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Coastal Innovation in Action: Meet the 910's Game Changers

The 910 area code is home to some of the most ambitious builders in the country. From global fintech platforms to breakthrough healthtech, from clean energy innovation to digital infrastructure, 45+ NC TECH member companies are redefining what is possible. The data validates what the community knows: Wilmington ranks 11th among the nation's top cities for business competitiveness (NC TECH STIR Report). The region has created more than 11,000 direct tech jobs with a 12% growth rate over five years (Nucamp), ranking 1st in the nation for tech establishment growth (27.9 percent from 2018 to 2022) (WilmingtonBiz) and 2nd for tech employment growth (106.5 percent from 2019 to 2023) (WilmingtonBiz). Median tech wages have reached $114,300 annually, reflecting the caliber of talent and opportunity in the region (Nucamp).

This is growth with purpose. Today, on 910 Day, we celebrate the founders and innovators making Wilmington a hub for technology with genuine impact.

The Fintech Powerhouse: From Startup to World Stage

Ask anyone in Wilmington's tech community what put the city on the map, and many will point to nCino.

In 2011, five founders set out to digitize banking. Today, nCino (NASDAQ: NCNO) is a global financial technology company headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, serving over 1,800 financial institutions worldwide. The company was recognized as a World's Top FinTech Company for 2024 by CNBC and Statista, cementing its position as a leader in AI-powered banking transformation.

What makes this story compelling: nCino did not move to Silicon Valley or NYC after becoming successful. The company stayed put and doubled down on innovation. In 2024 and 2025, nCino announced several major acquisitions including the purchase of Sandbox Banking to strengthen its Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) solution, systematically building the unified platform financial institutions need to compete in an AI-first future.

That growth has created opportunity for the entire 910 ecosystem. Live Oak Bank, headquartered in Wilmington, has become the nation's leading SBA and USDA lender by dollar volume, financing small businesses across all 50 states. Lumos Data emerged to help banks leverage data analytics for smarter lending decisions. And Vantaca, a Wilmington community association management software platform, recently became a technology unicorn with a $1.25 billion valuation after raising $300 million in private equity.

Supporting this fintech growth is an entire infrastructure layer. CloudWyze delivers managed IT services and has been working diligently to bring increased broadband access to rural North Carolina. Earney IT, a locally-owned managed IT services firm, provides cybersecurity and cloud services to Wilmington's small and mid-sized businesses. Together, they ensure the entire ecosystem operates reliably and securely.

The result: Wilmington became a talent magnet, attracting technologists, entrepreneurs, and investors who see the coastal city as more than a nice place to work—it is a place where transformative ideas take hold.

Beyond Banking: The Diversified Innovation Economy

While fintech dominates the headlines, the 910 ecosystem is building across multiple sectors—and that is what makes it resilient.

Medical Imaging Reimagined

Artemis Immersive, headquartered in Ocean Isle Beach, is taking spatial computing into healthcare. The company creates digital renderings of medical scans that can be viewed in an augmented reality (AR) setting. Users can wear virtual reality headsets to view the renderings or view them on their phones using a scannable QR code.

The cofounders saw a fundamental problem: patients struggle to understand their diagnoses. By making three-dimensional digital copies of CT or MRI scans, the technology can help physicians explain concepts to patients. The company won recognition from the NC TECH Awards for its VoxScan app.

The Sleep Revolution: Science Meets Sustainability

Nuream, a Wilmington-based company, is reimagining sleep health. Nuream launched its first line of customized mattresses and pillowcases featuring sustainable hypoallergenic and all-natural materials at the end of August. However, this is more than a mattress company—it is a neuroscience innovator.

The company is developing advanced technology that replaces traditional CPAP machines with pillowcases equipped with sensors that can monitor and improve sleep patterns. This fabric-as-a-sensor technology represents a fundamental shift in how we think about health monitoring. Nuream recently received a $50,000 NC IDEA SEED grant to accelerate development and is matching science to its sleep products, partnering with UNC Wilmington to turn sleep science into life-changing solutions.

The Clean Energy & Infrastructure Layer

While the coastal appeal attracts founders, the infrastructure companies make the ecosystem sustainable.

Koolbridge Energy, based in Wrightsville Beach, is powering the renewable energy future. The company designs electrical products aimed at making it simpler for homeowners to use renewable energy. The flagship innovation is the Smart Load Center intelligent breaker technology—the only Underwriters Laboratories (UL)-listed home energy management system that controls two incoming energy sources simultaneously, featuring real-time switching and circuit-level prioritization. Koolbridge Energy earned the title of Coastal Entrepreneur of the Year, and the company returned from RE+ 2025 in Las Vegas energized by the overwhelmingly positive response to its UL-certified SMART LOAD CENTER.

On the data infrastructure side, 45Drives is building the storage backbone. Based in Wilmington and Sydney, Nova Scotia, 45Drives is a leader in open-source enterprise data storage and virtualization, providing high-performance, customizable solutions. The company serves clients including Apple, NASA, Amazon, and Boeing, and recently hosted the 2025 Creators Summit in Wilmington—a landmark event featuring major industry leaders and the launch of 45Studio.

The Deeper Ecosystem: Every Piece Matters

The 910 area spans more than just Wilmington. The innovation network extends across Southeast North Carolina, with each community playing a critical role:

Manufacturing & Custom Production: Protocase in Wilmington designs and manufactures custom enclosures and precision metal components. Atlantic Packaging in Wilmington provides packaging solutions for regional and national markets. The Wall Printer offers innovative large-format printing technology. Together, they provide the physical infrastructure that hardware companies require.

Creative & Strategic Services: Wahha Design in Wilmington delivers digital design and creative services. TRB Creative in Calabash provides marketing and design expertise. Phrayz in Wilmington offers technology solutions. Thinc Strategy in Wilmington provides strategic consulting. IQExit in Wilmington assists businesses with exit strategy consulting.

Telecom & Mobile Solutions: Smart CellCo in Wilmington provides mobile and cellular solutions. HybridAF in Wilmington offers hybrid technology integration.

Regional Innovation Hubs: OODAx in Surf City provides innovation and strategic services. Skillmaker Inc in Carolina Beach delivers AI-driven extended reality (XR) training solutions. Eagle Landing Solutions in Ocean Isle Beach provides technology consulting.

Retail & Experience: REEDS Jewelers, Inc. in Wilmington, a Wilmington institution since 1946, leverages technology to enhance retail experiences and customer engagement.

Healthcare & Life Sciences: Wilmington Health in Wilmington provides healthcare solutions and services supporting the region's medical community.

Education & Ecosystem Support: The Foundation

The 910 ecosystem does not exist in isolation. It is nurtured by institutions and organizations committed to entrepreneurship and growth:

University Innovation: UNC Wilmington – Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) is incubating the next generation of founders through mentorship, education, and resources. UNC Pembroke – Office of the CIO provides higher education IT leadership supporting digital transformation.

Community & Advocacy: The Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington, founded by Jim Roberts, connects founders to capital and provides peer support. The Wilmington Chamber of Commerce actively promotes economic growth and regional connectivity. Economic Leadership in Shallotte provides strategic economic development research supporting regional competitiveness.

Workforce Development: North Carolina For Military Employment (NC4ME) in Jacksonville provides workforce development and employment services for military-connected individuals and veterans. Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation drives regional economic development initiatives. The North Carolina Defense Technology Transition Program (DEFTECH) in Fayetteville bridges military innovation with commercial applications.

Government & Infrastructure: Fayetteville Public Works Commission provides the utilities and infrastructure supporting regional growth. OptiCom Technology in Maxton provides technology services for the broader region.

Why the 910 Ecosystem Works

What is remarkable is not just that these companies exist individually—it is that they are thriving in concert.

Wilmington was ranked in the top 15 cities nationwide for white-collar job growth, according to NC TECH's recent technology industry report. The region ranks 11th out of the top cities for business, and the momentum continues to accelerate.

The 910 ecosystem is intentionally diverse:

  • Multiple revenue models: Subscription SaaS (nCino, Vantaca), managed services (CloudWyze, Earney IT), hardware (Koolbridge Energy, 45Drives), and professional services (consulting, design, creative)
  • Interconnected value chains: nCino clients use Lumos Data for analytics. Live Oak Bank finances startups like Nuream. Earney IT and CloudWyze secure the infrastructure. Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and the Network for Entrepreneurs promote all of them.
  • Geographic diversity: While Wilmington is the hub, innovation spreads across Wrightsville Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Surf City, Carolina Beach, Calabash, Fayetteville, Jacksonville, Pembroke, and beyond—creating resilience and local opportunity.
  • Institutional support: UNC Wilmington, UNC Pembroke, Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington, NC IDEA grants, and workforce development programs ensure talent pipeline and funding flow.

This is what a sustainable tech ecosystem looks like: not dependent on any single sector or company, but strong across fintech, healthtech, clean energy, and digital infrastructure.

910: Coastal Confidence

On 910 Day, it is worth stepping back and recognizing what is happening: Wilmington is becoming known as the coastal hub for fintech and healthcare innovation.

The companies featured here—from nCino to Nuream, from Koolbridge Energy to 45Drives, from Artemis Immersive to Vantaca—are not chasing trends. They are solving real problems. They are staying rooted in their communities. And they are proving that innovation is not reserved for Silicon Valley.

This is technology with purpose. And it is happening in Wilmington, 910.

The Takeaway

When you dial 910 in 2026, you are connecting to a region that has become one of the nation's most promising tech ecosystems. The founders here are not waiting for permission or capital from the coasts—they are building solutions that matter, staying put in their community, and proving that innovation is not reserved for Silicon Valley.

The story of Wilmington's tech scene is just beginning. And the best part? The people building it are just getting started.

Here is to the 910 ecosystem!

The Complete 910 Roster: NC TECH Members

Banking & Financial Services

  • nCino OpCo, Inc. – Wilmington
    Global cloud banking software platform (NASDAQ: NCNO; Fortune 500). Serving 1,800+ financial institutions worldwide with AI-powered banking solutions.
  • Live Oak Bank – Wilmington
    Nation's leading SBA and USDA lender by dollar volume. Financing small businesses across all 50 states with specialized lending expertise.
  • Lumos Data – Wilmington
    Financial data analytics platform transforming complex data into actionable insights for lending decisions and portfolio risk assessment.
  • Vantaca – Wilmington
    Community association management software platform. Recently valued at $1.25 billion after $300M funding round, serving thousands of HOAs nationwide.

Healthcare & Life Sciences

  • Artemis Immersive, LLC – Ocean Isle Beach
    Spatial computing solutions converting medical scans into interactive 3D experiences for enhanced patient education and provider training.
  • Nuream – Wilmington
    Sleep science and neuroscience company pioneering fabric-as-a-sensor technology for sleep monitoring and early detection of neurodegenerative disease.
  • Wilmington Health, PLLC – Wilmington
    Healthcare solutions and services supporting the region's medical community.

Clean Energy & Sustainability

  • Koolbridge Energy, Inc. – Wrightsville Beach
    Smart home energy management systems enabling intelligent control of solar, battery, and grid power with patent-protected intelligent breaker technology.

Technology Infrastructure & Services

  • 45Drives – Wilmington
    Leader in open-source enterprise data storage and virtualization. Serving clients including Apple, NASA, Amazon, and Boeing.
  • CloudWyze, Inc. – Wilmington
    Managed IT services provider delivering comprehensive technology solutions including broadband access expansion to rural North Carolina.
  • Earney IT – Wilmington
    Locally-owned managed IT services firm providing cybersecurity, cloud services, and responsive IT support to small and mid-sized Wilmington businesses.
  • Protocase – Wilmington
    Custom design and manufacturing of enclosures and precision metal components for electronics and industrial applications.
  • The Wall Printer – Wilmington
    Innovative large-format printing technology solutions.
  • Phrayz – Wilmington
    Technology solutions serving regional business communities.
  • Smart CellCo, Inc. – Wilmington
    Mobile and cellular solutions provider.
  • HybridAF – Wilmington
    Hybrid technology integration services.
  • IQExit, Inc. – Wilmington
    Exit strategy consulting and business solution services for entrepreneurs.
  • Thinc Strategy, Inc. – Wilmington
    Strategic consulting and technology advisory services.
  • Wahha Design – Wilmington
    Digital design and creative services for technology and business clients.
  • Augwork Inc – Wilmington
    Technology solutions and services.

Manufacturing & Advanced Technology

  • PPD (a part of Thermo Fisher Scientific) – Wilmington
    Global drug development services and biopharmaceutical research organization supporting clinical development worldwide.
  • Atlantic Packaging – Wilmington
    Packaging solutions and manufacturing services for regional and national markets.

Creative, Design & Regional Services

  • TRB Creative – Calabash
    Creative marketing and design services for regional businesses.
  • OODAx – Surf City
    Innovation and strategic services supporting the broader tech ecosystem.
  • Skillmaker Inc – Carolina Beach
    AI-driven extended reality (XR) company delivering immersive training and education solutions.
  • Eagle Landing Solutions – Ocean Isle Beach
    Technology consulting and solutions for regional businesses.
  • REEDS Jewelers, Inc. – Wilmington
    Wilmington institution since 1946, leveraging technology to enhance retail experiences and customer engagement.
  • Individual - Mark Grover – Burgaw
    Technology entrepreneur and innovator contributing to the 910 ecosystem.

Ecosystem Support & Development

Workforce Development & Regional Growth

This 910 Day celebration reflects NC TECH member companies and organizations as of September 2026. To explore the full member directory, connect with the Wilmington tech community, or learn about funding and support resources, visit nctech.org.

Happy 910 Day!

Explore NC TECH's Member Full Directory

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