Hartness anchors the place, Launchpad runs the platform, Flywheel extends the network — together forming a connected pipeline for high-growth tech companies across the Carolinas.
Greenville, SC — May 7, 2026 — Flywheel Coworking is proud to announce a three-way partnership with Hartness and Launchpad to establish a connected startup ecosystem spanning South Carolina and North Carolina. At its center: a 29,000-square-foot startup campus at Crescent One, home of the Hartness Crescent Startup Community, where Launchpad will open its headquarters and flagship Tech Village this summer alongside Flywheel’s Greenville location.
Flywheel Greenville is the anchor tenant of Crescent One, situated about halfway between Furman University and downtown Greenville on the site of the former Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company — a property owned by the Hartness family since 1940. That history, and the scale of what’s being built on it now, is part of what makes this partnership distinctive.
The partnership brings together three organizations with distinct and complementary roles — Hartness providing the community vision and physical environment, Launchpad delivering the idea-to-IPO platform, and Flywheel extending the network across the Carolinas — unified around a shared goal of building startup density in markets where early-stage activity exists but lacks the infrastructure to scale.
Hartness: Building the Place
The Hartness Crescent Startup Community is designed to concentrate and accelerate early-stage startup activity in Greenville, creating density among founders, operators, and capital. Crescent One serves as its operational heart — a purpose-built environment where innovation is the organizing principle.
“Crescent One is about creating a place where innovation compounds,” said Jim Burns, Chief Development Officer of Hartness. “Partnering with Launchpad and Flywheel brings together the programming, the network, and the physical environment that early-stage founders need in one place. That’s what makes this different.”
Launchpad: Running the Platform
Already operating incubator and accelerator programs across four South Carolina locations, Launchpad is establishing its headquarters and 6,000-square-foot Tech Village at Crescent One as the first fully integrated expression of its model — combining physical infrastructure, structured programming, capital access, and embedded technical execution in a single location.
Applications are open now for Launchpad’s Summer Cohort — a 12-week program starting June 4th, with 5 seats remaining. Founders across the Flywheel network are encouraged to apply.
“Greenville has strong early-stage activity. What it has needed is density,” said Alan Blakeborough, co-founder of Launchpad. “The Hartness Crescent Startup Community creates that environment, and this partnership gives us the platform and the network to help founders move faster — not just in Greenville, but across the region.”
Flywheel: Extending the Network
Through a joint venture with Launchpad, Flywheel Coworking will integrate Launchpad’s incubator and accelerator programming across its flagship locations in Winston-Salem, Concord, and Greenville, creating a connected pipeline for early-stage companies across multiple markets.
“Flywheel has spent years building communities where companies genuinely grow,” said Peter Marsh, Founder of Flywheel Coworking. “Partnering with Launchpad and anchoring that work to what Hartness is building in Greenville gives founders a real pathway — from idea to scalable business — across the Carolinas.”
About Flywheel Coworking
Flywheel Coworking operates a network of innovation hubs across the Carolinas, with flagship locations in Winston-Salem, Concord, and Greenville. Flywheel supports entrepreneurs, startups, and growing companies through space, programming, and community.
About Launchpad
Launchpad is the Southeast’s idea-to-IPO platform for high-growth technology companies. Operating across four South Carolina locations, Launchpad delivers incubator and accelerator programming designed to move founders from concept to scale. Its Tech Village in Greenville adds a physical campus to that model, combining office space, structured programming, capital access, and embedded technical execution.
About Hartness
Hartness is the developer behind the Crescent Startup Community and other innovative projects around Greenville. Hartness Living, a master-planned community in Greenville, South Carolina, has been designed with traditional neighborhood principles to integrate residential, commercial, and experiential spaces into a cohesive, innovation-driven environment.
Connect With Us
Flywheel Coworking — flywheelcoworking.com | Facebook | LinkedIn
Winston-Salem: 500 W. 5th St. | Concord: 57 Union St. South | Greenville: 25 Goldsmith St.
Launchpad — launchpadtv.com | Facebook | LinkedIn
Hartness Crescent Startup Community — crescentscgvl.com
