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9 <br /> 7 <br /> Media Article, dated 10/9/15, appearing on the EXITEVENT.COM Web Site <br /> tt w.exiteve t.c m /artic e/ a c -c a e - ill-overview-151009 <br /> Launch Chapel Hill: Where 49 Startups Grew Up, 94 Jobs Began & $3.7M Funded <br /> Them - Launch Chapel Hill reports results since launching its Chapel Hill (and UNC- <br /> supported) accelerator and workspace in January 2013. <br /> By Edgar Walker, @Edgar_Walker <br /> October 9, 2015 <br /> Just two blocks off the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, Launch Chapel Hill serves as the <br /> unofficial headquarters for startup activity in Chapel Hill and Orange County. <br /> In recent years, UNC-Chapel Hill has committed to making entrepreneurship one of the <br /> school's cornerstones. The ever-growing Entrepreneurship Minor is now enrolling more <br /> than 150 students per year; the Carolina Challenge continues to develop as a premier <br /> year-long business competition, and a $100 million gift to the School of Pharmacy was <br /> used to create the Eshelman Institute for Innovation earlier this year. (Here's <br /> Part of that commitment to entrepreneurship came in the form of Launch Chapel Hill, a <br /> partnership between the university, the Town of Chapel Hill and a private donor. Opened <br /> in January 2013, the 3500-square-foot office space hosts a mix of UNC students and <br /> faculty and local residents, all looking for help growing and scaling their startups. <br /> Since opening its doors, Launch has graduated 42 companies from the accelerator, with <br /> seven startups participating in the 22-week program now. <br /> Launch Chapel Hill By the Numbers <br /> 7 — Companies currently going through Launch Chapel Hill's 22-week accelerator <br /> program <br /> 11 — Launch accelerator program alumni that are continuing to work out of the space as <br /> "tenant ventures" <br /> 49 — Total companies that have gone through the 22-week accelerator program since <br /> January 2013 <br /> 37 — Companies still in operation <br /> 33% — Percent of the companies that won Carolina Challenge honors in 2015, spanning <br /> all three competition categories <br /> 94 — Total number of employees (full and part-time) hired by companies that have gone <br /> through Launch Chapel Hill program <br /> $3.685 million — Total funding raised by Launch startups through December 2014 <br /> (24 of 34 teams served through December 2014 responded to survey) <br />