Hone Opens Its Doors: A Culinary Hub for Greenville’s Startup Community
Greenville’s startup scene just got a little tastier! Hone, a shared kitchen space, has officially opened, giving local food entrepreneurs the tools, space, and community they need to grow their businesses. For food founders, access to commercial-grade kitchen space can be a big hurdle, and Hone is here to change that.
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Welcoming Bletchley Institute and Clarke College to the StartupGVL Community
Greenville’s tech community thrives when more people have access to pathways into learning, building, and growing. That’s why we’re excited to welcome Bletchley Institute and Clarke College into the StartupGVL community. These organizations bring new approaches to hands-on learning and early career exploration, adding to the strong foundation already built by groups across the region.
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South Carolina’s Next Wave of Founders: Highlights from the 2025 Palmetto Pitch Competition
South Carolina’s entrepreneurial future was on full display as Clemson University hosted the 6th Annual Palmetto Pitch Competition at the Brook T. Smith Launchpad and this year set a new record. Nearly 200 attendees gathered to watch student founders from colleges and universities across the state compete, connect, and showcase ideas with the potential to shape South Carolina’s next decade of innovation.
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What’s Next for Greenville? Reflections from Advantage Greenville
Last week, Furman’s Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, together with the Furman Alumni Council, hosted a thoughtful conversation about the future of Greenville at Flywheel Coworking. Designed as a “What’s Next” event, it brought together founders, civic leaders, investors, and alumni to explore the next chapter of Greenville’s growth.
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RevUp GVL: Fueling Innovation in Greenville’s Nonprofit Community
When the federal government scaled back many grant programs in early 2025, local nonprofits began asking an urgent question: What’s next? Enter RevUp GVL, a first-of-its-kind event designed to help nonprofits think like startups, find new revenue sources, and strengthen the foundation that keeps Greenville’s community thriving.
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When Music Meets the Chessboard
For Adrienne Tellier, creativity and teaching have always gone hand in hand. She studied musical theatre and then she spent years performing on stage, teaching kids’ programs, and writing curriculum for an education startup in New York City. During the pandemic, Adrienne and her husband returned to her birth town, drawn to Greenville’s thriving arts and food scene and the chance to start a family in a place that felt both familiar and inspiring.
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From Ink to Impact: The Evolution of Dapper Ink and The Landmark Project
When Matt and Jen McManus started printing t-shirts after college in 2007, it was mostly for friends and family—word-of-mouth projects pulled together with grit and a love of creativity. But what began as a side hustle quickly became a business, and then something even bigger.
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Toni & Tucker: Fashion That Fits
Toni Carter’s journey to founding Toni & Tucker Co. started with a simple but powerful observation: clothes don’t fit people the way they should. As a fashion and technical designer who’s worked for some of the industry’s major apparel brands, Toni quickly noticed a glaring gap in the system. It wasn’t just about sizes — it was about shapes.
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How Precision Anatomy Is Changing the Future of Trauma Training
For Erik Crouch and Mark Lyons, founding Precision Anatomy wasn’t just the next chapter in their careers — it was the natural evolution of everything they’ve spent their lives doing. With decades of combined experience in combat medicine, trauma education, and operational leadership, the pair launched their company in February 2024 to bring advanced, ethical, and research-driven training to the forefront of medical readiness.
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Innovation Academy: Empowering the Next Generation of Founders
What if you launched your first company before you could vote? That’s the kind of bold thinking behind Innovation Academy, a new high school entrepreneurship program developed by the Hill Institute at Furman University. It’s fast-paced, community-powered, and designed to give students the confidence, resources, and structure to take an idea from concept to pitch — all in just five days.
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