Hartness, Launchpad and Flywheel unite on Carolinas startup ecosystem

By AI, Created 11:35 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Hartness, Launchpad and Flywheel Coworking announced a three-way partnership on May 7, 2026, to build a connected startup pipeline across South Carolina and North Carolina. The effort centers on a 29,000-square-foot campus at Crescent One in Greenville, where Launchpad will open its headquarters and Tech Village this summer.

Why it matters: - The partnership is designed to add startup density in the Carolinas, where early-stage activity exists but the infrastructure to scale is thinner. - The network links founders to space, programming, capital access and technical execution across state lines. - The model is meant to help startups move from idea to IPO without leaving the region.

What happened: - Hartness, Launchpad and Flywheel Coworking announced a three-way partnership on May 7, 2026. - The partnership will build a connected startup ecosystem spanning South Carolina and North Carolina. - The hub is a 29,000-square-foot startup campus at Crescent One in Greenville, South Carolina. - Launchpad will open its headquarters and flagship Tech Village at Crescent One this summer. - Flywheel Coworking already operates a hub at the Greenville site.

The details: - Hartness is supplying the community vision and physical environment for the Crescent One campus. - Launchpad is bringing its idea-to-IPO platform. - Flywheel is extending the network across three North Carolina locations. - Hartness Crescent Startup Community is meant to concentrate early-stage startup activity in Greenville. - Crescent One is the operational heart of that community. - Launchpad said its Greenville Tech Village will span 6,000 square feet. - The Launchpad model combines office space, structured programming, capital access and embedded technical execution in one location. - Launchpad already runs incubator and accelerator programs across four South Carolina locations. - Flywheel will integrate Launchpad’s incubator and accelerator programming in North Carolina through a joint venture with Launchpad. - That joint effort is intended to create a connected pipeline for early-stage companies across multiple markets.

Between the lines: - The partnership is a regional play, not just a Greenville real-estate project. - Hartness is using place-making to attract startup activity. - Launchpad is using physical campuses to deepen its program delivery. - Flywheel is widening the reach so founders can stay within a Carolinas network as they grow. - The strategy appears aimed at fixing a common gap in emerging startup markets: enough founders to matter, but not enough infrastructure to sustain scale.

What’s next: - Launchpad’s headquarters and Tech Village are set to open this summer at Crescent One. - The North Carolina integration through Flywheel and Launchpad is expected to expand the cross-state founder pipeline. - The partnership will likely be tested by whether it can produce enough density and deal flow to make the ecosystem self-reinforcing.

The bottom line: - Hartness, Launchpad and Flywheel are trying to build a single startup corridor across the Carolinas, anchored by a new Greenville campus and backed by a shared operating network.