Greensboro-based company wins Charlotte Venture Challenge

Bio-Adhesive Alliance of Greensboro topped the field of 19 finalists to win the $25,000 grand prize of the Charlotte Venture Challenge.

The company, a spinout from N.C. A&T University, has developed an innovative technology to produce liquid asphalt from pig manure.

“This technology provides a sustainable and cost-effective solution to swine manure treatment while reducing pavement construction and maintenance cost,” said company officials.

Charlotte Venture Challenge category winners eligible for $10,000 awards were New Energy and High Tech – Bio-Adhesive Alliance (Greensboro); IT – Robocent (Norfolk, Va.); Consumer Products and Services – Greenbug (Beaufort, S.C.); and, Life Science and Biotech–WeRx.org, (Charlotte). The undergraduate student category winner was NoireNaturals from UNC Charlotte, which also won the J. Chris Murphy Award. The graduate student category winner was ProVazo from University of Virginia.

Charlotte Venture Challenge, organized by UNC Charlotte’s Charlotte Research Institute and Ventureprise, is a business innovation competition that attracts entrepreneurs from throughout the Southeastern United States.

The final competition was held at the NASCAR Hall of Fame; judges for the challenge were Paul Grim, Sunbridge Capital; John Cambier, Idea Fund Partners; Don Rainey, Grotech Ventures; Michelle Menard, founder, Choice Translating Inc.; and Rock Hankin, chairman of the board at Semtech Corp.