partners make an annual investment to sustain CEDās impact
CED operates as a two-sided marketplace and is funded through the investments of its partners. With these investments, we are able to provide support to over 200 companies annually by hosting educational workshops, facilitating a robust mentoring program and providing one-on-one consulting directly to each company. And guess what? We engage our network of partners to achieve it all!
As a CED partner, you not only help to sustain CED, but you drive our mission forward — connecting entrepreneurial companies with the resources that will accelerate their growth. We put your expertise to work supporting companies that are growing and scaling in our region.

understanding the difference between Premium and Strategic Partnership
Being a partner has its perks. Depending on the level of investment you choose, you will have the opportunity to share quality content through our communication channels, attend specialized events and programs, and gain access to CEDās Venture Connect Summit.
As a Premium Partner you will enjoy:
- Access to four network meetups
- Access to four specialized workshops
- One ticket to Venture Connect
- Provide partner updates as featured content in CEDās Newsletter, sent bi-monthly
- Recognized in our online directory, with the option to provide a short description
- Submit guest blog posts for consideration
CED’s Premium Partners invest $2,500, annually.
Strategic Partners receive all premium benefits, plus:
- Access to four exclusive briefings with featured entrepreneurial partner companies
- Three additional tickets to Venture Connect (total of 4)
- Option to participate in CEDās pitch scrubs (skill qualifications apply)
- Reverse pitch opportunity to the CED Team
- Concierge service and referral support
- 1:3 Matching services
CED’s Strategic Partners invest $6,000, annually.

is Partnership right for you?
We want to get to know you a little before you make that decision. Please reach out to learn more about CED, learn more about being a CED Partner, and how we can help you become a valuable resource in the Entrepreneurial Community, today.
-
#StrategicPartner
CED has been a valued resource in our community for 35 years! Very few organizations can boast of the powerful network that CED has developed and helped build and nourish for so many years. Now the CED network has been optimized to better serve the entrepreneurs in our ecosystem with enhanced services and offerings. We are proud to have been there at CEDās founding and look forward to continuing to partner with members of the network well into the future. ”
-
#StrategicPartner
I have had the good fortune of working with CED in two roles: previously with a VC-backed startup company showcasing at CED Tech Ventures, and now as a Strategic Partner representing RTI International and our global presence. In both cases, CED has enabled us to partner at an intimate level with the business, entrepreneur and investor community in the Triangle and beyond. From its flagship events, to educational workshops, to networking opportunities, CED continues to lead the way in raising up our entrepreneurial ecosystem in North Carolina.”
-
#PremiumPartner
Attending CEDās 35th anniversary in May made joining as a Premium Partner an easy decision- the energy, the enthusiasm, the openness with which everyone shared their knowledge and supportā¦.it was impressive. Because the CED staff takes great effort to put people together in an organic way, everyone is willing to be candid about their needs and their goals. That sharing allows me the chance to connect members to other individuals in both the market and the greater community, and it also creates a roadmap through which my team and I can use our own expertise to help their organization directly, should they need it. We look forward to every CED event for that chance to learn, and to help the next person we might meet.”
-
#PremiumPartner
Rankin McKenzie has a long history with CED having worked together over the past 18 years. We are proud to support this organization as it provides so many resources and talent to start-ups and entrepreneurs in this area. As the largest and longest-running network for entrepreneurs in the country, CED and the people who keep it running are the life-blood of the entrepreneurial Triangle community. ”
-
#PremiumPartner
CED is an invaluable asset to the Triangle community. Startups have incredible, no-cost resources at their disposal, and investors and mentors have an efficient, vetted way to connect with companies. I’m confident CED’s long-standing presence has been a significant driver of the Triangle’s success as a startup hub. ”
Meet our partners

7Q7P
Business Consulting
ATCOM Business Technology Solutions
Telecommunications
Bagchi Law
Law Firms
Balentine Wealth Management
Financial Planning & Wealth Management
Bandwidth
Technology
Bank of America Private Bank
Bank
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Law Firms
BDO
Accounting Firms
Bernard Robinson & Company
Accounting Firms
BlueDot Technology
Technology
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
Law Firms
Bridge Bank
Bank
Cherry Bekaert LLP
Accounting Firms
Chiesi USA, INC.
Life Science
Citrix
Technology
Clark Nexsen
Architecture & Engineering
Clarkston Consulting
Technology
Comerica
Bank
Cooley LLP
Law Firms
CSC Leasing
Leasing
Cushman & Wakefield
Commercial Real Estate Firms
Davis Moore Capital
Commercial Real Estate Firms
DBA-JTL Strategic Consulting
Business Consulting
Dean Dorton Allen Ford, PLLC
Accounting Firms
Deloitte LLP
Accounting Firms
DesignHammer
Marketing & Design
Dualboot Partners
Technology
Duke Energy Carolinas
Economic Development
Elliott Davis
Accounting Firms
EY
Accounting Firms
Financial Directions Group
Insurance & Employee Benefits
Fox Rothschild LLP
Law Firms
Fulcrum Equity Partners
Investors
Gig East Exchange
Co-Working
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
Life Science
Go-od Consulting
Business Consulting
Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC
Financial Planning & Wealth Management
Hatteras Venture Partners
Investors
Hughes Pittman & Gupton LLP
Accounting Firms
Hutchison PLLC
Law Firms
Hylaine
Technology
IBM
Technology
Jenkins Wilson Taylor & Hunt, P.A.
Law Firms
JWM Group
Insurance & Employee Benefits
K&L Gates
Law Firms
LabCorp
Life Science
Lenovo
Technology
Linker Logic Technologies
Technology
Live Oak Bank
Bank
Manning Fulton & Skinner, P.A.
Law Firms
Marshall Gerstein & Borun LLP
Law Firms
McGriff Insurance Services
Insurance & Employee Benefits
Mispro Biotech Services
Life Science
NC State Office of Research and Innovation
University Partnerships
NK Patent Law
Law Firms
Office Revolution
Contract Furniture Provider
Pacific Western Bank
Bank
Pappas Capital
Investors
Parexel International
Life Science
Performentor
Human Resource Management & Recruiting Firms
Pfizer CentreOne Contract Manufacturing
Life Science
PNC Bank
Bank
Polsinelli
Law Firm
Poyner Spruill
Law Firms
PwC
Accounting Firms
Quantum Growth Advisors
Business Consulting
Rankin McKenzie, LLC
Financial Services Consulting
RBC Bank (Georgia), N.A
Bank
RBC Wealth Management
Financial Planning & Wealth Management
Red Hat
Technology
Rex Health Ventures
Investors
River Cities Capital Funds (RCCF)
Investors
Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.
Law Firms
RSM US LLP
Accounting Firms
RTI International
Life Science
SAS Institute Inc.
Technology
SJF Ventures
Investors
Smith Anderson
Law Firms
Spoonflower
Technology
The Accountkeepers, Inc
Accounting Firms
UNC Office of Technology Commercialization
University Partnerships
Vaco, LLC
Human Resource Management & Recruiting Firms
Veracity Logic, LLC
Technology
Wade Associates
Insurance & Employee Benefits
Wells Fargo
Bank
Williams Mullen
Law Firms
Worldwide Clinical Trials
Life Science