Summerville, SC – Hundreds gathered at South Carolina Research Authority’s annual summit in Columbia yesterday, where Charleston-based GoodUnited was awarded Company of the Year, and Lanford Holloway, CEO of Columbia-based TerraStride, was awarded Founder of the Year. GoodUnited developed an application that helps nonprofits raise money with their innovative two-way messaging platform that integrates with social media. TerraStride offers two products, TerraStride PRO, which allows users to tour a piece of land virtually, and HuntStand, the most popular hunting app in the country. TerraStride was recently acquired by industry giant GSM Outdoors.
Themed Founders First, the summit is a time for SCRA-supported and funded entrepreneurs, startups, and project leaders, as well as members of the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, to come together, network, and learn more about how to grow their businesses successfully. The success of these startups results in economic growth and new jobs for the state. The keynote speaker was Joe Hanna, Chief Product Officer at Magnit Global, which acquired ENGAGE Talent, a startup he founded. SCRA supported and funded ENGAGE Talent, which helped revolutionize talent acquisition and management.
The criteria for being named the SCRA Company of the Year include having an exceptional job and revenue growth, a unique product or service, being a recognized technology leader with protected intellectual property, and having proven scale-up abilities. The criteria for being named SCRA Founder of the Year include being a visionary leader, being a creative, technological disruptive game-changer, having relentless passion, and having a compelling and inspiring story.
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About SCRA
https://scra.org/
Chartered in 1983 by the State of South Carolina as a public, nonprofit corporation, South Carolina Research Authority fuels the state’s innovation economy through the impact of its comprehensive services to technology-based startups, academia, and industry. SCRA provides funding and support to accelerate the growth of academic startups; high-quality lab and administrative workspaces; facilitation and funding for partnerships between and among industry, startups, and academic institutions; assistance and funding for the relocation of technology-based companies to South Carolina; and coaching and funding for startups that may also receive investments from its affiliate, SC Launch Inc.
Media Contact
Adrianne Grimes
Director of Marketing and Communications, SCRA
O: (854) 888-2033
C: (843) 277-7295
adrianne.grimes@scra.org
