Announcing the 2024 Andrews Launch Accelerator Companies
Introducing the ventures that will receive access to mentorship, non-dilutive funding, and business development resources.
The NC State Acceleration Fund, operated by the Entrepreneurship Clinic, is the product of a $1,000,000 donation from Lyn and Chip Andrews. The purpose of the Accelerator is to give NC State founders the opportunity to jumpstart their entrepreneurial journey. We provide founders with the funding, resources, and guidance to grow their company.
During the 14-week summer program, NC State startup founders get to work on their concepts and build their companies. The program is composed of modules that steer companies in the right direction.
The ALA 2024 cohort ranges from early idea-stage companies to those with rapidly scaling revenue. With expanded support from across NC State’s campus and within the community, we’ll welcome our largest and most diverse cohort yet! Surety Systems has provided generous support for two teams in the ALA 2024 cohort, Wilson College of Textiles is sponsoring a textile innovation team, and John R. Bratton provided support through his family’s foundation with a major gift to enhance and expand the NC State Acceleration Fund after observing the good work accomplished by his friend Chip Andrews and his work with supporting early stage founders across the university.
The 8 Cohort Companies
AlpacaSews
AlpacaSews was created by Emily Foster, a meteorology major who has a deep love of stuffed animals, in 2021. While she started out by sewing small commissions for friends and family in college, after making her first themed mushroom dragon on TikTok, demand grew to the point where she was able to make cuddly creatures full-time. After business continued to grow, she quickly realized that her handmade plush could not meet the overwhelming demand. A solution came in the form of Kickstarter, where she has funded 3 successful campaigns and funded thousands of plushies, all based on her own drawings and handmade designs. You can buy her creations online and in-person through events and markets where she hosts pop-up shops.
BioSensys
BioSensys is on a mission to revolutionize healthcare monitoring through innovative and accessible products is working on a wearable sensor for continuous lactate monitoring in intensive care units and impact the 5-6M people admitted to ICUs annually in the U.S.
CN-Seamless
CN-Seamless makes a portable robotic cutting machine, the Mach 1, that allows metal fabricators to cut out anything they want, anywhere, without having to use CAD or CAM software. We simplify the intricacies of operating a traditional CNC machine and present the user with an interface that anyone can learn. The machine itself is rugged for use in an industrial environment, but also lightweight and precise, allowing an operator to stow the machine on their truck and carry it wherever it’s needed. Surety Systems is sponsoring this team’s participation.
Data Gallery
An engineering metadata collection SaaS: Data Gallery collects, cleans, and serves engineering metadata as a service. This means that real-time computable data is always available to customers which enables capabilities including computing engineering workflow metrics and security assessment tooling.
Locally Grown
Locally Grown is an app-based service that connects farmers and consumers directly to purchase goods from local farms for pick-up or delivery. Locally Grown is on a mission to improve and simplify the connection between shoppers and farmers to support the work of local farms and improve access to high-quality local products.
Modi
Modi is Ready Player Me meets Tableau, for apparel eCommerce. Modi was born out of the frustrating disconnect between digitally native apparel shoppers and the transactional nature of eCommerce. Despite increasing online traffic, brands still struggle to personalize their experience to their digital audience and address issues like size uncertainty that lead to excess inventory, returns, and under stocking.
PointHalo
PointHalo enables individual drone pilots to compete on the commercial market. Through a portfolio of products, including AnyDroneRTK, this startup hopes to democratize access for hundreds of thousands of small commercial drone pilots in the United States. Millions more across the world, people want to sell aerial models. PointHalo’s technology will enable them to do it. Surety Systems is sponsoring this team’s participation.
Selah Innovations
Current bedpans have no automatic features and require someone to move/lift/turn a patient, place the bedpan, remove, empty and clean it, and provide patient care and clean-up. Selah Innovation’s product seeks to eliminate the need for a healthcare provider to turn, lift, or otherwise move a patient and eliminate the time, indignity, and materials involved in cleaning, drying, and changing a patient.
Congratulations to the founders and good luck on their journey through the Andrews Launch Accelerator!
