Doug Speight, right, heads American Underground.
American Underground aint so underground anymore.
The Durham-based startup and entrepreneurial hub announced on Wednesday, January 9, 2019, that it is merging with Big Top, a Triangle-based networking platform and events series for startups.
The uptake: American Underground (AU) will expand its reach to become a region-wide startup hub, offering access to real estate, enhanced programming and now a digital platform to connect local talent and startups across the state.
By merging AU and Big Top, we create greater density and enable more high-value collisions between startups and the talent pool that powers them, said Molly Demarest, Big Tops director, who will oversee the merger.
Doug Speight, who had served as AUs executive director, is taking on a new role: Head of Growth and Startup Programs.
The combined strength of American Undergrounds space, digital and program arms empowers startups across the region with barrier-free access to high-value networks and experienced mentorship, he told WRAL TechWire.
Molly Demarest
AU one of 11 Google for Startups hubs in North America launched seven years ago in the basement of an old tobacco warehouse at the American Tobacco Historic District. Owned by WRAL TechWire parent Capitol Broadcasting, it now encompasses close to 125,000 square feet of space at three locations in downtown Durham.
Almost two years ago, AU acquired Big Top. But up until now, the two had been operating as separate entities.
Billed as an alternative to national sites like LinkedIn, Big Top caters instead to residents and recent transplants, providing a hyper-focused networking platform with a database of more than 10,000 registered members.
Big Tops immediate success, Demarest said, led to the decision to merge both groups.
Working with founders and partners, we had built two thriving communities, and we realized they would be stronger together, she explained.
While these brands have existed side-by-side in the same brand family, they havent benefited from one anothers programming or access to one anothers membership. By blending the offline and online membership, both American Underground Campus and Big Top members get something new added to their existing memberships, at no additional cost.
A FULL-PACKAGE DEAL Under the new arrangement, AU will remain a physical launch pad for startups and a gathering spot for the entrepreneurial community. But now, campus members will automatically receive a digital subscription to the Big Top digital platform.
The result: An influx of some 234 AU campus companies into Big Tops career and resource pools.
In turn, Big Top members will now get to benefit from programming thats historically been reserved for founders and startups that have an office at an AU campus. Additionally, members will be able to participate in the growth programs offered by AU, regardless of their need for physical space.
Think what that will mean for hiring, both recruiting within the Triangle and from the profiles of would-be- transplants who add their skill profiles to our platform every week, said Demarest.
STAFF RESHUFFLE The new structure will also bring some staff changes.
Demarest, who has served as Big Tops director since its takeover, will now become AUs general manager, assuming leadership of the combined entity and guiding its operations and strategy.
Its been a blast and I couldnt be more excited to bring it all together under one brand, she said. This is about shepherding resources and aligning people to best support the Triangle startup community. One thing is for sure weve got a dynamite team committed to this mission.
Meanwhile, Speight, as AUs head of Growth and Startup Programs, will lead startup and growth programs, including direct founder engagement for both AU campus companies and digital subscribers.
He said he welcomed his new role.
It enables more direct interface with startup founders, which enables me to design, structure and execute programs that support their development and growth, he said. We can now amplify the impact of our highly-successful national programs, like Google Exchange for Black Founders.
The merger will take effect immediately, and Big Tops name and branding is expected to change. However, it may take some time.
Over time, youll see the Big Top platform adopt American Underground naming and branding and over time, the sites will converge to make the login process seamless for the community, said Demarest.
Thanks to WRALTechWire's Chantal Allam for this capcom story & photos.
Most recent headlines
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today! By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
23/12/2025
New technique lights up where drugs go in the body, cell by cell Scripps Research scientists developed a technique that maps drug binding in individual cells th...
22/12/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Presidio's Neerav Shah on the Role of Its Captiva...
22/12/2025
Hitting the bullseye: Sky Sports readies itself for the biggest PDC World Darts ...
22/12/2025
Unique skillset: Bringing new directors to the world of darts at The Worlds with...
22/12/2025
Gravity Media prepares for a flight of fancy with the PDC World Darts Championsh...
22/12/2025
One hundred and eighty: Gravity Media on hitting the production bullseye at the ...
22/12/2025
The Famous Group's Jon Slusser on Fascinating Fans Through Immersive Content...
22/12/2025
ESPN's Meg Aronowitz on Continuing High-Quality Broadcasts of Collegiate Spo...
22/12/2025
ESPN Takes Data-Driven Storytelling to New Heights with MNF Playbook with Next ...
22/12/2025
For a decade, popular German podcast Fest & Flauschig has hosted an annual Chris...
22/12/2025
Paramount Scores Largest Share Increase Among Distributors as Paramount and CBS...
22/12/2025
New multi-year deal integrates Roku's data to fuel Nielsen's measurement suite
Roku gains access to Nielsen's streaming ratings, showing The Roku C...
22/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
22/12/2025
Berklee Wrapped 2025: Our Top News and Stories A look back at a year highlighted by faculty milestones, major film and television projects, Bob Dylan's ho...
22/12/2025
The works of Plato state that when humans have an experience, some level of change occurs in their brain, which is powered by memory - specifically long-term me...
22/12/2025
Partnership integrates complementary satellite data and AI analytics to enhance security, infrastructure, and environmental monitoring solutions for global cust...
22/12/2025
Workflows allow you to create a sequence of planned events which may be added to your template(s) or inserted directly into your sequential or background playli...
22/12/2025
Monday 22 December 2025
Sky extends PGA TOUR partnership until 2029, as Sky Spo...
22/12/2025
Back to All News
Global Anime Hits and New Releases Take Center Stage at Jump Festa 2026
Entertainment
22 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied to clipboar...
22/12/2025
Siobh n McSweeney, Rory McIlroy, Elon Musk, Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin, Ivan Yates and Traitor Paudie Moloney lead new characters for Callan Kicks the Year 2...
22/12/2025
Winner announced in the picturesque surroundings of Wicklow's Avondale Tower and Treetop Walk
Andrew Trimble wins the show in his first series as coach
Th...
22/12/2025
The 2025 winners have been announced today, Sunday 21 December, for Ireland's largest choral competition Choirs for Christmas hosted by RT lyric fm.
Ove...
21/12/2025
Back to All News
Legoshi and Haru's Story Reaches Its Finale: BEASTARS Fin...
21/12/2025
John Shortt named Young Sportsperson of the Year Kerry are the Team of the Year
...
20/12/2025
Atomos announced the immediate availability of a new firmware update for its Ninja TX GO and Ninja TX monitor-recorders, unlocking ProRes RAW recording from the...
20/12/2025
CJP Broadcast has completed the digitisation of the European Gymnastics tape archive, converting 328 tapes containing more than forty years of recorded material...
20/12/2025
Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced the launch of the Stream Lab MCP Server, to give AI agents and large language model...
20/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
Doug Speight, right, heads American Underground.
