Building Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship
By John Loyack
Vice President, Economic Development
North Carolina Community College System
How the SBCN Startup Showdown, Powered by Wells Fargo, Showcases What Makes North Carolina Different
When conversations first began around the SBCN Startup Showdown, Powered by Wells Fargo, it would have been easy to describe it as a statewide pitch competition. After spending the past several months helping bring the initiative to life, I see it differently. The competition is only one part of a much larger story: how North Carolina’s community colleges invest in entrepreneurs.
Made possible through a partnership between Wells Fargo, the North Carolina Community Colleges Foundation, and the North Carolina Small Business Center Network, the Startup Showdown was never intended to be just another competition. From the beginning, the goal was to create an experience that would leave entrepreneurs stronger than when they arrived. That distinction may seem subtle, but I believe it changes everything.
As Anne Shaw, State Director of the North Carolina Small Business Center Network, April Priester, Program Manager of the SBCN Startup Showdown, and Liz Isley, Business Operations & Strategic Initiatives Lead began to get to work on the new program, it became clear that they approached the initiative from different perspectives while working toward the same goal.
Anne brought the broader vision. Through years of working with entrepreneurs across North Carolina, she has seen extraordinary ideas emerge from every corner of our state. She has also seen the barriers many entrepreneurs face—not because they lack talent or determination, but because access to mentorship, business education, professional networks, and visibility isn’t always equal. The Startup Showdown was intentionally designed to help bridge those gaps, particularly for entrepreneurs in underserved and rural communities.
April focused on bringing that vision to life. Having worked closely with Small Business Center Directors throughout North Carolina, she knew exceptional work was already happening at the local level. Rather than replacing those efforts, the Startup Showdown connected them through a statewide experience where entrepreneurs could learn from experts, receive honest feedback, build relationships, and benefit from the collective strength of a network that has served North Carolina’s business community for decades.
Liz Isley focused on translating that visionary framework and statewide network into operational reality. By aligning the logistical execution, resource allocation, and strategic milestones, she ensured the initiative ran seamlessly from the ground up. Together, their combined strengths turned the Startup Showdown from a shared vision into a powerful statewide engine for North Carolina’s entrepreneurs.
North Carolina’s community colleges don’t simply respond to economic development—they help create it. Across all 58 colleges, aspiring entrepreneurs find trusted guidance, practical business knowledge, meaningful relationships, and people who genuinely believe in their success.
The Startup Showdown didn’t create that work. It gave North Carolina an opportunity to showcase it on a statewide stage.
What the Startup Showdown also demonstrates is something larger about North Carolina: our ability to turn partnership into opportunity. When education, philanthropy, business, and local communities align around a shared purpose, we can build something that no single organization could create alone. That collaborative approach is one of North Carolina’s greatest competitive advantages.
That approach shaped the entrepreneur experience from day one. Entrepreneurs completed the nationally recognized REAL Entrepreneurship® Pitch It! curriculum, developed business plans through LivePlan, worked one-on-one with Small Business Center counselors, received guidance from experienced mentors, and continually refined their businesses through practical application and honest feedback.
After Pitch Day, we asked the inaugural cohort to reflect on their experience. As I read their responses, I wasn’t looking for compliments about the program. I wanted to know whether the experience we envisioned had become the experience entrepreneurs actually lived.
Their responses were remarkably consistent. Entrepreneurs described leaving with stronger business plans, greater financial understanding, more strategic approaches to growth, and increased confidence as business owners. They also valued the honest feedback, practical mentorship, and freedom to learn without being expected to be perfect.
One theme rose above all the others: community.
Entrepreneurship is often described as a lonely journey, yet participants described finding mentors who challenged them, peers who encouraged them, and a statewide network that understood the excitement and uncertainty of building a business. Behind each entrepreneur was also a Small Business Center Director or counselor who invested time, shared knowledge, asked difficult questions, and believed in that person’s potential. Those relationships have always been at the heart of the Small Business Center Network. The Startup Showdown simply gave more people the opportunity to see that work in action.
Looking back, I don’t think the Startup Showdown proved that North Carolina has great entrepreneurs. We already knew that. What it demonstrated is what becomes possible when a state intentionally invests in helping entrepreneurs succeed—and when partners believe enough in that work to invest alongside us. Wells Fargo’s support gave us the opportunity to build on the work already happening through our Small Business Centers and extend its reach in a new way.
Beginning September 1, North Carolinians can meet the inaugural Startup Showdown finalists and participate in the Community Choice Vote on YouTube. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch their stories, learn about their businesses, and “like” the one—or ones—that earn your vote.
Their stories reflect the creativity, resilience, innovation, and determination found in communities across our state. More importantly, they show what can happen when talented entrepreneurs are surrounded by people and organizations willing to invest in their success.
As Anne often reminded us throughout this process, success would not be measured solely by who won the competition. It would be measured by whether entrepreneurs left more prepared, more confident, and better equipped to build strong, sustainable businesses that strengthen the communities they serve. After watching this inaugural journey unfold, I believe that’s exactly what happened.
Now it’s North Carolina’s turn to meet these remarkable entrepreneurs, celebrate their journeys, and help select the inaugural Community Choice Award winner.
By John Loyack
Vice President, Economic Development
North Carolina Community College System
Developed through conversations with Anne Shaw and April Priester and reflections shared by the inaugural Startup Showdown cohort.
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