CHAPEL HILL – LaUNCh Chapel Hill officially opens its doors Wednesday afternoon opening the pathway for local entrepreneurs to explore their business ideas and help make them reality.

“Launch Chapel Hill is the business accelerator that the town, the county, and UNC have partner (together) in a very unique way to open up right in Downtown Chapel Hill that will support and provide infrastructure to new businesses that are getting started in our area,” says Dina Mills, program manager at Launch Chapel Hill.

Launch has been operating out of its Rosemary Street building in a sort of stealth mode to make sure everything is working as designed before officially opening the doors. Mills says by Wednesday, 18 business startups will be up and running.

“The companies here, I think, match very well the community of Chapel Hill,” Mills says. “We range from very social (ventures) to very commercial ventures. We have both University students as well as alums of the University who have now moved in and made Chapel Hill their home and years after graduating are looking to start a company.”

She says there are even some people who have come in from outside the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area.

Wednesday’s grand opening and open house takes place from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. At 4:30 p.m., Chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, Barry Jacobs, Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt, and UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp will be on hand for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Related Stories
‹
Chapel Hill Startup Accelerator Receives $230,000 Gift to Aid Growth
Launch Chapel Hill, the local innovation space to help accelerate startup companies, recently received a substantial gift to aid its growth. According to UNC, who is one of the founding partners of the resource center and co-working space, investment firm Lee-Moore Capital recently awarded Launch with a gift of $230,000. The donation will allow the […]
Orange County Economic Development Summit: The Entrepreneurial Economy
The inaugural Orange County Economic Development Summit took place on October 17, with Orange County commissioners and business leaders joining WCHL’s Aaron Keck to discuss the local economy and how it impacts tourism, the arts and workforce creation. Listen to all eight parts of the inaugural summit on the Chapelboro On Demand page. On the first segment […]
Stories from the Town of Chapel Hill Economic Development
Bringing High Tech Business To Chapel Hill (Or Keeping It Here)
What are the obstacles to high-tech commercial development in town?
Dina Rousset: Hometown Hero
Dina Rousset is Tuesday’s Hometown Hero. She is the director of Launch Chapel Hill.  Launch Chapel Hill is a start-up accelerator.  They work with high-potential entrepreneurs.  They provide support, tools, and knowledge needed to decrease risks, reduce go-to-market time, and accelerate growth. Last year, Launch Chapel hill was ranked as one of the top 4 university […]
Local Startup? Launch Chapel Hill Could Help
Launch Chapel Hill helps local startups get off the ground. And now, they’re looking for the next big idea. Dina Rousset is director of Launch Chapel Hill. She said the program has help about 55 companies, the vast majority of which are still in business. And most of them, according to Rousset, stayed right here in the […]
September 8, 2015: LaUNCh!
Meg and Aaron are joined by Dina Rousset, project manager for Launch Chapel Hill, which just welcomed seven new startups.  
Launch Chapel Hill Accepts Seven New Business Startups
Launch Chapel Hill has welcomed seven new companies in hopes of building the local business community.
"GovCups" Event Seeks Innovative Ideas
The Town of Chapel Hill and Launch Chapel Hill are teaming up to host Wednesday's event.
Chapel Hill Hosts Triangle Entrepreneurship Week Events
Chapel Hill as a place for start-ups..."
›