Raleigh Hopes To Innovate

Raleigh leaders are setting their sights on creating a new brand for the city. They hope a plan to assist small businesses will lead to Raleigh becoming a “city of innovation.”

Most of the City Council stood with outgoing mayor Charles Meeker to make the announcement earlier today. They gathered in the small back loading bay of Xanofi, a nanofiber company spun off from NC State. It’s exactly the kind of company they hope to cultivate – small, innovative, and full of promise

A similar small-business incubator in Durham has gained attention for that city. Raleigh City Council member Mary-Ann Baldwin says there’s plenty of room in the Triangle for helping innovative companies.

Mary-Ann Baldwin: "The whole intention is not to duplicate efforts. It’s also not to compete with Durham - it’s to complement the things that Durham is doing."

Raleigh and NC State will launch this new effort by hosting an Innovation Summit in January.