Promoting, supporting & connecting Charleston's entrepreneurial community
August 4, 2025
➤Community Headlines
- BIG NEWS: Last week, Beemok Capital launched Catalyst, a new initiative designed to fuel early-stage companies across Charleston’s Tri-county area. At its core, Catalyst, is a business pitch competition, culminating in a live event on November 8, 2025, where up to $1 million in potential funding will be awarded. However, Catalyst is also an open-to-the-public gathering designed to provide entrepreneurs with exposure, opportunities to connect with investors, and pathways for growth.
- FRIDAY DEADLINE: SC Launch Inc. is an investor sponsor for Venture Atlanta. Last year, SC Launch brought 20+ startups to Venture Atlanta, which was the largest organized contingent outside of Georgia. It was the most that ever attended from South Carolina. In 2025, they would like to exceed that number. There are three tracks for startup founders. As a member of the selection committee, SC Launch helps select the finalists and advocates for all South Carolina companies. The application deadline is Friday, August 8th!
- LENDER MATCHMAKING EVENT: The City of Charleston and the Small Business Administration are hosting a Lender Matchmaking Event at Bastin Hall, The Citadel on Friday August 8, from 10 AM - Noon. All businesses are welcome to attend.
➤Community KPIs
- 175 company profiles created to date
- 1,500 LinkedIn followers to date
- 900 Newsletter Subscribers to date
➤New Community Members
➤Member Profile Spotlight
Miluna TV & Pitch Perfect Coaching by Dr. Miluna , founded by Miluna Fausch, HHCP, Ph.D.
Have you considered telling your story and sharing your brand on TV? WHY Television?
We all know interviews can be a powerful tool to get your message out toward a greater audience, but what’s the science behind it? TV appearances typically last five to seven minutes before fading into obscurity in an archive where no one will ever see it again. Let’s think about this realistically. Could you tell your entire story fairly within five minutes? I know I can’t! That’s why we implemented 30-minute interviews for Miluna TV guests and it never goes to archive.
Over 70 years ago, the first TV talk show aired. America’s been in love with deep and funny conversations between two people ever since. Television creates an emotional connection. By appearing on TV, you immediately bring an exclusivity and cachet to your products, services, and brand.
Streaming TV is the EASIEST way to expand your brand to a global audience and grow your profits. In a nutshell - This is Miluna TV Network. We’re talking about your brand, your message, your expertise, your services being viewed on Roku, amazon fireTV, Apple TV, and the International award-winning Zondra TV Network - leveraging a huge global audience!
And, if you're not confident and compelling on camera now, we will guide you every step of the way! Concierge Camera Ready Media Coaching is available. Reach out to schedule your Complimentary Media Assessment today.
➤Friends of Chucktown Service Provider Spotlight
Pratham Parmar, FMVA® , Parmar Accounting Service (Outsourced Accounting and Bookkeeping)
Contact Pratham Parmar at prathamparmar1@outlook.com
➤Members in the News
➤Upcoming Member-sponsored Events
➤Five Founder Questions Feature
Kristin Parker, Co-founder of Shared City
Holly Kelly, Co-founder of Shared City
1. What is your startup's elevator pitch?
Charleston is full of compassion, but much of its charity is disconnected and ineffective. Shared City exists to change that. We equip nonprofits, donors, and volunteers to work together effectively through training, relationship building, and now a permanent gathering space, so generosity leads to real, lasting impact. We're building the city’s first collaborative charitable ecosystem where doing good actually does good.
2. What is your ideal customer profile and plan to reach them?
A community-minded individual in Greater Charleston who is already engaged in charitable work, either as a nonprofit leader, donor, or volunteer and is seeking deeper impact, clarity, and connection. We reach our ideal audience through trusted, relational pathways, starting with nonprofit Learning Labs, community workshops, casual drop-ins at our Shared City Space (once opened), and word-of-mouth from pastors, community leaders, nonprofit staff, and small business leaders. Our messaging is targeted and story-driven, using local voices and clear calls to action that resonate with each audience type. We build partnerships with churches, businesses, and foundations not just for support, but to serve as active referral engines. And our physical space, anchored by the Shared Sips café, will create daily visibility and walk-in access, making it easy
3. What is the next key milestone in your startup's journey?
The next key milestone in Shared City’s journey is the launch of the Shared City Space, our first permanent gathering place designed to transform how Charleston engages in charity. This milestone will move us from a mobile, partnership-dependent model to a fully integrated physical environment where donors, volunteers, and nonprofits can connect, learn, and collaborate daily. The launch will include opening the Shared Sips café, equipping the space for workshops and nonprofit training, and hiring essential staff to manage daily operations and community engagement. This space is not just a location, it’s the embodiment of our mission: a place where anyone in Charleston can walk in and find their next step in doing good well. It will multiply our visibility, deepen community trust, and catalyze the kind of cross-sector collaboration needed for long-term systemic change.
4. How can Chucktown Startups and the local startup community best support your startup?
The local startup community, especially Chucktown Startups, can play a catalytic role in Shared City’s growth by helping us close the gap between vision and visibility. We’re looking for three key things:
- Visibility: help us tell the story. Shared City is building something unique in Charleston: a nonprofit that functions with startup energy, systems-thinking, and citywide ambition. Sharing our work through events, media, and personal networks amplifies our reach to the right audience.
- Strategic partnerships: we’re seeking local businesses, tech leaders, and entrepreneurs who want to align with a nonprofit that’s reshaping how Charleston gives and serves. Whether it’s a cause-marketing collaboration, volunteer engagement, or shared programming, there are meaningful ways to plug in.
- Connections: introductions to funders, space donors, city influencers, and people who care deeply about equity, systems change, or social innovation can help us scale this work faster and more sustainably.
Shared City is already gaining traction but with the support of Charleston’s startup community, we can become a city-defining force for good.
5. Wildcard- What else would you like the community to know about you and your startup?
Shared City isn’t just another nonprofit, it’s a movement led by a two-woman team driving systemic change from the ground up. We’re not building programs; we’re rebuilding how an entire city approaches charity. Our cofounder, Kristin Parker, spent 13 years living in Kathmandu, Nepal, one of the poorest nations in the world and she learned firsthand what effective community development really takes. When she returned to Charleston, she brought that global lens home and saw a similar cycle of surface-level help and broken systems playing out here. So we started Shared City with no money, no office, and no shortcuts, just deep conviction, real relationships, and a vision to reimagine generosity as a force for justice.
➤Invitation to Reach Out
Please reach out to schedule an in-person or Zoom meeting. Feel free to email me at toby@chucktownstartups.com or text 843-830-7452.
Thanks for being part of Chucktown Startups. We’re excited to see what happens next as we connect the dots in Charleston’s growing startup scene!
Cheers!
Toby Palmer, Founder
Chucktown Startups:Promote. Support. Connect.
