Charlotte Tech News

[KJHburg]

NC was the fastest growing crowdfunding state last year and now NC is the #11th most crowdfunded state.  

https://wraltechwire.com/2023/04/14/nc-investment-crowdfunding-success-propels-17-point-leap-to-no-11-rank/

[KJHburg]

where NC is in average tech salary and how it compares to the state median income. 

https://www.bizjournals.com/inno/stories/news/2023/05/11/how-tech-salaries-stack-up-across-the-u-s.html

further down in the story it says which metros have the highest percentage in technology and Raleigh is ranked #5 in the country in terms of percentage of tech in total workforce.  

 

[SouthernSkyline]

16 hours ago, KJHburg said:

where NC is in average tech salary and how it compares to the state median income. 

https://www.bizjournals.com/inno/stories/news/2023/05/11/how-tech-salaries-stack-up-across-the-u-s.html

further down in the story it says which metros have the highest percentage in technology and Raleigh is ranked #5 in the country in terms of percentage of tech in total workforce.  

 

Glad to see I am significantly under paid.   

[KJHburg]

NC sees 50% drop in tech job openings compared to last year this time according to WRAL Techwire.  Greatest drops were in Raleigh Durham and Charlotte.

https://wraltechwire.com/2023/05/22/tech-job-seekers-watch-out-openings-across-n-c-plunge-50-from-year-ago/

Charlotte, 6,953 -53%

Raleigh, 5,242 -52%

Durham-Chapel Hill, 1,953 -50%

In good news from the battery front this from Charlotte based Albemarle

https://wraltechwire.com/2023/05/22/charlotte-based-albemarle-to-deliver-lithium-for-3m-vehicle-batteries-to-ford/

[KJHburg]

this is good news.  Venture capital fund for startup companies in the Charlotte area started.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/inno/stories/profiles/2023/07/05/new-venture-capital-firm-charlotte-fund-launches.html

[SydneyCarton]

With all of the great universities within a two hour drive of Charlotte, it may crack the top ten in VC investment in ten years.  I see no reason why it can’t surpass Miami, for example.  The only city  on this list that surprises me is Denver.  I never thought of it as s tech hub.

1. San Francisco - $15.5B
2. NYC - $5.1B
3. Boston - $3.0B
4. Los Angeles - $2.3B
5. Denver - $1.0B
6. Washington DC - $800M
7. Philadelphia - $700M
8. Seattle - $700M
9. Chicago - $600M
10. Miami - $300M

https://nvca.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Q1_23_VM_U.pdf

 

Edited July 6, 2023 by SydneyCarton

[KJHburg]

CBRE Scoring Tech Talent report is out.

https://www.cbre.com/insights/books/scoring-tech-talent-2023/which-are-the-top-ranked-tech-talent-markets

Raleigh-Durham	73,790	24%	14,430	7.4%
Portland	69,470	34%	17,750	5.9%
Charlotte	65,520	21%	11,320	5.2%

Number of tech workers first column L to R,  growth in the last 5 years,  growth in numbers, and concentration of tech employees vs total employment.   

(Portland is included because it is between where RDU and CLT are in this chart)  Charlotte has more tech workers than Nashville but less than Austin which has 96,610 

Charlotte

65,520

24.2%

FIRE (28.3%; 18,548)

   Total tech jobs, those jobs in pure tech companies 24.2% and those in Finance Insurance and Real estate 28.3%  not surprising due to our banking status.

Certain markets had high concentrations of tech talent in non-tech industries, including Ottawa (42%) and Sacramento (30%) in government, and Jacksonville (30%), Charlotte (28%) and Hartford (28%) in finance, insurance and real estate.

Average tech wage we do good compared to our peers

Raleigh-Durham    $99,825
Denver    $98,109
Charlotte    $95,344
Atlanta    $92,438
Dallas/Ft. Worth    $91,051
Chicago    $88,589

Lots of other information in this tech market report the link is above. 

 

 

[KJHburg]

Upstart software firm has dual HQ and one is here in Charlotte.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/inno/stories/fundings/2023/08/07/foresight-raises-12m-charlotte-headquarters.html

other NC tech news 

7th highest tech job postings  in US here in NC

https://wraltechwire.com/2023/08/07/tech-jobs-picture-brightens-employers-add-5k-jobs-in-juy-nc-7th-for-opening/

[KJHburg]

Insurance tech firm launches in Charlotte after $3 M fundraising.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/inno/stories/fundings/2023/08/22/industry-vets-launch-insurtech-startup-modives.html

Modives webpage   Looks like they are based uptown. 

https://modives.com/

Edited August 23, 2023 by KJHburg

[KJHburg]

2 more upstarts firms receive some financing.  The growth of these small businesses is crucial for our local economy.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/inno/stories/fundings/2023/08/16/just-her-rideshare-batteryxchange-vc-firm-invests.html

[FLOSC843]

https://charlotte.axios.com/337727/charlottes-biggest-fintech-and-health-players-want-to-make-the-region-a-federally-recognized-tech-hub/
 

Haven't seen this  posted yet but I could be wrong. I don't think it's tied to the proposal called for by Hugh McColl but he is mentioned in the article along with a lot of big named companies. 

[CLT Development]

On 8/24/2023 at 9:29 PM, FLOSC843 said:

https://charlotte.axios.com/337727/charlottes-biggest-fintech-and-health-players-want-to-make-the-region-a-federally-recognized-tech-hub/
 

Haven't seen this  posted yet but I could be wrong. I don't think it's tied to the proposal called for by Hugh McColl but he is mentioned in the article along with a lot of big named companies. 

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2022/12/01/charlotte-center-city-partners.html

I'm surprised this made it past us in 2022.

[go_vertical]

What is everyone's thought on this actually becoming a reality?  I hate to say it, but I've become disenchanted and jaded with all of the grand ideas and proposals that more often than not never come to fruition.  I think I've hit full on "cry wolf" mode and it's become harder and harder for me to get excited for pretty much any proposal as my first thought is "15 to 20 year timeline if at all".  Hell, a pedestrian bridge can't be constructed in less than seven years.

Edited August 28, 2023 by go_vertical
Misspelled a word

[Rufus]

16 minutes ago, go_vertical said:

What is everyone's thought on this actually becoming a reality?  I hate to say it, but I've become disenchanted and jaded with all of the grand ideas and proposals that more often than not never come to fruition.  I think I've hit full on "cry wolf" mode and it's become harder and harder for me to get excited for pretty much any proposal as my first thought is "15 to 20 year timeline if at all".  Hell, a pedestrian bridge can't be constructed in less that seven years.

I actually think the Pearl District has changed the game considerably. It has not only emboldened UNC Charlotte to be more aggressive with their uptown plans, but it also has become a springboard for other districts to be developed around the city. As I said a couple weeks ago, this has been part of the 2020 Vision plan since 2009, so I share in the cautiousness, but I think McColl's presence ramps this up considerably. But we need to be more aggressive with Levine. Hold his feet to the fire.  

[CLT Development]

50 minutes ago, go_vertical said:

What is everyone's thought on this actually becoming a reality?  I hate to say it, but I've become disenchanted and jaded with all of the grand ideas and proposals that more often than not never come to fruition.  I think I've hit full on "cry wolf" mode and it's become harder and harder for me to get excited for pretty much any proposal as my first thought is "15 to 20 year timeline if at all".  Hell, a pedestrian bridge can't be constructed in less than seven years.

 

29 minutes ago, Rufus said:

I actually think the Pearl District has changed the game considerably. It has not only emboldened UNC Charlotte to be more aggressive with their uptown plans, but it also has become a springboard for other districts to be developed around the city. As I said a couple weeks ago, this has been part of the 2020 Vision plan since 2009, so I share in the cautiousness, but I think McColl's presence ramps this up considerably. But we need to be more aggressive with Levine. Hold his feet to the fire.  

I'm with Rufus here, this is not government led, this is Private/College led, it has a much greater chance of happening than anything city/county lead. I am bullish.

[go_vertical]

I do hope you're right.  I just want to hear about a transformative project and feel like it has a fighting chance of becoming a reality.  New office towers and denser housing are great, but we really need more of these public and city advancing projects (Gateway, rail trail bridge, Brooklyn Village, long delayed greenway connections, etc) to get going.

[CLT Development]

2 minutes ago, go_vertical said:

I do hope you're right.  I just want to hear about a transformative project and feel like it has a fighting chance of becoming a reality.  New office towers and denser housing are great, but we really need more of these public and city advancing projects (Gateway, rail trail bridge, Brooklyn Village, long delayed greenway connections, etc) to get going.

You and me both, I'm exhausted by the city/county's inability to bring anything across the finish line.

[Rufus]

I would caution from thinking that this will look/be similar to Pearl District. Hell, I'd be surprised if we have anything more than 10 stories. Not the worst thing to imagine. I would want to expect a good connection with streetscape. Don't just make it a fortress campus/group of buildings. Bring the public into the space. 

[KJHburg]

Corvid Technologies has bought 66 acres next to their Mooresville lakefront HQ.  This technology and defense contractor is owned by the Chickasaw Nation the Native American tribe in Oklahoma.  

Corvid Technologies recently made a significant land purchase around its headquarters near Lake Norman, though plans for the site are unclear.

Earlier this month, the Mooresville-based company acquired just over 66 acres off Transco Road and Langtree Campus Drive for $9.25 million, according to Iredell County real estate records. Corvid opened its headquarters campus on a neighboring parcel on the lake in 2019 with plans to employ hundreds.

https://www.corvidtec.com/

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2023/08/30/corvid-technologies-lake-norman-mooresville-hq.html

 

[videtur quam contuor]

Corvid is the family that includes crows, and also ravens, magpies and others. A highly intelligent bird family which is saying something. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvidae

 

[KJHburg]

More tech news the Discovery Education company based in Southpark makes acquires a competitor.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/inno/stories/news/2023/08/30/dreambox-learning-discovery-education-sale-edtech.html

this spun out of the Discovery Channel many years and now is a private company backed by private equity.

https://www.discoveryeducation.com/

[KJHburg]

While looking for a conference room at WeWork Railyard I found this company that has rented several suites and they were full of people. So being curious I looked the company up.  Evidently Charlotte is the North American HQ of this Danish software company.  This is the kind of job growth Charlotte has under the radar no big announcement or Chamber event.  But this is the kind of job growth Charlotte continues to have under the radar.  

https://umbraco.com/

Work at Umbraco HQ in Odense, Denmark

from their webpage:

Currently, we have colleagues working from the UK, Greece, The Netherlands, Italy, Australia, Poland and from our HQ offices in Odense, Copenhagen, and Charlotte!

Edited September 21, 2023 by KJHburg

[KJHburg]

Upstart 3-D printer company opens  HQ here in Charlotte.

Charlotte Inno - Charlotte startup Axtra3D opens global HQ here as it eyes more growth (bizjournals.com)

AXTRA 3D ABOUT US - Axtra3D

Edited November 1, 2023 by KJHburg

[KJHburg]

Charlotte in the top 15 for STEM job in US and Raleigh even higher at #4

2023 STEM Job Growth Index (STEMdex) (rclco.com)

[KJHburg]

another local tech start up gets funding from the NBA

Charlotte Inno - Charlotte sports-tech startup Fastbreak.ai counts NBA among investors in $5.2M seed round (bizjournals.com)

The NBA and Fastbreak.ai agree to multi-year partnership for the use of Fastbreak.ai's scheduling platform (yahoo.com)

NBA invests in AI scheduling specialist Fastbreak.ai - SportsPro (sportspromedia.com)

their corporate website Fastbreak