Pittsboro, NC – RIoT is proud to announce the launch of the twenty-first cohort of the RIoT Accelerator Program (RAP XXI), hosted for the first time in Pittsboro, North Carolina. This milestone cohort welcomes ten innovative startups to the program, continuing RIoT’s mission to foster entrepreneurship and grow the Internet of Things (IoT) and connected economy across North Carolina and beyond.
This cohort is made possible through a strategic partnership with Perch Coworking, the Town of Pittsboro, and funding from the NC IDEA Foundation, including a significant contribution from Wells Fargo to support rural innovation and economic development in the region.
“Each cohort of the RIoT Accelerator Program brings together a diverse group of passionate entrepreneurs ready to solve meaningful challenges using cutting-edge technology,” said Tom Snyder, Executive Director of RIoT. “Hosting RAP XXI in Pittsboro is an exciting opportunity to showcase the growing innovation ecosystem in rural North Carolina and to provide startups with direct access to supportive local leadership, strategic partners, and new customer networks.”
The RAP XXI cohort includes startups working in sectors such as smart infrastructure, clean energy, and digital health. Over the 12-week program, founders will engage in intensive mentoring, business development, and technology validation — all aimed at accelerating their paths to market and long-term sustainability.
“At Perch Coworking, our mission has always been to create a vibrant, inclusive space where entrepreneurs and innovators can thrive. By welcoming these ten startups into our community, we’re not only supporting groundbreaking technologies—we’re investing in the future of rural innovation,” said Betsey Elbogen, Manager of Perch Coworking.
“We’re thrilled to welcome the RIoT Accelerator Program to Pittsboro,” said Mayor Kyle Shipp. “This initiative aligns perfectly with our goals to foster innovation, attract talent, and grow a vibrant entrepreneurial community and hub in the Sandhills Piedmont region. Partnering with RIoT and Perch Coworking allows us to position Pittsboro as a launchpad for rural innovation, and we’re excited to see how these startups will contribute to our community and economy.”
Meet The RAP XXI Cohort:
- Bingo Bard (Apex, NC) – Bingo Bard is redefining social gameplay with a proprietary, AI-powered platform that instantly generates personalized bingo cards based on user-inputted themes.
- Carolina Instruments (Chapel Hill, NC) – Carolina Instruments is developing wearable eye-tracking technology delivering real-time cognitive and physiological insights to support clinical research and diagnostic applications in psychiatry, neurology, and cognitive health. Secondary markets include VR/AR, defense, and automotive sectors, where real-time biometric and gaze data support safety and performance monitoring.
- Crown Biome (Salisbury, NC) – Crown Biome is developing SubOral, a dental diagnostic algorithm that integrates AI and bioinformatics via API to deliver early detection and monitoring of systemic diseases by analyzing dental plaque, effectively bridging dentistry and medicine through value-based care.
- Focus Cubes (Durham, NC) – Focus Cubes is a platform that helps organizations reduce employee burnout and improve performance by using adaptive AI to detect early signs of stress through biometrics—such as voice tone, typing rhythm, and micro-expressions—and deliver real-time, personalized micro-interventions and longer-term programs that build emotional resilience.
- InfraTechDC (Smithfield, NC) – InfraTechDC is developing a two-phase liquid cold plate system for GPUs and CPUs that recycles compute heat into electricity, addressing the challenge of revolutionizing data center cooling with a net-positive energy solution for AI and high-performance computing.
- Mobile Surveillance Solutions (New Hill, NC) – Mobile Surveillance Solutions is building AI-powered mobile surveillance trailers equipped with solar power and thermal, infrared, and pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras to provide off-grid security and monitoring for industries requiring asset protection and operational visibility in any environment.
- Nearby Nearby (Asheboro, NC) – Nearby Nearby is developing a proximity-based search and discovery platform that features location-first indexing designed to improve visibility and showcase to local businesses, services, and events in rural communities.
- Resilience AI [RAISPL] (New Delhi, India) – Resilience AI is building enterprise-grade disaster lifecycle management software that uses AI and machine learning to deliver real-time, asset-level risk analysis and scenario planning. The platform helps enterprises and governments proactively manage disaster preparedness, business continuity, and regulatory compliance. Operable via desktop, the solution offers a comprehensive, technology-forward approach to risk mitigation and resilience planning.
- SchedulerRX (Fayetteville, NC) – SchedulerRX is developing modern SaaS scheduling software and platform specifically designed for medical residency programs to address the inefficiencies and errors in the current system.
Verdia Diagnostics (Raleigh, NC) – Verdia Diagnostics is developing a plant-wearable VOC biosensor patch that uses functionalized nanomaterial arrays and AI-driven disease detection to enable real-time monitoring of plant stress.