GrepBeat

The Side Quest: Growing (and Snowing!) in Durham with Jason Caplain

February 5, 2026 Katelyn Crespo

Welcome back to GrepBeat’s “The Side Quest!” Our brand new series hosted by the GrepBeat Godfather Joe Colopy and Sonali Sanjay of Primordial Ventures. This show chats all things NC Tech, and each week features […]

In The Soup: Has AI Become a Red Flag in Company Branding?

February 4, 2026 Katelyn Crespo

Happy In The Soup 🍲 Wednesday! This week, hosts Jenn Summe and Melissa Crosby are joined by 3 guests! Shruti Shah of Symphonic Capital, Joe Mancini of Front Porch Venture Partners, and […]

Charlotte’s Frolly Takes the “Fur” Pas Out of Finding Love

February 3, 2026 Temiloluwa Alagbe

For 30 years, Cindy Himmel lived in Chicago, Illinois, where she worked in real estate and later ran her own bakery, Sweet Mandy B’s, from 2002 to 2015. The entrepreneur […]

Durham’s AxNano Lands Investment From CA-Based Leonid Capital Partners

February 3, 2026 David Schwartz

On Monday, Huntington Beach-based private investment firm Leonid Capital Partners announced that it had made an investment in Durham-based tech startup AxNano. Founded in 2011 and run since 2021 by […]

Monday Mix: Rising Stars 2026, Test Flight Pitch Practice, and More!

February 2, 2026 Katelyn Crespo

Start your week off right by tuning into your curated Monday Mix: a look at the week ahead in GrepBeat and the North Carolina tech communities. This show is a part […]

Friday Fix: Founder Readiness Institute, Windlift Catch-Up, and New Podcasts

January 30, 2026 Katelyn Crespo

We cover as much startup- and tech-related content as we can here at GrepBeat.com—but we know you can’t always catch it all in the course of your week. On the Friday […]

The Side Quest: Strengthening Safety Nets and Going Analog with Ryan O’Donnell of Sunlight

January 29, 2026 Katelyn Crespo

Windlift’s Rob Creighton On Tethered Drones, Electronic Warfare, Kiteboarding, and Government Funding

January 28, 2026 David Schwartz

GrepBeat last wrote about Windlift back in 2019 and followed up with a 2024 video interview. Windlift is a Durham-based startup designing tethered drones that serve as elevated platforms for […]

In The Soup: What Does it Really Mean to be Investor Ready?

January 28, 2026 Katelyn Crespo

Happy In The Soup 🍲 Wednesday! This week, hosts Jenn Summe and Melissa Crosby are joined by Juan Garzón of Innovate Charlotte and Charlotte Ketelaar of Capwave. Both of these members of […]

Durham’s “Founder Readiness Institute” Innovates Through People Analytics

January 27, 2026 Michael Melton

After years working across environmental think tanks, impact investing, and private markets, Logan Yonavjak kept coming to the same realization: Promising companies or company branches weren’t failing because of weak […]