Meeting Up

When in-person events began being cancelled/postponed in bulk back in March, the hope in many quarters was that by the fall, people would be out and about like in the Time Before. It’s now clear that won’t be the case until, well, who knows when. So the annual events that mark the Triangle’s tech calendar have fully embraced their current virtual reality. Today we offer a preview story on two such stalwarts: Startup Summit (this Thursday, Sept. 3) and the T-Rex Summit (Wednesday, Sept. 16). The Startup Summit will feature guests including former Cisco CEO John Chambers and Red Hat Co-Founder Bob Young, while T-Rex—which focuses on how to generate revenue—will welcome writer and podcast host Cal Fussman. Read our full preview of the two events here, and register at the links above.

All Things Open, the open-source event that usually packs them in at the Raleigh Convention Center, will also be going entirely virtual on Oct. 19-20. TechWire has all the details.

Pete Meets...

Brooks Bell, the guest on Episode 4 of the Pete Meets... podcast, likely needs no introduction to GrepBeat readers. Through the end of 2018, she was best known as the Founder of Brooks Bell Inc., a website optimization agency specializing in A/B testing; as half of the Triangle’s Tech Power Couple with husband Jesse Lipson; and, most importantly, as a Download subject. But after being diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer and then beating it into submission after a rough regimen of surgery and chemotherapy, Brooks has remade herself as a “Colonoscopy Enthusiast.”

She took to Twitter a few days back in the wake of the death of actor Chadwick Boseman, who was the same age as Brooks when he was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer. Colon cancer is more deadly than either breast cancer or prostate cancer, yet unlike them—and pretty much any other cancer—it is entirely preventable. And the way to prevent it is by getting a colonoscopy, which enables doctors to find polyps and snip them before they become cancerous. I got my colonoscopy last fall and can say it was... totally fine. You should get one, even if you’re under 40. Which (I’d like to claim) I totally am.

Of course there’s a lot more to Brooks than evangelizing for colonoscopies, as important as that is. She was a great interview. You should read this teaser story, listen to the podcast, and subscribe. Thanks as always to our Pete Meets... season sponsor, TriNet!

Selling Out

A few weeks back, we mentioned that Chapel Hill-based fund-of-funds TrueBridge Partners had raised money for another fund, hooking investors looking for juicy exits to pump that ROI. Now comes word that TrueBridge is undergoing its own exit. TBJ reports that an affiliate of Dallas-based P10 Holdings is purchasing TrueBridge, though TrueBridge will continue operating as a wholly owned subsidiary with its existing team.

Tech Trailblazer

While women are underrepresented in the startup space in general, that disparity is especially glaring in the more technical fields. That makes Jill Munro, the new CTO at fast-growing Durham fintech Spreedly, that much more of an outlier. TBJ profiles Jill in its latest issue, tracing her evolution from a master’s in East Asian Studies to tech roles at a series of finance companies. And while we don’t think the study factored in Jill’s new position, Durham was just ranked No. 7 on a “Best Cities for Women Entrepreneurs” list.

Spreading Wealth

Last week NC IDEA named 25 leaders from across the state to its new NC Black Entrepreneurship Council. NC IDEA Thom Ruhe (a recent Pete Meets... guest) explains the reasoning behind the Council’s formation here, and you can find a list of all 25 members here. One name that jumps out is Doug Speight, the former American Underground chief and Download subject.

Immerse Yourself

No judgment, but the odds are you’re finding yourself watching more TV/streaming services and/or playing video games than you were doing pre-pandemic. Why not soup up your set-up? Raleigh’s Audio Advice has launched a free, interactive 3D design tool to help users design their ultimate entertainment space. TechWire and TBJ have more details.

Extra Bit

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