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The verified checks and cohorts founders actually use in 2026, with dollar sizes kept separate: non-dilutive grants, statewide tweener equity, Eastern NC RAP, and Charlotte fintech.
A statewide cut ranked by verified recent capital and traction, with scale-ups labeled, AI-software vs industrial tech flagged, and no stacked dollar myths.
From a rare-disease data bet at UNC to Duke's heart-failure agent tests, these are the verified NC plays with dollars, names, and clear limits on what is, and is not, live in the clinic.
Opteon 2P50 is pitched for two-phase immersion cooling and is not for sale in the U.S. yet. The same week, North Carolina announced a nearly $600 million legacy PFAS settlement with Chemours, DuPont, and Corteva. Related company and river, not the same product.
A Hyde County proof-of-concept pairs field sensors with a queryable AI agent on ECU's PITON platform. First farmer availability is aimed at Hyde and Washington counties later in 2026.
The Durham-led award will evaluate and scale evidence for agentic AI in heart-failure care. It is not shipping an FDA-authorized product today.
The Rockingham County retrofit of the former Unifi plant has moved into active customer deployment. Initial billing is underway on 40 MW of contracted IT load. Full run-rate is still unconfirmed.
Vertiv is buying Raleigh's UtilityInnovation Group for $1.45 billion in cash, with earnouts that could push the price to $2.6 billion. The deal says more about the AI boom's real constraint than about any single company.
