The research triangle down here in North Carolina is a well-known hub of innovation. With vertices in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, the area is packed with world-class universities and the kinds of minds those places attract. It's even got one of those acronymic institutes that seem to do prodigious amounts of research, RTI International. The region has been particularly strong in biotechnology spun out of Duke, the University of North Carolina, and Wake Forest.
We came down in search of a different kind of story, though. We heard that there was a nascent startup scene that had taken hold in downtown Durham, formerly one of the most crime-ridden areas in all of North Carolina. The community and business leaders of the city have put huge resources into revitalizing downtown, particularly around the 1-million square foot complex at the American Tobacco Historic District. Dozens of companies have taken up residence there, including HTC's American R&D unit and scores of small companies in the basement of one of the buildings. The American Underground, as its known, is home to Joystick Labs, a videogame startup incubator, and a half-dozen other companies. The region's angel investors are known to prowl the starkly lit hallway peering through the glass windows.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Durham's Innovation Ecosystem - Alexis Madrigal - Technology - The Atlantic
