2025 High Flyer Award

Nominations

Celebrating the visionary companies and the leaders who inspire them to take off.

We are excited to celebrate individuals and Companies who have soared to new heights and made a remarkable contribution to HIGH SCIENCE, HIGH IMPACT innovation, and the entrepreneurial ecosystem as a whole. This is your chance to recognize and honor those exceptional individuals and companies who have inspired, innovated, and achieved greatness.

High Flyer Award winners will be announced at our 2025 First Flight Venture Center’s High Flyer Awards Luncheon on November 21, 2025.

Dr. Charles Hamner - 2024 High Flyer Award Recipient, Champion of Innovation

Plantd - 2024 High Flyer Awards Recipient for Company

Nominate the next High Flyer company

First Flight Venture Center is now accepting nominations for our annual High Flyer Company Awards, an event honoring exceptional entrepreneurs and visionary companies that began or accelerated their journey through First Flight. These awards recognize high-growth businesses and advocates who are advancing innovation, equity, and prosperity in North Carolina and beyond.

Award Eligibility

To be eligible for nomination, companies must:

Judging Criteria

An independent panel will evaluate nominees based on:

  • Entrepreneurial spirit

  • Purpose-driven innovation (high-science, high-tech, or high-impact)

  • Company growth (e.g., team size, revenue, intellectual property)

  • Societal impact

  • Financial performance (e.g., grant awards, capital raised, successful exits)

We especially welcome nominations that reflect a strong connection to First Flight Venture Center’s mission and community.

Nomination deadline: September 5, 2025

Nominate the next High Flyer champion of innovation

Do you know an individual or company making extraordinary strides in high-science, high-impact innovation?

Now is your chance to spotlight their achievements.

First Flight Venture Center is accepting nominations for the 2025 High Flyer Awards, celebrating individuals and companies that are driving innovation and making tangible contributions to a stronger, more sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Champion of Innovation Award

This award honors an individual whose leadership, vision, and service have significantly advanced the entrepreneurial ecosystem and First Flight’s mission.

Nominees should:

  • Demonstrate a track record of volunteerism, mentorship, or service in support of innovators.

  • Be recognized as a leader in the high-impact, high-science entrepreneurial space.

  • Have made meaningful contributions to the growth of startups through their time, talent, or influence.

High Flyer Company Awards

These awards celebrate companies that have participated in First Flight programs and gone on to achieve exceptional growth and impact.

Eligibility criteria:

  • Participation in a First Flight incubator or educational program.

  • Demonstrated growth in employees, revenue, funding, or innovation.

  • Alignment with First Flight’s core values: Entrepreneurship, Integrity, Collaboration, and Inclusion.

Nominees are evaluated by an independent panel on entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, performance, and societal impact.

Nomination deadline: September 5, 2025

We prefer nominations to have an affiliation with First Flight Venture Center.