8 Western North Carolina Tech Members to Know for 828 Day
Celebrating 828 Day by spotlighting the technology companies, organizations and institutions helping shape Western North Carolina’s growing tech ecosystem.
August 28 is 828 Day — a celebration of Western North Carolina and the region represented by the 828 area code.
From Asheville and Montreat to Cullowhee and communities across the mountains, Western North Carolina is home to a growing technology ecosystem that spans software development, cybersecurity, telecommunications, broadband, entrepreneurship, leadership and higher education.
This 828 Day, we’re highlighting eight NC TECH members doing their part to build, connect and strengthen the region’s technology community.
1. Aktiga — Building the Next Generation of Digital Experiences
Based in Asheville, Aktiga is a custom software development studio specializing in web applications, mobile apps, UX/UI, 3D and immersive experiences. The company has carved out a particularly interesting niche in WebXR and spatial computing, developing experiences that bring virtual and augmented reality capabilities to the web.
Over the past year, Aktiga has continued expanding its work as a full-service development partner. The company officially launched Agenda Keeper, a meeting-management platform designed to help teams organize agendas, capture notes and track follow-ups. Its work also includes immersive applications such as emVR, a browser-based WebXR platform designed to support remote immersive therapy.
Why it matters: Aktiga is a great example of the kind of specialized, innovative technology company emerging from Asheville’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
2. Carolina Cyber Center of Montreat College — Growing the Cybersecurity Workforce
The Carolina Cyber Center (C3) at Montreat College is helping build the next generation of cybersecurity professionals through hands-on education, training and workforce development. The center combines cybersecurity education with practical experience and a focus on the professional skills employers need.
The past year brought significant attention to that mission. In March 2026, North Carolina State Chief Information Security Officer Bernice Russell-Bond visited Montreat College to learn more about the training offered through the Carolina Cyber Center. The visit was part of a broader focus on strengthening North Carolina's cybersecurity workforce.
C3 is also a partner of the Carolina Cyber Network, which has partnered with NCDIT on a cybersecurity internship program spanning 23 North Carolina universities and community colleges. Since fall 2025, the program has provided paid, hands-on experience to students working alongside cybersecurity professionals.
Why it matters: As cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, Western North Carolina is playing a role in developing the talent needed to defend organizations across the state.
3. CommScope North Carolina — Connecting the Infrastructure Behind Technology
CommScope is helping shape the future of connectivity from right here in Western North Carolina. The company’s Catawba, N.C., operations are home to its FAST Track, a real-world fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network that gives service providers and industry professionals the opportunity to experience broadband technology in action.
Opened in December 2025, the FAST Track facility serves as both a training center and innovation hub, allowing visitors to work directly with CommScope experts, test fiber architectures, explore installation techniques and learn how to optimize network deployments.
The facility is designed to help service providers shorten learning curves, validate designs and improve deployment efficiency — ultimately helping communities get access to high-speed broadband faster. CommScope describes the Catawba site as a place where innovation can move beyond the lab and into real-world network environments.
CommScope has also continued advancing fiber and broadband solutions throughout 2026. Recent company work has focused on preparing networks for growing demand driven by AI, 5G, smart technologies, remote work and other bandwidth-intensive applications.
Why it matters: CommScope's work in Catawba County demonstrates that Western North Carolina isn't just benefiting from the digital economy — it's helping build the infrastructure that makes it possible.
4. ERC Broadband — Bringing High-Speed Connectivity to Western NC
ERC Broadband has a particularly Western North Carolina-focused mission: providing fiber-based network services to education, healthcare, government, economic development organizations and other community institutions across the region.
And 2026 has brought an important milestone. In March, ERC Broadband received $1.26 million through North Carolina's Stop-Gap Solutions program to extend high-speed internet infrastructure to 118 locations in Buncombe and Henderson counties. The broader state program awarded nearly $26 million to connect more than 5,100 rural North Carolina locations.
For a region where geography can make connectivity challenging, investments like these can have an outsized impact on businesses, schools, healthcare providers and communities.
Why it matters: Reliable broadband is foundational infrastructure for the modern economy — and ERC is helping make that infrastructure more accessible across WNC.
5. Holloran Leadership — Helping Technology Leaders Become Better Managers
Leadership development is another important part of a healthy technology ecosystem, and Holloran Leadership is focused squarely on that challenge.
Founded by software leadership advisor Jonathan Holloran, the company works with technology organizations and managers to help bridge the gap between being a great technical contributor and becoming an effective leader. Holloran brings more than 20 years of experience in software engineering, product management and executive leadership to the work.
Its current work includes Manager Atlas, a leadership-development approach designed specifically for managers navigating the rapidly changing technology environment — including the impact AI is having on how teams work.
Why it matters: As technology organizations grow and AI reshapes the workplace, strong technical skills are only part of the equation. Developing the people leading those teams is just as important.
6. Meta — Global Technology Meets Western North Carolina
Few technology companies have a larger global footprint than Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. But its technology ecosystem also has significant connections to North Carolina.
One notable development this year was Meta's agreement with Corning for up to $6 billion in fiber-optic cable and connectivity products to support Meta's expanding AI data-center infrastructure. The agreement includes expanded manufacturing capacity in North Carolina, with Corning's Hickory facility positioned to play an important role.
Meta has also been in the news in North Carolina for another reason this month. The company reached a settlement with states over allegations related to the impact of Facebook and Instagram on young users. North Carolina is expected to receive between $451 million and $645 million under the agreement, subject to its terms and approval.
Why it matters: Meta illustrates how Western North Carolina and the broader state are increasingly connected to some of the world's biggest technology infrastructure and AI investments.
7. Venture Asheville — Building Western North Carolina's Startup Ecosystem
No list of Western North Carolina's technology ecosystem would be complete without Venture Asheville.
An initiative of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County, Venture Asheville supports high-growth entrepreneurs through mentorship, financing and events. Its programs connect founders with talent, investors and other resources needed to grow.
The organization has taken on an especially important role as Asheville's business community continues its long recovery from Hurricane Helene. In 2026, Venture Asheville announced the Optimist Ventures Entrepreneurial Disaster Recovery Accelerator, supported by an $855,000 Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery award. The program provides eligible businesses with grants of up to $25,000, along with mentorship, business acceleration and technical assistance.
Meanwhile, Venture Asheville continues to cultivate the region's broader startup community, including its annual Venture 15 recognition program and Asheville Entrepreneurship Week.
Why it matters: Startups don't grow in a vacuum. Venture Asheville is helping create the network of entrepreneurs, mentors, investors and resources that allows Western North Carolina's innovation economy to thrive.
8. Western Carolina University — Office of the CIO
Western Carolina University is an important part of the region's technology infrastructure and talent pipeline.
Through the Office of the CIO, WCU supports the technology systems, digital services and infrastructure that power the university — while the university itself helps prepare the next generation of talent for careers throughout North Carolina's technology economy.
For Western North Carolina, that connection between higher education, technology and workforce development is especially important. Institutions like WCU help ensure that the region isn't just attracting technology companies, but also developing the people who will build and lead them.
Why it matters: A strong technology ecosystem needs more than companies. It needs universities, talent, infrastructure and partnerships — and WCU is an important piece of that puzzle.
Celebrating the 828 Tech Community
From cybersecurity and software development to broadband, telecommunications, entrepreneurship and higher education, Western North Carolina's technology ecosystem is diverse — and continuing to evolve.
These NC TECH members represent just a snapshot of the innovation happening across the 828.
This 828 Day, we're proud to celebrate the companies and organizations helping Western North Carolina connect, innovate, create jobs and build what's next.
Happy 828 Day!
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