The Duke Energy Foundation and the Byerly Foundation have committed the initial funding for a Hartsville business incubation program which will connect entrepreneurs with the resources and expertise needed for success. This program, named the Duke Energy Center for Innovation in honor of its first benefactor, has received a grant of $99,500 from the Duke Energy Foundation for its first year of operation. The Byerly Foundation, which provides grants to meet the education, economic and social needs of Hartsville residents, granted $100,000 for the innovation program.
The center was established as a public-private partnership among the Clemson University Institute for Economic and Community Development, the Community Foundation for a Better Hartsville and the City of Hartsville. It comes as the second of Clemson’s Technology Villages which foster the local development of technology businesses by helping innovators find technology and product development consultants, investor contacts and more. The first Technology Village program, located in Bluffton, S.C., has fostered 12 startups since its launch last year.
“I am tremendously thankful that the Duke Energy Foundation and the Byerly Foundation have taken the lead in supporting this center,” said Duke Energy Center for Innovation Director Ben Chastain. “Thanks to their invaluable contributions, our program will soon be cultivating competitive, tech-focused companies right here in Hartsville. I look forward to working with them to make the Duke Energy Center for Innovation a sustainable and effective force in our economic development.”
Once underway, Chastain said, the center will provide a starting point for businesses for periods of six months to two years, graduating them from the program when they are established. He invited all those interested in the center, including potential innovators or sponsors, to visit it at 145 W. Carolina Ave. in Hartsville.
The Duke Energy Center for Innovation will host an open house on Wednesday, July 17 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and will offer free advice for anyone bringing in technology business ideas or other business ideas. The session is free and informal, and refreshments will be served.
A grand opening ceremony will take place at the center the following Wednesday, July 24 at 11:30 a.m. The public is invited to attend.
