American Underground

Tomorrow, 15 innovative founders from across the Triangle will take the stage at The Carolina Theatre to share their pitches and progress. This cohort has collaborated with mentors at FCAT and American Underground to hone ideas, connect with likeminded entrepreneurs, and continue to build products and technologies poised to change the way we work and live. Want in on the action? There’s still time to register for our 2024 Demo Day — reserve your spot now! https://lu.ma/yab6303u #FCAT

Have you RSVP’d for the inaugural FCAT Fellowship Demo Day? Don’t miss out on the opportunity to see this incredible group of founders pitch their bold ideas and groundbreaking visions to a room full of investors, mentors, supporters, and fellow entrepreneurs! After the pitches, join us for a rooftop celebration at The Durham Hotel. Come connect with the Triangle’s vibrant startup community, expand your network, and celebrate innovation, see you there! 📅 When: Wednesday, December 11th at 2:30pm 📍 Where: Carolina Theater 🎉 Celebratory Reception: The Durham Hotel (rooftop) at 4:00pm 📩 RSVP: https://lu.ma/yab6303u

Congratulations to Aaron Huslage and Celestic — our 2024 Innovator of the Year!

It was truly a delight to lead a workshop on founder well-being at American Underground, where I worked for years as a stressed-out founder :). This passionate group of entrepreneurs has been immersed in the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology®(FCAT) fellowship for the past six weeks. Several are building solutions to support mental health and founder well-being, and for good reasons: - 82% of founders struggle with at least one mental health issue. -72% say entrepreneurship has negatively impacted their mental health -entrepreneurs are 3x as likely to have substance misuse challenges -entrepreneurs are 2x as likely to experience depression These stats are eye-popping but not surprising. In other words, if you are a founder, you have been or are likely currently struggling. And you are not alone. The best antidotes to these challenges (besides systems change, which is a topic for a longer post) are to gather in community, share struggles, and learn and practice simple tools to help us stay focused, calm, compassionate towards ourselves and others, and increase our resilience and joy. At the beginning of the workshop, I gave everyone a Biodot, an effective but basic biofeedback tool. Nearly everyone started the workshop in the black zone (stressed), and ended in the blue zone (relaxed) ☺️ Thanks to Tim Scales and the AU team for having me, and to the FCAT fellows for being game to try some new practices.

Join American Underground and Fidelity Center for Applied Technology®(FCAT) for the FCAT Fellowship Demo Day on December 11!

You're invited to the FCAT Fellowship Demo Day on December 11! The FCAT Fellowship at American Underground serves early stage startup founders leveraging emerging technologies to solve real-world challenges. Join us as these trailblazing founders pitch their startups to an audience of investors, founders, mentors, and supporters. Wednesday, December 11 - 2:30pm: Pitches at the Carolina Theater - 4:00pm: Reception at the Durham Hotel RVSP here: https://lu.ma/yab6303u

Congrats to AU member — and FCAT Fellow — Runbin Dong and Scale Social AI for this great feature in Triangle Business Journal.

October was jam-packed with fun events and new accomplishments; we can't start November without recapping October! - We officially kicked off the FCAT Fellowship with the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology®(FCAT), featuring a cohort of 15 talented and innovative founders 🎉 - We held our final Lunch & Learn of 2024 with an impactful conversation on how to combat 4th quarter burnout and seasonal depression, featuring the amazing Kamala Uzzell, PhD, LCMHCS, LPC, Erikka D. Taylor, MD, MPH, DFAACAP, and Doug Kaufman, PhD 🧠 - We joined forces with the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce for a rooftop Durham Young Professionals Pop-Up event discussing using AI in entrepreneurship 🌇 - Of course, we kept the fun vibes going with an AU Member Brunch, Member Mixers, a field trip to Boxcar Arcade, and a few Halloween costumes 🎃😂

🎉 Introducing our new "Underground Conversations" Series! We're spotlighting the faces behind the desks, the incredible work they do, and what brought them to our coworking community 🎉 Meet Michael Halpert … He was looking for a new gig in 2017 and got on the American Underground newsletter list. Five years later, AU member Katie Rudy invited him to a Member Happy Hour in 2023. And the rest is history… “AU is super welcoming. I think of the people here as my coworkers. As a solo in my business it’s really nice to have coworkers and people to share ideas with and have lunch with” said Halpert. Earlier this year, Mike pitched his startup, Ver, at a Durham Community Incubator pitch night. 75% of the folks who showed up to cheer him on were from AU. Mike is the Founder at Ver Coaching, using VR to train athletes on the mental game. He joined American Underground in September of 2023. To him, AU is a reflection of Durham. The vibes, the programming, and the support are unmatched. He’s had new friends send grant applications his way, point him to programs and resources, and check in on things over lunch. The moral of the story is ... all it takes is just one event 😂😁 check out some of our upcoming community events here: https://lnkd.in/eeFjHGmi

Join us!