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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="color:#00467E;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">News Media Contacts<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="right" style="text-align:right"><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><a href="mailto:CommsMedia@DurhamNC.gov">CommsMedia@DurhamNC.gov</a></span><u><span style="color:blue;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="right" style="text-align:right"><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><a href="mailto:PublicInformationOffice@dconc.gov">PublicInformationOffice@dconc.gov</a></span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">
</span><u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:blue;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:50.0pt;color:#00538E;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">News Release</span><span style="color:#D3372A;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#D3372A;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">For Immediate Release: February 23, 2024<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#494949;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Innovate Durham Announces Winning Cohort for 2024 Program<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">DURHAM, N.C. –</span><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"> Four companies will soon bring their new ideas to the City of Durham and Durham County governments by spending
the next 16 weeks testing out innovative solutions to local challenges. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">What You Need to Know<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNoSpacing" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Innovate Durham has selected SKLLD, MyMatR, Laughing Monitos, and Digital Brilliance Hour for their 2024 program.</span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNoSpacing" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Program allows entrepreneurs and startups to use local government as a lab to test out an idea, product or service while having access to local
government staff, data, and facilities. </span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNoSpacing" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">The program also helps connect local businesses to resources and build innovation capacity.</span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:blue;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><a href="https://www.durhamnc.gov/3165/Innovate-Durham">Innovate Durham</a></span><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"> has selected SKLLD, MyMatR, Laughing Monitos,
and Digital Brilliance Hour for their 2024 program, which allows entrepreneurs and startups to use local government as a lab to test out an idea, product or service while having access to local government staff, data, and facilities. The program also helps
connect local businesses to resources and build innovation capacity.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Innovate Durham received 28 applications for this year’s program and selected the following four finalists based on their alignment with City and County strategic priorities:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><a href="https://www.hiresklld.com/">SKLLD</a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="color:#1D1C1D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Test Case Departments: City of Durham Innovation Team and Durham County Economic Development</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">SKLLD aims to expand employment opportunities for historically underemployed groups by partnering with coding and job bootcamps. They will work with the City's Innovation Team
and Durham County Economic Development to create multimedia résumés for justice-impacted residents.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><a href="https://www.mymatrcorp.com/">MyMatR</a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="color:#1D1C1D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Test Case Department: City of Durham Solid Waste Management Department</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:#1D1C1D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">MyMatR has developed a smart waste container that sorts waste into trash or recycling automatically. They will collaborate with the City's Solid Waste Management Department
to implement these units and gather real-time data.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><a href="https://www.laughingmonitos.com/">Laughing Monitos</a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Test Case Department: Durham County Economic Development<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:#1D1C1D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Laughing Monitos provides playgroups focusing on speech and language developmental skills for children 0-4 years old. They will work with Durham County Economic Development
to offer services to children awaiting formal evaluation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:#1D1C1D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><a href="https://digitalbrilliancehour.com/">Digital Brilliance Hour</a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="color:#1D1C1D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Test Case Department: City of Durham Technology Solutions Department</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:#1D1C1D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Digital Brilliance Hour offers IT workshops and curriculum to uplift marginalized youth, particularly in black and brown communities. They will partner with the City's Technology
Solutions Department to expand outreach and formalize the student experience evaluation process.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Durham County Economic Development Coordinator Sabria Futrell expressed enthusiasm for the partnership with these businesses, highlighting the additional support available this year. “Durham
County is excited to continue our ongoing partnership with diverse early-stage businesses,” said Futrell. “This year, program participants have access to expanded technical assistance at no cost, such as business certifications, small business funding, and
financial management. These resources, in addition to departmental project support, are sure to take these businesses to the next level.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Assistant Director of Strategy and Innovation Andrew Holland with the City of Durham’s Budget and Management Services Department emphasized the program's focus on equity and
strategic planning, with the selected companies addressing pressing local issues. “The Innovate Durham Program has continued the long tradition of entrepreneurship and innovation in Durham and has successfully helped dozens of local businesses in recent years,”
said Holland. “The Innovate Durham team has again centered equity and strategic planning in this year’s outreach, application process, and program. The companies selected are working on solutions to Durham’s most pressing challenges such as digital equity
and waste reduction.”</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">The program will run until the end of May with regular meetings between the companies, Innovate Durham staff, and partner departments. The program will conclude with a Demo Day
event open to the public.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">For more information, visit the
</span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><a href="https://durhamnc.gov/3165/Innovate-Durham">Innovate Durham webpage</a></span><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"> or contact Innovation Manager Lyndsay Gavin with the City’s
Budget and Management Services Department by </span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><a href="mailto:Lyndsay.Gavin@durhamnc.gov">email</a></span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">.</span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">###</span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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