The Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Davidson College is building on a foundation of supporting innovation and small business growth in the Greater Charlotte community. Now in its seventh year, the Hurt Hub team’s focus on enhancing programs and expanding access for innovators and entrepreneurs will get a boost from a new grant from Truist Charitable Fund, a donor-advised fund administered by The Winston-Salem Foundation.
The Truist Charitable Fund has awarded $300,000 to the Hurt Hub in alignment with the company’s strategic goal of strengthening small businesses in the Charlotte community with a strong focus on underrepresented founders. The grant allows the Hurt Hub to broaden its reach both in terms of participants and geographically while prioritizing access to startup capital, exceptional technical support, education and networks, and the growth of equitable small business ecosystems.
More specifically, this support enables the Hurt Hub to set ambitious goals to help launch 25 new small local businesses, provide access to more than $35,000 in startup capital and offer up to 7,000 pro bono consulting hours, from students and professional staff, to over 70 small businesses. Additionally, the funding supports the expansion of successful educational programs in innovation and entrepreneurship, including five new cohorts of its flagship business-building programs in 2025.
“We believe entrepreneurship and small business ownership are proven paths to economic mobility,” said Liz Brigham ’04, the W. Spencer Mitchem ’59 Executive Director of the Hurt Hub.
“With the transformational support from the Truist Charitable Fund, we will extend access to our programs by more than 20 percent and stimulate the growth of new businesses, jobs, and innovative mindsets in our community.”
Thanks to the Hurt Hub and the community built through its programs, students, business owners, mentors and community members move their passions and interests forward. People like Gloria Folaron, founder of local tech startup Leantime, a project management platform designed for people with ADHD, autism and dyslexia, worked with Cate Phipps ’26 to further Leantime’s content marketing strategy.
“Cate created content leveraging AI to generate a dozen blog posts supporting the development of a more inclusive future of work,” Gloria said. “She’s been incredibly helpful in amplifying my capacity.”
Those involved with the Hurt Hub have countless opportunities to learn from others. Take Davidson resident Cherese Spand, who this year facilitated a mindset conversation with small business leaders as part of the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program, a part of the Amplify Davidson initiative funded through the Town of Davidson. She brought to the sessions business wisdom from years of owning hair salons, a bridal boutique, an event planning business and, currently, running a financial services company.


Cate, Gloria and Cherese are three of many. In the last academic year alone, more than 300 learners engaged in more than 20 educational programs and supported 84 start-ups and small businesses through programs offered at the Hurt Hub. Additionally, 79 students completed nearly 3,000 consulting hours for 59 clients, with 30 more students and young alums receiving industry-specific mentoring. More than $100,000 was awarded in startup capital to student ventures, and the Hurt Hub’s more than 200 coworking members, representing 132 businesses, called the space home.

Specifically, the grant from Truist Charitable Fund will help fund the continuation of courses like the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program and over 20 other distinct skill-building workshops reaching into new communities across Charlotte. Additionally, this support deepens relationships amongst Davidson students, faculty, and local entrepreneurs through micro-internships and consulting projects. And, it will help provide needed capital for startup ventures in our community through several business plan pitch competitions.
“We are delighted to provide this Truist Charitable Fund grant to support the continued growth and expansion of programming at the Hurt Hub,” said Jenna Kelly, Truist’s North Carolina West Regional President. “As our purpose at Truist is to inspire and build better lives and communities, we are excited to help expand opportunities for entrepreneurs from all backgrounds in the Greater Charlotte area.”
About Truist Charitable Fund
The Truist Charitable Fund (“TCF”) is committed to Truist Financial Corporation’s (NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire and build better lives. TCF was established as a donor-advised fund and is administered by The Winston-Salem Foundation. TCF invests in local community organizations, focusing on grants that support initiatives and programs in the areas of educational equity, leadership development and essential community services. To learn more about Truist’s purpose, visit https://www.truist.com/who-we-are/about-truist.