UNCG is once again leading the way in entrepreneurship with the announcement that the Office of Innovation Commercialization (OIC) is partnering with HQ Greensboro.
The OIC and the city’s newest co-working space have teamed up to provide an office suite supporting the university’s spin-out companies and entrepreneurs. The new suite will be next to the joint UNCG/NC A&T University Engagement Office in HQ Greensboro that opened this summer.
One of UNCG’s many resources devoted to entrepreneurial ventures, the OIC commercializes discoveries developed on campus. When faculty, students and staff create a new product or conduct research that has the potential to translate into a sustainable business model, the OIC offers a wide range of support.
“I think having our early-stage companies working in this new space will really help them grow and get exposure,” said Staton Noel, director of the OIC. “We’re excited to be a part of the start-up ecosystem that is really taking off in Greensboro.”
The space will allow for up to 10 companies to have membership access for approximately six months to one year before establishing headquarters outside of UNCG and HQ Greensboro. Several UNCG spin-out companies and licensees are already lined up to use the space, including Dynamic Mail Management LLC, a software-based solution for mailroom management, and Prevention Strategies LLC, a service providing program development and evaluation to improve the health and wellness of young people.
The OIC’s recent partnership with HQ Greensboro is one of many ways that the university continues to bridge the gap between academia and hands-on entrepreneurial experience. This fall, UNCG is serving as the national pilot site for ThinkHouseU, a residential program for budding entrepreneurs. UNCG is also home to the North Carolina Entrepreneurship Center.
Looking ahead, Noel expects a greater emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship within the university community. In the 2015 State of the Campus Address, Chancellor Franklin Gilliam Jr. highlighted innovation as one of the key values that will guide the culture of UNCG.
“We have to have an entrepreneurial spirit. … Can we be first to market? Can we get there before the other people?” said Gilliam. “We have to be academic entrepreneurs.”
If you have an innovation that you would like to disclose to the OIC or if you’d like to learn more about the HQ Greensboro space and other OIC initiatives, visit innovate.uncg.edu.
Story by Alyssa Bedrosian, University Relations
Reposted from UNCG Now