CED - Center for Entrepreneurial Development

BIO International Convention
2026-06-22 - 2026-06-25 | NC

GRO11 Demo Day
2026-06-25 16:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | North Carolina Central University’s School of Business, 829 E. Lawson Street, Durham, 27701, United States
Join us for an evening celebrating the Spring 2026 GRO Incubator cohort, as founders pitch their startups. Connect with investors, entrepreneurs, and ecosystem partners while enjoying food, drinks, and great conversation. Let’s support the next generation of innovators growing in the Triangle!
RSVP Here: https://www.cednc.co/gro11-demo-day-june-2026

First Friday at Raleigh Founded - North Street
2026-07-03, 2026-08-07 | Raleigh Founded – North Street, 509 W North St, Raleigh, 27603, United States

Free Coworking Day at The Junction
2026-07-03 08:30 - 17:00, 2026-08-07 08:30 - 17:00 | Innovate Carolina, 136 E Rosemary St, Chapel Hill, NC, 17514, United States

Downtown Techies Raleigh/Durham Meetup
2026-07-07 17:00 - 19:00 | Lynnwood Brewing Concern, 1053 E Whitaker Mill Rd, Raleigh, 27604, United States

AI Unfiltered | Coffee & Conversation
2026-07-08 09:00 - 10:30, 2026-08-12 09:00 - 10:30 | Innovate Carolina, 136 E Rosemary St, Chapel Hill, NC, 17514, United States

Durham Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Mixer
2026-07-08 18:00 - 20:00 | NC

Strength in Numbers: Curate Your Digital Presence (Ticket Required)
2026-07-10 09:30 - 11:30 | Fullsteam ATC, 320 Blackwell St #101, Durham, NC, 27701, United States
Consider this Part 2 of our June Strength in Numbers workshop, where we dove into refreshing your personal brand. This interactive session is for founders and professionals ready to build a digital presence with intention and minimum viable effort. We’ll use LinkedIn as our lens, but the thinking applies everywhere — audit what you have, clarify how you want to be positioned, and leave with one concrete fix.
Strength in Numbers is CED’s community for female-identifying founders, operators, investors, and ecosystem champions — and whether you’re a seasoned member or joining us for the first time, this is a great chance to give your digital presence a mid-summer refresh.
About Your Facilitator
Rachel Thompson is the Founder & CEO of Daring Studios, a strategic creative studio helping solopreneurs, freelancers, and creatives build with clarity and intention.
How do you get an invite? Great question! We have two options:

Strength in Numbers members: FREE. Your Strength in Numbers membership includes complimentary access to this quarterly event. RSVP below.
Non-members: $25. Open to female-identifying founders, operators, investors, and ecosystem champions. Purchase your ticket below, or become a Strength in Numbers member for $49/month to unlock your complimentary access!

Raleigh Founders & Funders Brunch Club
2026-07-12 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-08-02 10:30 - 12:00 | Sir Walter Coffee, 555 Fayetteville Street, Raleigh, NC, United States

AI-First Startups & Real Execution Tactics with Alec Coughlin
2026-07-13 18:00 - 20:00 | Raleigh Founded – North Street, 509 W North St, Raleigh, 27603, United States

Build an AI Agent with Mark Hinkle
2026-07-14 09:30 - 11:30 | NC
Build working AI agents wired into your real work — in one session. Come with a laptop and tasks you want off your plate. Leave with agents already running.
Please Note: This session is built with FORGE founders and operators in mind.

Free Coworking at American Underground
2026-07-16 | American Underground, 324 Blackwell Street, Durham, NC, 27701, United States

Free Coworking Day at American Underground
2026-07-16 | American Underground, 324 Blackwell Street, Durham, NC, 27701, United States

From Positioning to Pipeline: Know Your Customer, Craft Your Message
2026-07-16 09:30 - 11:00 | NC
Workshop for early-stage founders covering how to define positioning, sharpen messaging, and build a marketing strategy that converts — because building the product is only step one.
Please Note: This session is built with FORGE founders and operators in mind.

LiLa's Two Year Anniversary
2026-07-16 16:00 - 19:00 | ZincHouse Winery & Brewery, 6225 Wake Forest Hwy, Durham, NC, 27703, United States

NC Bioteach Conference
2026-07-17 | NC

G-rex Grant Tour
2026-07-23 10:00 - 19:00 | Apella by Alexandria, 12 Davis Dr, Durham, NC, 27709, United States

DEEEEEP DIVE for Wilmington NC Entrepreneurs
2026-07-23 16:00 - 18:30 | UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), 803 College Road Suite G, Wilmington, NC, 28403, United States

Business and Beer - Presented by Startup Women NC
2026-07-23 18:00 - 19:30 | Crank Arm Brewing Company Durham, 620 Fernway Ave, Durham, NC, 27701, United States

Future Grid
2026-07-27 - 2026-07-28 | NC

AI is Not a Lawyer: Uses, Risks & Responsibilities with Jesse Jones
2026-07-29 08:30 - 10:00 | Raleigh Founded – Centennial, 1017 Main Campus Drive #1650, Raleigh, NC, 27606, United States

Marketing AMA (Virtual)
2026-07-30 09:00 - 10:30 | NC
Virtual marketing AMA following our “From Positioning to Pipeline” workshop.
Please Note: This session is built with FORGE founders and operators in mind.

Connect to Capital AMA (Virtual)
2026-07-30 13:00 - 14:00 | NC
Join us for our Connect to Capital “Ask Me Anything,” where you can ask your most pressing fundraising questions.
Please Note: This session is built exclusively for our FORGE members.

How Coming Together Gets You Farther, Solo - Presented by Startup Women NC
2026-08-05 10:00 - 11:00 | NC

From Bench to Bedside: Navigating MedTech Product Development with NAMSA
2026-08-06 08:00 - 12:00 | Triangle LIFE, 523 Davis Dr, Suite #200, Morrisville, NC, 27560, United States
In this half-day, interactive session, NAMSA’s regulatory, preclinical, and entrepreneurship consultants join CED to work directly with founders on the real challenges facing their companies right now.
Please Note: This session is built with FORGE founders and operators in mind.

FORGE CEO Dinner (Invite Only)
2026-08-11 18:00 - 21:00 | Mez Contemporary Mexican, 5410 Page Road, Durham, 27703, United States
An evening designed exclusively for FORGE founders and CEOs—starting with a casual networking hour, followed by facilitated roundtable discussions in industry-specific groups.
Attendance is invite-only and limited. To learn more about FORGE, visit: https://cednc.org/forge/
