracking sensors into pet accessories, such as a leash that monitors road and sidewalk temperatures to warn dog walkers before their pets get burned. High Point University affiliated – High Point
- MicroGrid Labs brings a fresh approach to electric vehicle charging with an open access platform that disrupts the current pay-per-charge model that is controlled by just a few industry intermediaries. Morrisville, NC (RTP) & San Jose, CA – https://microgridlabs.com/
- SecurEdge Networks offers WiFi as a service with advanced features in performance monitoring and management and automated optimization and services. Charlotte – https://www.securedgenetworks.com/
- Trilliott provides a general purpose asset tracking platform that enables businesses to keep track not only of higher value internet-connected devices, but also low-cost, everyday things through use of simple, inexpensive RFID tags. Raleigh – https://www.trilliott.com/
- UniMerch takes auto-order-replenishment of household consumables – paper towels for example – to the next level through smart household fixtures and appliances. Raleigh – http://www.unimerch.io/
- Vital Guide monitors patient vital signs and location in the waiting room via a connected ID bracelet that makes hospital emergency rooms run more intelligently. NC State affiliated – Raleigh.