NC IDEA SEED Grant Finalists Include Clients Dendi, Growga and Vizma Life Sciences

NC IDEA, a private foundation committed to supporting entrepreneurial ambition and economic empowerment in North Carolina through a combination of competitive grants and programs, has chosen 12 finalists for its $50K SEED grants competition. Three Smith Anderson clients: Dendi (Raleigh, NC); Growga (Chapel Hill, NC); and Vizma Life Sciences (Durham, NC) are in that group. The finalists for NC IDEA’s long-standing $50K SEED grant program were selected out of 131 competitive applications and will present virtually before a review panel.

The $50K grants are awarded to innovative startups with a proven concept—even if they are not yet profitable. Seven grant winners were revealed at the NC IDEA's Virtual Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Summit, including Dendi and Vizma Life Sciences as awardees. 

Smith Anderson congratulates our clients for their selection as NC IDEA SEED grant finalists, and applaud Dendi and Vizma Life Sciences for being selected as $50K SEED grant winners. We are proud to celebrate our clients' hard-earned work, putting each of them one step closer to achieving their entrepreneurial potential.

Dendi provides a cutting-edge, cloud-based laboratory information system (LIS) that integrates with everything that happens in a clinical lab ecosystem and enables true end-to-end automation. Growga delivers tailored yoga and mindfulness practices to students of all ages, with the goal of creating more mindful schools, workplaces and communities. Vizma Life Sciences develops next-generation molecular imaging and chemical analysis solutions.

Since 2006, NC IDEA SEED has awarded over $6.8 million in grant funding to 154 companies throughout the state. Nearly 70 percent of these companies are still operating today; and collectively they have raised over $295 million in funding and generated over 1,860 jobs. The funds, along with mentorship and guidance, push companies forward and reduce risk associated with growing startups.