First Flight Venture Center

Funding is changing. Is your next proposal ready?

Join First Flight Venture Center and Grant Engine on October 7 for a practical conversation about non-dilutive funding. We’ll look at where federal funding stands, what evolving rules could mean for your filing strategy, and how to build stronger proposals and a more durable funding plan.

Sam Tetlow, Founder and CEO of Grant Engine, will lead the session, followed by a live Q&A with Grant Engine program managers Lang Qin, Ph.D., and Yichao Yang, Ph.D.

📅 October 7, 2026 | 9:30–11:00 a.m.
📍 First Flight Venture Center, 2 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park

Secure your seat using the QR code on the event graphic.

What does your customer experience before they decide to buy?

At our recent Captain’s Circle, Joy Kika of Ruby Leaf Media asked founders to step into their customers’ shoes and map the full buying journey: the actions, emotions, needs, touchpoints, and barriers along the way.

The hands-on exercise revealed a useful challenge: a story that feels clear to a founder may still have gaps for the customer. Joy showed us how finding those gaps can strengthen a go-to-market strategy—and how the same clarity helps investors see the value, whether that means time saved, costs reduced, revenue gained, or risk lowered.

A big thank-you to Joy for making a complex topic practical, engaging, and fun!

It was wonderful to reconnect with the NeuroGT team at their open house last Friday! Members of the First Flight Venture Center team toured NeuroGT’s expanded facility and heard how they are advancing their work on rare neurogenetic diseases.

NeuroGT is developing gene therapies for children affected by rare, progressive conditions. The team recently announced that the FDA cleared its Investigational New Drug application for NGT-104, an investigational therapy for Sanfilippo syndrome type B. It’s a meaningful step toward the clinical trial NeuroGT expects to begin enrolling in January 2027.

Thank you to the NeuroGT team for welcoming us in. We’re cheering you on as your work moves forward!

Great ideas can start anywhere. Helping them grow often takes connections across borders. 🌍

We’re proud to see First Flight Venture Center and our President & CEO, Krista Covey, featured in Business Weekly’s coverage of a new collaboration linking the innovation communities of Cambridge, Switzerland, and North Carolina.

Krista joined fellow innovation leaders during Cambridge Tech Week to discuss how these connections can help entrepreneurs reach new markets, partners, talent, and opportunities. We’re excited to help build those pathways for founders in Research Triangle Park and beyond.

Read the article: https://bit.ly/4hJdr5o

If your work touches small-molecule drug development, this is a chance to meet others doing it across the Triangle. 🧪

The RTP Small Molecule CMC Networking Event brings together people working in discovery, process and analytical development, formulation, manufacturing, quality, and regulatory strategy. Founders and teams: come connect with peers, technical experts, and potential collaborators.

📅 Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | 5–8 p.m.
📍 To***co Wood Brewing, 2500 Meridian Pkwy, Durham

Hosted by Corealis Pharma, Triclinic Labs, and Rottendorf Pharma. See the flyer for details, and share it with someone in your network who should be there!

Failure and innovation are often part of the same story.

For founders, scientists, and entrepreneurs pushing into uncharted territory, not every experiment will work. Not every idea will make it to market. And not every decision will deliver the outcome you expected.

But failure can reveal what needs to change, challenge assumptions, and move a great idea one step closer to a breakthrough.

Because sometimes the path to what works begins with discovering what doesn’t.

Congratulations to the 19 innovative startups selected as semifinalists in the Fall 2026 NC IDEA SEED Grant Cycle!

As a proud NC IDEA supporter, we are excited to celebrate these North Carolina entrepreneurs as they compete for $50,000 grants designed to help early-stage companies grow and scale.

A very special shoutout goes to Jiarui Li, Ph.D., MBA, CEO and Co-Founder of INNATRIX and a valued member of our Navigator Program! We are thrilled to see Jiarui and the INNATRIX team earn this well-deserved recognition.

Congratulations to all the semifinalists—we’re cheering you on as you advance to the next stage!

🔗 Meet the semifinalists: https://ncidea.org/press-release/nc-idea-selects-19-semi-finalists-from-across-the-state-in-fall-2026-seed-grant-cycle/

NC IDEA Selects 19 Semi-Finalists from Across the State in Fall 2026 SEED Grant Cycle - NC IDEA Semi-Finalists Seeking $50,000 Each in NC IDEA’s 42nd SEED Grant Cycle DURHAM, NC – September 21, 2026 – NC IDEA, a private foundation committed to supporting entrepreneurial ambition and economic empowerment in North Carolina, announced today that the organization has selected 19 semi-finalis...

Innovation can do more than create the next great product—it can create meaningful impact.

For entrepreneurs, success and purpose don’t have to be separate goals. The technologies, discoveries, and companies being built today have the potential to solve real problems, strengthen communities, and improve lives.

Build something successful. Build something meaningful. Build something that makes a difference.

Celebrating the innovators behind America’s next big ideas!

On September 16, First Flight Venture Center is bringing together entrepreneurs, SBIR/STTR awardees, mentors, and ecosystem partners for the SBIR/STTR FAST Celebration in Research Triangle Park. The day celebrates the entrepreneurs and innovators turning big ideas into real-world technologies—and connects our community with people who know the federal funding landscape firsthand.

We’re especially excited to welcome:

Bob Burton
Director of Government Business Development, Extivita

Tylar Temple
Deputy Director, DoW Office for Small Business Innovation

Chris Schmidt
Grants Manager, NC Department of Commerce

They’ll share insights on federal funding, SBIR/STTR, and opportunities for innovative companies looking to take their next step.

If you're a founder, researcher, innovator, or part of the startup ecosystem, this is a great opportunity to connect with the people and resources helping turn innovative ideas into funded technologies.

👉 Register for the SBIR/STTR FAST Celebration: https://launch.ffvcnc.org/events/Details/sbir-sttr-fast-celebration-1917157?sourceTypeId=Hub