1,356
Total number of UNC startups (since 1950)
$23.7B
Annual startup revenue (FY 2026)
$50.8B
Total startup funding raised (since 1950)
Data Sources: Innovate Carolina Startups Database, 2025
Venture creation is our DNA
At Carolina, we see research discoveries and novel ideas as more than academic explorations. They're the beginnings of new businesses. Our startup accelerators and programs provide faculty and students with entrepreneurial tools and resources to launch new ventures. We turn science into startups. And novel ideas into economic impact and social good.
Photo right: Nora Spencer, founder and CEO of Hope Renovations. Read Hope Renovations' story and learn how it trains women with trades skills to fill high-demand, high-wage construction jobs.
Total UNC Startups (since 1950)
Active UNC startups
Active UNC startups headquartered in NC
Total UNC Startup Jobs
UNC startup jobs created in North Carolina, 179,435 total jobs created
Local roots. Global reach.
Active UNC-affiliated startups headquartered in
North Carolina counties
Built in Carolina. To boost our communities.
of active UNC startups are headquartered across 29 NC counties
of revenue earned by UNC startups comes from those headquartered in NC
of UNC startups are still active
Who launches startups at Carolina?
Startup standouts
A budding business gears up in Chapel Hill
TheRightOne, a Chapel Hill company that began with a simple fix for a missing AirPod, is now shipping hundreds of thousands of orders nationally, graduating from UNC-based coworking space into an expanded office headquarters downtown, and proving how a smart e-commerce idea can turn a common frustration into a fast-growing business.
Synthentic lymph node brings new fight to cancer care
A dime-sized technology from UNC-affiliated startup Persistence Therapeutics could transform CAR-T therapy: turning today’s weeks-long cancer treatment costing $500,000 and available only to patients at specialized cancer centers into a simpler, more affordable procedure that targets many cancer types and can be done at almost any hospital.
UNC student startup takes first place at ACC InVenture Prize
In 2026, student leaders of UNC-affiliated startup Sensible made Tar Heel history: the first Carolina student innovation team to win first place at the ACC InVenture Prize—a battle of the best student entrepreneurs in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
CAROLINA ANGEL NETWORK
A startup funding haven. Made in blue heaven.
For early-stage, UNC-affiliated startup founders, seed funding can be elusive. But since 2016, the Carolina Angel Network has matched Carolina-connected startups with its national network of accredited investors who are alumni or friends of the University. The result has been a surge of investments in Tar Heel-created companies that are creating new jobs, products and services in North Carolina and beyond.
Innovate Carolina Impact Dashboard Data Sources: Innovate Carolina Startups Database, UNC Office of Technology Commercialization, Association of University Technology Managers; UNC startups employment data (most recent analysis, July 2022) © 2022 Innovate Carolina All Rights Reserved