2024 Best Tech Startups in North Carolina

February 3, 2024 thetechtribune

The Tech Tribune staff has compiled the very best tech startups in North Carolina. In doing our research, we considered several factors including but not limited to:

Revenue potential
Leadership team
Brand/product traction
Competitive landscape

Additionally, all companies must be independent (unacquired), privately owned, at most 10 years old, and have received at least one round of funding in order to qualify.

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1. BrightSpeed

Founded: 2021

“We’re Brightspeed, a brand-new internet provider on a mission to bring more connectivity to America. We believe where you choose to call home shouldn’t limit your options—and we’re building the infrastructure to provide millions of homes with fast, reliable internet. So, wherever you’re streaming, gaming or working, you’ll enjoy an uninterrupted experience.”

2. UpStream Care

UpStream Care

Founded: 2019

Also honored in:

“UpStream is the fastest-growing primary healthcare solution provider in the US.

We underwrite and support the delivery of value-based care for older patients and people living with chronic conditions. By working in partnership with healthcare practices and clinics we offer a comprehensive risk-free solution for physicians that finances, delivers and sustains better outcomes for everyone.

UpStream’s proven risk-free solution for physicians is called GAP-QTM (Guaranteed Advanced Payments for Quality). It combines global risk-management services with embedded professional services — all facilitated and integrated by our state of the art digital platform.”

3. CData Software

CData Software

Founded: 2016

Also honored in:

“CData is the real-time data connectivity company, simplifying access to any data, anywhere.”

4. Pryon

Pryon

Founded: 2017

Also honored in:

“Pryon turns hours of searching into moments of clarity that confer decision advantage. Founded in 2017 by the minds behind Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and IBM’s Watson, the Company’s full-stack AI-enhanced knowledge management platform transforms untapped digital assets from multiple sources into solutions that measurably improve outcomes. By weaving trusted content into a knowledge fabric, any user can unlock verifiable answers derived from complex, unstructured data. Pryon’s no-code technology can be deployed in a matter of days and is scalable to meet the advanced needs of multinational entities and the most secure federal government agencies. By reducing the distance between knowledge and people, Pryon fosters a more informed, resilient, and responsive organization.”

5. Well

Well

Founded: 2019

Also honored in:

“Well is a health technology company with the human touch and advanced suggestions you expect from a trusted health partner.

Discover the first consumer health platform to proactively deliver personalized health advancement at scale. Reimagine how employers realize cost savings through improved employee health and engagement. Redefine the way humans navigate their health and benefits. Powered by a proprietary, AI-driven “health engine,” our mission is to be the world’s most effective partner in the advancement of individualized health.

Well combines personalized health suggestions with an on-demand health concierge- right at your fingertips. We empower our members to reach their health goals with small steps and daily rewards. Everyone deserves their own personalized road to better health. Well is the most human app in health.”

6. Baebies

Baebies

Founded: 2013

Also honored in:

“Baebies Inc. is a growth-stage medical device company developing innovative products to enable early disease detection and multifunctional diagnostics for syndromic testing for children and adults. Guided by the vision that everyone deserves to be healthy, we aim to deliver ‘Any test. Anywhere. To Everyone.’

We deliver millions of tests globally every year to save lives and make lives better. Baebies is a pioneer in digital microfluidics technology, which maximizes diagnostic yield from low-volume samples. Baebies is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, and our products are used in central laboratories and point-of-care settings around the world.

Over 17 million tests delivered, and counting. Every test is a chance to save a life.”

7. JupiterOne

JupiterOne

Founded: 2018

Also honored in:

“Secure your attack surface by aggregating and operationalizing your asset data.

You’ve got assets?

The rapid increase in digital transformation has created an overwhelming rise in cyber assets. JupiterOne connects the dots across your technology stack. We ingest asset data across your infrastructure, devices, users, IAM, cloud, policies, and more to create a single place for enterprise security teams to find information they need to triage risks and stay secure.

We’ve got answers.”

8. Locus Biosciences

Locus Biosciences

Founded: 2015

Also honored in:

“Next generation CRISPR technology for programmed cell death. Focused on developing therapies for infectious disease and the microbiome.

Locus Biosciences’ novel approach to precision antimicrobials works by taking advantage of a part of an immune system present in many bacteria called the CRISPR-Cas system. The CRISPR-Cas system protects bacteria from invaders such as viruses by creating small strands of RNA called CRISPR RNAs, which match DNA sequences specific to a given invader. When the CRISPR RNAs find a match, they activate Cas proteins that cut the DNA.

Locus Biosciences has developed a platform to design and deliver custom CRISPR-Cas systems directly to specific bacteria. Guided by the custom Locus Bio CRISPRs, the Type-I Cas proteins work to destroy bacterial DNA and cause the bacterial targets to “self-destruct”. Locus’ platform enables the development of antimicrobials which avoid currently known resistance mechanisms while leaving non-target bacteria unharmed. Built on prokaryotic technology for prokaryotic targets, Locus is advancing its platform to create therapeutics for critical-need therapeutic areas ranging from resistant bacterial infections to the microbiome.”

9. MedShift

Founded: 2015

“MedShift, a medical technology company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is an emerging leader in the healthcare industry. MedShift is one of the largest and fastest-growing solution providers to the aesthetic industry and is differentiated by its technology and software as a service focus.

The company brings opportunities to drive growth and scale to medical device manufacturers as well as individual medical providers across various markets, including Dermatology, Gynecology, Plastic Surgery, and MedSpa. MedShift’s business is centered around four business lines, Express Specialty Device Subscription, Connected Product (IoT), Velocity Technology Suite (Enterprise Software as a Service), and the MedShift Store, an online marketplace featuring a range of complementary products and services that streamline the complex supply-and-demand landscape of device consumables and injectables.

MedShift’s mission is to drive business transformation and power sales through the use of modern technology. The company has partnered with 25 aesthetic manufacturers and distributors, a portfolio of 80+ devices, and over 2,000 active medical providers.”

10. Pairwise Plants

Pairwise Plants LLC

Founded: 2017

Also honored in:

“Pairwise is a start-up food company that uses technology to break down the barriers that keep us from eating produce. At Pairwise, we are passionate about building a healthier world through better fruits and vegetables.

Headquartered in Durham, NC, our team is made up of leaders in R&D, agriculture, and consumer products. Founded in 2017 and opened in 2018, Pairwise is working to deliver breakthrough innovation in agricultural sciences and in healthy consumer foods.

Our team of proven leaders features Dr. Tom Adams, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Haven Baker, Chief Business Officer (CBO), and eminent scientists Drs. Feng Zhang, David Liu and J. Keith Joung serve as advisors.”