Cohort #4 applications will launch Friday, August 1, 2025 at 9:00 AM and close on Wednesday, August 27, 2025 at 5:00 PM. We will notify applicants of their acceptance into the Program on a rolling basis and by no later than Friday, August 29, 2025 by 5:00 PM.
Small Business Survival Kit
@ The Graham Cotton Company
Please register for this event here.
Every business needs a go-to toolkit for navigating challenges and finding support. When you build your Small Business Survival Kit, we'll help you assemble a personalized resource guide filled with funding contacts, networking leads, recommended memberships, trusted information sources, and local connections. Walk away with a practical, customized survival kit designed to support your business growth- no matter what comes your way!
Jason is terrific
Conflict Conversations
@ The Graham Cotton Company
Please register for this event here.
Handling tough conversations is important for personal and professional growth. Join other Wake Forest founders for a training on how to best navigate difficult interactions within your business.
Pitch Competition & Entrepreneurial Showcase
The Wake Forest Founders Program will host another exciting Pitch Competition & Entrepreneurial Showcase at The Loading Dock - Wake Forest (525 S White St.) on the evening of Wednesday, December 10, 2025, from 5:00-7:30. The event is open to all companies in the Wake Forest area, not just those who have participated in Wake Forest Founders programs, and will catalyze the entrepreneurial growth of our community into 2026.
The competition will spotlight the burgeoning startup culture and community in Wake Forest and award cash prizes to participating entrepreneurs. Experienced entrepreneurial and business-minded judges from Wake Forest will determine the winning ventures based on a rubric covering multiple categories. The primary goal is to get more entrepreneurs in the area connected to resources and each other — and then funnel them into the Wake Forest Founders community to ensure they have the best chance of personal and professional success.
For those pitching, attendance at an in-person Pitch Practice/Scrub event on Sunday, November 16, 2025 is required as well.
HUGE thanks to our Spring 2025 event sponsors — ElectriCities of North Carolina, Inc., St. John Properties, Benchmark Bank, The Loading Dock, The Town of Wake Forest, and The Wake Forest Business & Industry Partnership.
Reach out to Clark Rinehart (crinehart@wakeforestnc.gov), Entrepreneurial Specialist, with questions.
Strategic Planning/Core Values
@ Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce (North State Conference Room)
Please register for this event here.
Ready to stop reacting and start planning? In this hands-on Strategic Planning Session, we'll guide you through creating a personalized strategic plan for your business. Whether you're aiming for growth, stability, or something in between, this session will help you define clear goals, prioritize actions, and map out a strategy for the year ahead- so you can lead with focus and intention.
Looking Forward, Looking Back: Wake Forest’s Wireless Research Center Marks 15 Years as an Innovation Hub
@ The Wireless Research Center (3331 Heritage Trade Dr STE 101, Wake Forest, NC 27587)
RSVP to this event through EventBrite.
To mark the Center’s 15th anniversary, past and current stakeholders will gather on the afternoon of August 19 to celebrate its many achievements and look toward the future. The event will take place at the Center’s offices on Heritage Trade Drive from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. and is open to the public.
RSVP to this event through EventBrite.
Read more about the WRC here:
Clark is fantastic
