Venture Carolina, S.C. Commerce Office of Innovation launch Palmetto Venture Fellowship

Venture Carolina, a nonprofit that works to bridge the funding gap between investors and entrepreneurs, announced Feb. 15 it has partnered with the South Carolina Department of Commerce’s Office of Innovation to launch the Palmetto Venture Fellowship.

The program is meant to create more local, accredited investors and expand risk-capital accessibility for early-stage startups in South Carolina. Throughout the program, 38 participants will take part in a seven-part workshop series designed to expose them to the intricacies associated with early-stage capital formation.

“We are thrilled to announce our inaugural class of fellows — a group that is diverse in so many ways,” said Venture Carolina executive director Charlie Banks. “The foundation this inaugural class is setting not only sets a precedent for future classes, it represents a tangible building block for the sustainability of South Carolina’s innovation economy. I was truly blown away at the combined talent and energy in that room.”

The inaugural class includes:

• Brad Ball of Poogan’s Hospitality Group
• Jimmy Banyas of PunchListUSA
• John H. Barnes of Pendleton Street Business Advisors
• Calvin Beamon of McGriff
• Carl Blackstone of Columbia Chamber of Commerce
• Jay Blankenship of Zylo Therapeutics
• Luke Bonnett of Chapin Pediatrics
• Engineer and commercial real estate developer Tom Coffman
• Rogers Coxe of Dove Print Solutions
• John Deworken of LobbySC
• Wesley Donehue of Push Digital
• Herbert Drayton of HI Mark Capital
• Tracy Dunn of Benedict College Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship
• LaTasha Gandy of Bank of America
• Brian Gillespie of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
• Dan Handford of PassiveInvesting.com
• Mike Harper of Middle Street Partners
• Anthony Herrera of Furman University
• Greg Hilton of SOCO
• Julie Hussey of Civic Communications
• Sam Johnson of Nexsen Pruet
• Harriet Lampkin of INLIVIAN
• Independent consultant Curtis Lee
• Julia Linton of Palmetto Tech Bridge
• Jamie Lynch of ES Integrated
• Selena Martin of Denture Care Shop
• Larry Mercado of Bold Biologix
• Michael Nix of Verity Investment Partners
• Jay Patel of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
• Tom Pietras of Bauknight Pietras & Stormer
• Kyle Putnam of Insignis Partners
• Austin Rhodes of Rhodes Branding
• Dee Dee Simmons of The Fitts Company
• Patrick Springhart of Prisma Health
• Diana and Hal Stevenson of Grace Outdoor
• Lauren Taylor of The Haven Group and Haven Home
• Matt Vaadi of guHRoo

The Palmetto Venture Fellows were selected by a committee of business leaders and investors throughout South Carolina.

For more information, visit venturecarolina.org/palmetto-venture-fellowship.