WILMINGTON, N.C. -- tekMountain, a Wilmington-based technology incubator-accelerator, announces its second successful year of partnering with the Cucalorus Film Festival for the upcoming Cucalorus Connect Conference, November 9-13, 2016, in downtown Wilmington, NC. Cucalorus, famed for what MovieMaker magazine has called “One of the coolest film festivals in the world” three years in a row, helps to synergize venture capital and entrepreneurship again this year during the 2nd annual Cucalorus CONNECT conference. Integrated into the overall film festival, CONNECT has 50+ events from keynotes, to panels, workshops and endless parties.




The CONNECT Conference launched in 2015 through a partnership among Cucalorus, UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and tekMountain. CONNECT showcases visionary leaders who are using innovation and entrepreneurship to transform the economy. The conference includes keynotes (eHarmony co-founder Galen Buckwalter spoke in 2015), rocket pitches, TED-style talks, and a host of panels focusing on industries ranging from health care to Fashion to marine science and financial services through the lenses of technology and education. Connect serves as a catalyst for economic development by showcasing the unique assets that make the city of Wilmington, NC, an ideal location to launch and grow a new business.

According to Seah Ahlum, director of tekMountain, “There are few events as elaborate, as creative, or as collaborative as Cucalorus Connect. Partnering with Cucalorus and Connect is an amazing symbiosis that really diversifies the tech ecosystem in Wilmington. We’re extremely proud to play our part -- and it’s a lot fun besides!”

Connect includes more than 40 events including workshops, panels, keynotes and social events taking place in a walkable nine-block area of historic downtown Wilmington. Events include the 10x10 Challenge, an initiative that brings start-ups and filmmakers together to make a promo video in less than five days, and Port City Pitches, which offers start-ups a chance to earn initial funding to launch new ideas into the marketplace. This year, a cash prize will be awarded to the best Port City Pitch, thanks to the Blake and Bailey Family Fund. Full event details at cucalorus.org.

For more information about Cucalorus Connect, email [email protected].

Dates: November 9 - 13, 2016
Location: Various venues in downtown Wilmington, NC

About Cucalorus:
Cucalorus (cucalorus.org), founded 1994, is a multi-disciplinary arts organization supporting emerging and innovative creative professionals through its annual film festival, a residency program, a summer camp for teen filmmakers, a community cinema, and an extensive community-engagement program. Now in its 22nd year, Cucalorus has grown into one of the largest film festivals in the South. More than 200 films screen each year at venues across historic downtown Wilmington, attracting hundreds of participating artists and thousands of fans and industry professionals. Cucalorus is sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the North Carolina Arts Council, the Academic of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the University of North Carolina Wilmington, tekMountain, Sage Island, and Brooks Pierce.

About tekMountain:
Headquartered in Wilmington, NC, tekMountain (tekMountain.com) is a privately owned technology business incubator/accelerator developing local and national start-ups with a focus on education technology. Other recent events hosted by tekMountain include the first-ever ExitEvent Startup Social held outside North Carolina’s Triangle area, and the inaugural WordCamp Wilmington. From idea to execution, tekMountain brings vision, innovation, performance and passion to every launch, every collaboration, every relationship, every partnership.