When Cohort 2 alumni Douglas Martinez and Nicole Meggerson de Martinez went through the accelerator, they set an ambitious goal to reach $500,000 in annual revenue through their contracting business. Two years later, they hit it. By year five, they’d doubled it.
Founded in 2019, Silver Lake Construction is a commercial general contractor specializing in interior renovations and build-outs across the Raleigh area. They’ve become known for the way they transform spaces for businesses with unique needs.
Check out some of their recent projects.
Apex Racing Lab, NC’s premier sim racing center, needed a complete interior demolition and renovation for their Cary facility.
The Newsagent’s, billed as a new kind of newsstand, had a former art gallery converted into a retro-style bookstore and coffee shop in Downtown Raleigh.
Eyecare for You, an optometry practice owned by Holly Springs Town Councilwoman Kara Foster, is bringing its services to Holly Springs in a first-generation upfit optometrist office.
Building Community through LaunchHOLLYSPRINGS
For Nicole and Douglas, Launch offered a needed space to get real about entrepreneurship.
“Having a community that is safe to share your challenges and fears without judgment was the secret sauce for us,” Nicole said. The Launch model builds cohorts by choosing non-competitive businesses, so members feel comfortable asking for advice and celebrating one another’s successes. Nicole continued, “The nurturing environment and constructive feedback gave us confidence that our business model would work.
Like many of their construction industry colleagues, Silver Lake has weathered some difficult years. Tariffs in late 2024 curtailed a lot of construction activity in 2025, but Douglas and Nicole are seeing a significant rebound in 2026. “We’re on track to have our best year in 2027,” Nicole said.
