History

1984:

CED is established by a team of 24 business leaders, entrepreneurs, and academicians to capitalize on the technological and educational strengths of the Triangle; CED sponsors the first "Southeast Financing Conference for Emerging Growth Companies" to showcase entrepreneurial companies to potential investors; Initiates monthly education and networking program for entrepreneurs; Publishes first newsletter; Establishes first office at 200 Park Drive in RTP; Board of Directors hires first employee, executive director Tom Gunning.

1985:

CED membership surpasses 200; Entrepreneurial councils are established in Asheville, Charlotte and the Triad; First Conference on Entrepreneurship; CED publishes first CED membership directory; Triangle makes Money magazine's list of top 10 U.S. Growth Areas.

1986:

CED hires first full-time director, Monica Doss.

1987:

CED receives 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status as an educational organization; Holds first annual awards banquet; "Authors" Qualified Business Investment Tax Credit; Inc. magazine lists Triangle as #7 on list of "hot areas;" BTI establishes Young Entrepreneur Award in cooperation with CED.

1989:

Membership grows to more than 400 companies with 75% entrepreneurs or potential entrepreneurs.

1990:

CED forms Biotechnology Roundtable and Software Developers Roundtable; Publishes first Entrepreneurs Guide to Starting and Growing a Business in the Research Triangle.

1991:

CED offers first new member orientations; Holds first annual golf tournament; Sponsors half-day software conference.

1992:

Inc. magazine lists Triangle as one of the Best Places in America to Own a Business; CED and the NC Biotechnology Center sponsor first Biotechnology conference; CED sponsors first Triangle Software Industry conference.

1993:

CED is named N.C. Supporter of Entrepreneurship and is selected as one of three national finalists; CED is inducted into Entrepreneur of the Year Institute; Fortune magazine ranks Triangle as #1 Best City for Business; Entrepreneur magazine ranks Triangle in Top 20 Hot Spots to Start a Business.

1994:

CED's 10th anniversary; CED forms International Roundtable; National Business Employment Weekly ranks Triangle #4 Best U.S. Market for New Graduates.

1995:

The National Consortium of Entrepreneurial Centers selects CED as a founding member; CED creates the Triangle Capital Formation Steering Committee to analyze the Triangle's venture capital position; Initiates FastTrac training courses for prospective entrepreneurs; Launches Young Entrepreneur Competition; Hires fifth full-time employee; Forbes ASAP magazine ranks Triangle #8 Best Place for Smart Companies.

1996:

CED creates the Research Triangle Entrepreneurial Advisory Board; Launches Future Focus capital campaign; Pilots Future Entrepreneurs program in Orange County middle school; Launches Web site; Wall Street Journal ranks Triangle #1 Hottest Place for Job Growth in the Southeast.

1997:

CED reaches Future Focus capital goal of $2.5 million to fund five-year, entrepreneurial development plan for Triangle; Initiates STREAK Venture Forum; First Publishes Research Triangle Venture Update; Entrepreneur magazine ranks Triangle #3 Midsize City.

1998:

CED opens Research Triangle Entrepreneurship Center in Research Triangle; Sponsors its 15th Annual Venture Conference; Initiates Entrepreneurial Scholars internship program; Launches FastTrac Tech program; Introduces Executive Series.

1999:

Executive Director Monica Doss receives 1999 National Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award-Supporter of Entrepreneurship; CED celebrates 15 years and membership reaches 3000, representing 1000 companies, entrepreneurs and institutions; Initiates Entrepreneurial Stock Endowment Program.

2000:

CED brings Southeast Bio Investor Conference to the Triangle; Endowment reaches 100th pledge; 100th company presents in the STREAK program; Entrepreneur magazine ranks Raleigh/Durham #3 Best Place in the Nation for Entrepreneurship; Money magazine ranks Raleigh/Durham #1 Place to Live in the Southeast; Wired magazine ranks Raleigh #3 High Tech Hotspot; Success magazine names the Research Triangle an Entrepreneurial Hotbed.

2001:

CED launches Capital Connections; CED membership reaches 5,000, representing 1300 companies, entrepreneurs and institutions.

2002:

CED's Innovation to Impact capital campaign exceeds its $3 million goal by raising over $4 million for the five-year initiative; Employment Review Magazine rates the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill metro area as America's best place to live and work; Brookings Institute names Research Triangle the #4 best place for new biotechnology companies.

2003:

CED celebrates 20th annual Venture conference in April 2003; Collaborates with NCBIO and other organizations in successfully extending the state's Qualified Business Venture (QBV) Tax Credit; Leads the Entrepreneurship & Technology Committee of RTRP's Clusters of Innovation “Staying on Top” Task Force; North Carolina breaks into top ten nationally in venture capital investments for the first time (and rises to #3 nationally in life science investments); Employment Review Magazine rates the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill metro area as America's best place to live and work for the second year in a row.

2004:

CED celebrates its 20th anniversary (click here to watch a high-energy video on innovation and CED); Attracts former presidential candidate and Senator Robert Dole and DNA pioneer Lee Hood to speak at Venture and Biotech spring events; Launches successful Engage - Knowledge, Networks and Trends program series; Releases 2004 Entrepreneurial Satisfaction Survey Report (PDF document, requires Adobe Acrobat). Research Triangle Regional Partnership, CED and N.C. Treasurer Richard Moore travel to Boston to pitch North Carolina investment opportunities; CED President Monica Doss wins 2004 Triangle Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedicated leadership to supporting entrepreneurs.

2005:

CED launches Entrepreneurs Only Workshop series; Venture 2005 held in Pinehurst, NC; NC IDEA and CED form strategic alliance to make North Carolina a national leader in entrepreneurship; CED launches new personalized web communications and customer relations tool called myCED; Research Triangle Regional Partnership, CED and N.C. Treasurer Richard Moore travel to Silicon Valley to pitch North Carolina investment opportunities; CED merges with Wilmington’s Coastal Entrepreneurial Council – resulting in the creation of CED-Coastal divisional office.

2006:

CED moves its headquarters to expanded Research Triangle location; NC State College of Management brings its part-time MBA program to CED’s newly expanded Entrepreneurship Center; CED hosts its Biotech 2006 conference in Winston-Salem with more than 800 attendees; CED expands presence in greater Wilmington region and celebrates one-year anniversary of CED-Coastal.