The Daugherty Centennial Campus Entrepreneurship Initiative, named in honor of Mr. Richard L. Daugherty, Retired Vice President of IBM and current Kenan Institute trustee, and his late wife, Marlene Daugherty, supports the enhancement of the entrepreneurial environment on Centennial Campus at NC State University. This provides early-stage capital necessary for NC State-based startup companies to launch, engage the region’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leverage state and federal sources of capital to grow their enterprise and commercialize their licensed technology. The 2025 Daugherty Initiative track at the NC State eGames supported five awards and took place on April 14, 2025.
The 2025 Daugherty Initiative awardees are as follows:
- 1st Place – $25,000 – Soteria Formulations minimizes agrochemical overuse and off-target losses by converting crop harvest biomass into modern farming equipment-compatible seed coatings and pelleted granules that improve the performance of agrochemical and biologicals by integrating targeted delivery and controlled releases.
- 2nd Place – $15,000 – Nicelle Technologies produces acrylic fibers and precursors to carbon fiber in the US that are economical, nontoxic, and eco-friendly for use in defense textiles and commercial markets.
- 3rd Place – $10,000 – MyoMech is developing a wearable afferent stimulation sleeve to provide real-time, on-demand tremor suppression for individuals with Essential Tremor and Parkinson’s Disease.
- 3rd Place – $10,000 – Verdia is developing on-plant sensor technology that diagnoses diseases in real-time, significantly earlier than traditional methods, saving growers significant amounts of crops, revenue and time.
- 3rd Place – $10,000 – LOOM3D is pioneering a revolutionary technology to produce high-quality, seamless woven pants. Their proprietary method eliminates the need for traditional cut-and-sew processes, significantly reducing material waste, shortening production timelines, and cutting manufacturing costs.
Since 2008, the Daugherty Initiative has invested $688,847 in 59 companies and 2 research projects, with 72% still active. Cumulative follow-on funding received by the awardees since 2008 is now $71.5M.
Hoofprint Biome, a 2024 winner, has now raised $6.8M in follow-on funding. The Daugherty Initiative has begun a new partnership with WIN, where the 1st place winner is invited to present at a WIN Quick Pitch Series. KIETS Director Ruben Carbonell and Associate Director Raj Narayan serve on the Daugherty Initiative Governance and Selection Committee. Among the priorities the governance committee is investigating is the potential to identify complementary resources and increase the endowment of the Daugherty Initiative.