Insights

for the 2023 Venture Connect Summit + Celebration

Brennan Barber, Jay Bigelow, Brian McGhee (GSK), Kelly Rowell, Leon Wright (GSK), Elaina Bade, Hunter Young 

RTP, NC, December 7, 2022 — The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) announced today its partnership with GSK to host the 2023 Venture Connect Summit + Celebration. 

A long-term collaborator of CED, GSK has offered 60,000 square feet of space on the Alexandria Real Estate life sciences campus in RTP, including a five-story glass atrium, auditoriums, and ample outdoor space to accommodate the Summit Celebration.

Al Thompson, VP Strategy & Transformation at GSK, said: “We recognize the role that the Council for Entrepreneurial Development has played in nurturing the growth of our regional entrepreneurial ecosystem. We value their work and are delighted to offer resources that can contribute to driving that growth forward.” 

RTP is home to nearly 200 corporations spanning technology, bio/pharma, micro-electronics, telecom, and environmental sciences and is a hotbed for entrepreneurial activity. It serves as the central hub to three distinctively unique urban centers incubating startups, and is also home to big corporations including Google, Apple, Syngenta, BASF, Grail, Biogen, and many more.  

Kelly Rowell, CEO at CED, said: “To truly grow as a region, we need to promote cohesion across it. Our plan is to scale this concept to create an experience that becomes the narrative of who we are as a region, and the culture of support that is woven across it.”

As large corporations continue to evolve and adapt to hybrid workforces, CED believes that there is an opportunity to leverage campuses in RTP for community use and regional engagement. CED is intentionally centralizing the event by moving it to the Park. This enables CED to spotlight the distinctively unique urban centers where innovators are building their businesses. The Park’s location in the center of the Triangle makes the commute equidistant to regional attendees, supporting inclusion for all those who would like to participate. 

The 2023 Venture Connect Summit + Celebration will take place March 29-30, 2023. Please check the event website, cednc.org/venture-connect, for regular updates on sessions and event-related announcements. 

About CED (Council for Entrepreneurial Development)

The Council for Entrepreneurial Development was formed in 1984 by a group of business leaders wanting to empower the successful creation and growth of entrepreneurial companies in the North Carolina region. CED acts as the connective center for all of this to happen. Through high-touch support, education, access to capital, and crucial connections, CED brings entrepreneurs together with the optimal resources needed to turn a new company into a success story. For more information go to www.cednc.org