The city of Raleigh, N.C., recently hired Derrick Minor for a single purpose: to help entrepreneurs network. Although he sports a fancy title − innovation and entrepreneurship manager − his entire job consists of hanging out with entrepreneurs making introductions. You need to meet venture capitalists willing to support early-stage tech start-ups? Cheap office space? Accounting or legal advice? Mr. Minor is your man.
The very existence of such a municipal job is illustrative of the recent wave of innovation and entrepreneurship energizing the Triangle Region in North Carolina, an area where two million people and three universities are spread across Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. While Silicon Valley has long overshadowed the area when it comes to startups, the Triangle is beginning to be noticed. Last year Forbes named Raleigh the second-best place in the United States for business and careers, a ranking based on Moody’s data on cost of business, job growth and education attainment. The Daily Beast ranks Durham among the country’s smartest cities.
