Early Warning

Doug Kaufman’s latest startup, Vertroos Health, is personal. The former CEO of Transloc—its $60M acquisition by Ford was the subject of an Exit Stories podcast—is also a psychologist by training. But that didn’t much help him and his wife see the signs that their only child, who had just turned 13, was self-harming. To aid other parents and young people in that situation, Doug and fellow Triangle startup vet David Rasch began work on Vertroos Health in April and are now out in beta with their first product, Nika. Nika monitors young people’s text messages and social media posts and uses an algorithm to catch mental-health issues before they lead to seriously adverse consequences.

That might not sound like it would be that appealing to teens, but some have responded positively when it’s explained less as a snooping device (parents can only see specific texts/posts if a serious issue is flagged by the software) and more as a Fitbit for mental health. That’s all the more important these days as the pandemic has led to a surge in depression, anxiety and other mental-health issues, especially among young people. Read our full story on Vertroos Health here.

 

Goodbye, Plastic

We’re guessing that you’ve ordered a lot more takeout in 2020 than in the past, given the global pandemic and all. For many restaurants, that means a bunch more single-use plastic containers, which end up in landfills on a very, very slow decomposition schedule (in the neighborhood of 1,000 years). A startup led by two UNC students—one a senior in the undergrad business school and the other a grad student in public health—have teamed up to create Full Circle to address this very issue. Full Circle will provide restaurants with compostable containers, then reclaim those containers to turn them into compost. The startup won a prize at last month’s Carolina Challenge Pitch Party. You can read our full story on Full Circle here.

Clock's Ticking

Hey startup founders, have you applied to present at CED’s Venture Connect Summit, which will be held virtually on March 23-25, 2021? If yes, smart move. If no, then you better get a move on: applications close TOMORROW. Those startups that are selected will get to present five-minute pitch videos on the event’s platform for an audience that will include a hundred-plus investors. That is only one of the benefits of being accepted; startup founders will also participate in “founder discussions” and can use a one-on-one meeting widget to engage directly and privately with investors and other summit attendees. We have a full story on what the 2021 Venture Connect has to offer startups here. Oh, we almost forgot: this year, startups will pay $0 to attend. And don’t forget to get those applications in!

RAP Deadline

While we’re reminding you of deadlines, here’s another for your calendar: applications for the next cohort of the RIoT Accelerator Program (RAP) close on Monday, Dec. 21, at 5 p.m. The program will run from Feb. 17-May 5 in Wilson, though given the state of the world it will be largely virtual. Click here for all the details.

Early Bird

Still got that calendar out? (Sorry; is your calendar app still open?) Back in October, we told you about the new Scale School offerings from the UNC Eship Center that are available to anyone in the community interested in scaling their company. After launching with three courses in the fall, there are seven offerings on tap this spring, each lasting 4-7 weeks on topics from sales to marketing to team-building. For the rest of 2020, you can get a $100-off “early bird” price of $699; the courses will cost $799 starting in 2021.

Guess where Pete is and (maybe) win a GrepBeat mug!
 

Long-suffering “Where’s Pete?” contestant Mark Self finally enters the winner’s circle this week by being the only contestant who correctly deduced that I was at Hibachi Blue in Morrisville. Sayeth Mark: “Wow, I cannot believe that, after 20 years of trying, I finally won a GrepBeat mug!!! I am the leader of two ‘seed stage’ companies and a ‘front-to-back’ reader of GrepBeat.  I don't care what people think about Austin, etc.—the Triangle rocks! I also want to thank my mother and father and the members of the random number generator committee responsible for my win.” Wow, that almost brought a tear to my eye. Almost.