About CED

CED (formerly The Council for Entrepreneurial Development) was founded in 1984 to identify, enable and promote high-growth, high-impact companies and accelerate the entrepreneurial culture of the Research Triangle and North Carolina.  CED provides education, mentoring and capital formation resources to new and existing high-growth entrepreneurs through annual conferences, seminars, workshops and programs on entrepreneurial management and finance.  CED has helped entrepreneurs in a myriad of industries and at all stages of development – from high-tech, life sciences, and service companies, from one-person start-ups to 1000-person businesses.  With more than 5,500 active members representing over 1,100 companies, CED is the largest entrepreneurial support organization of its kind in the United States.

Education and Training

CED offers a suite of hands-on mentoring and training programs that assist entrepreneurs at different stages of their company, from start-up to growth stage, including a range of funding. These programs provide entrepreneurs with tools to evaluate their ideas, refine business concepts, develop business plans and raise capital. The variety of program offerings includes:

• FastTrac® TechVenture™– a comprehensive entrepreneurial training program that develops critical skills and networks for innovators whose ideas and market opportunities will demand significant external financing from investors, strategic partners and/or other external sources.

• Individual Consultations – an opportunity for entrepreneurs to meet with experienced mentors to discuss the challenges of their business, and make connections to resources and people with specialized skills

• Streak -- Investors from the angel and venture capital communities form a mentoring team including angels, venture capitalists, attorneys, accountants, and venture-backed entrepreneurs to evaluate pre-revenue companies on their readiness to raise funds.

• CAFÉ: CED offers breakfast sessions that provide current practical and applicable “know-how” about the start-up process. Workshops focus on particular sessions devoted to financing, marketing, human capital and general business model needs, coupled with first-person accounts from successful entrepreneurs.

Business-to-Business Networking

• Peer-Based Roundtables: CED offers a roundtable program for C-level executives, which provide peer interaction, focused networking opportunities and participant-generated discussion topics.

• Renewable Energy Business Network/Clean Energy Network: CED, in partnership with SJF Ventures, offers a bi-monthly social event for entrepreneurs interested in clean tech and renewable energy. The event includes a short program and lots of opportunities to make connections to those interested in supporting the emerging green tech sector.

• Members-Only Receptions: CED offers quarterly gatherings so members can interact with each other and share expertise.

Meetings/Conferences

• Industry Forums: CED offers industry-based forums that explore the changing innovation marketplace and strengthen networks between entrepreneurs and their various business partners. CED’s Biotech Forum is held regularly in the Research Triangle in partnership with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. CED also holds occasional MedTech Forums in partnership with the Advanced Medical Technologies Center of Innovation. Both of these industry forums provide face-to-face, interactive venues for entrepreneurs to address common concerns, share solutions and network with peers.

• Venture Conference – CED’s annual Venture conference has been nationally recognized as the Southeast’s most well-established venture financing conference since 1984.

• Biotech Conference – Presented by CED, with support from the N.C. Biotechnology Center and sciences industry in North Carolina.

• Companies to Watch – An annual awards ceremony recognizing the top growth-stage entrepreneurial companies in the state

Directories

• Online CED Membership Directory.

Reports/Publications

• CED’s Web site (www.cednc.org) offers access to many entrepreneurial resources, as well as the most up-to-date information on CED activities. An interactive calendar offers the latest information on all CED programs, roundtables and activities, and links to registration forms, plus a comprehensive listing of entrepreneurial programs in the Research Triangle.

• Weekly updates on website and through the “Entrelinks” email that highlight important developments and milestones in the Triangle entrepreneurial community and beyond.

• Online resources section on CED’s website with archived CED guest columns and news releases

Additional Information about CED may be found within CED's Media Kit, including company history, videos, logos and more. You may also contact us at 919.549.7500.