A Founder’s Path to a 120K Fellowship w/ Rich Gilliam | Ep. 39

She Is Rebuilding America’s Flower Industry w/ Amy Dunlap | Ep. 40

Episode 40 of Ecosysteming welcomes Amy Dunlap [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-dunlap-3b674526/], CEO and Co-founder of Stemz [https://findstemz.com/], a Winston-Salem based logistics and technology company connecting U.S. flower farmers with floral creatives. Host Thom Ruhe [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasruhe/] chats with Amy about the unprecedented growth Stemz has experienced over the past year, leading her team to expand beyond North Carolina and raise a new seed round. Amy shares the journey behind that momentum, from designing flowers at Walt Disney World, to closing her custom floral design studio in 2018, to building one of North Carolina’s most exciting emerging companies. Amy’s story is also deeply connected to NC IDEA. Her journey includes NC IDEA LABS in 2019, NC IDEA MICRO ($10K) in 2020, NC IDEA SEED ($50K) in 2021, and most recently, an NC IDEA Rural Impact Grant ($20K) in 2025. For anyone looking to better understand how founders can tap into North Carolina’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, this episode is for you.

A Founder’s Path to a 120K Fellowship w/ Rich Gilliam | Ep. 39

How can a founder fully tap into North Carolina’s entrepreneurial ecosystem? Founder and CEO of Stem Plug [https://stemplug.com/], Rich Gilliam [https://www.linkedin.com/in/richnovated/], shares his journey on Episode 39 of the Ecosysteming podcast with host Thom Ruhe [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasruhe/]. Rich’s path began in engineering and evolved through his Master’s in Educational Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at UNC-Chapel Hill. From there, he became an NC IDEA Startup Consultant Fellow, received an NC IDEA MICRO ($10K) grant, and most recently secured the $120,000 two-year Bold Path Fellowship [https://ncidea.org/bold-path-fellowship/] supported by ECMC Foundation [https://www.ecmcfoundation.org/], Provident1898 [https://provident1898.com/], and NC IDEA. In this episode, Rich reflects not only on milestones but also on challenges, including not being selected for an NC IDEA SEED ($50K) grant and what that experience taught him. Stem Plug is focused on advancing STEM education, sparking entrepreneurial thinking, and building brains beyond books.

The Rise of the Freelancer w/ Margaret McNab | Ep. 38

Episode 38 of Ecosysteming welcomes Margaret McNab [https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretmcnab/], a longtime friend of the Foundation. Host Thom Ruhe sits down with the Principal and Strategic Advisor of McNab & Company [https://www.mcnabcompany.com/] to discuss her accomplished career helping people come together, strengthen communities, and expand opportunity for all. At McNab & Company, Margaret helps leaders communicate their vision with clarity and purpose, specializing in the development and implementation of public relations strategies that drive growth across the economic development, nonprofit, and academic sectors. Tune in for a timely conversation about freelancing, its strong connection to entrepreneurship, and why freelancers can thrive even in a declining job market. Jobs may be decreasing, but the work is still there.

How One NC Founder Unlocked It All w/ Runbin Dong | Ep. 37

If you are a founder looking for direction on how to tap into the entrepreneurial ecosystem, this episode is for you. Runbin Dong [https://www.linkedin.com/in/runbindong/], Founder and CEO of Scale Social AI [https://www.getsocialscale.com/], knows how to make the most of the resources available to founders across the state. A biomedical engineer turned Serial Entrepreneur, Runbin has built Scale Social AI to help brands capture authentic customer experiences in real time, transforming raw user generated content into high performing assets. Along the way, Scale Social AI has received both an NC IDEA MICRO ($10K) and SEED grant ($50K). Runbin has also participated in the FCAT Fellowship, CED’s GRO Incubator, the RIoT Accelerator Program, and more. Beyond leading his startup, he is now giving back to the ecosystem as an advisor for The Seed List [https://www.theseedlist.org/], an experiential learning program that connects talented students with innovative companies across the Triangle. If you are wondering how to start, build, and scale a business, tune in for an insightful conversation between host Thom Ruhe [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasruhe/] and Runbin Dong.

The NCInnovation Model Is Here to Stay w/ Michelle Bolas | Ep. 36

Episode 36 of Ecosysteming welcomes a good friend of the Foundation, Michelle Bolas [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-bolas-1a91b211/], President and CEO of NCInnovation [https://www.ncinnovation.org/]. What does it take to turn university research into real economic opportunity for North Carolina? In this episode, host Thom Ruhe [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasruhe/] sits down with Michelle to unpack NCInnovation's model for moving breakthrough technologies out of public universities and into the market faster, smarter, and with statewide impact. Tune in to hear how NCInnovation is helping reshape economic development in North Carolina and building a model other states may soon look to follow.