SC Launch Inc. invests in human-centered AI startup QWERKY AI
February 17, 2026
SC Launch Inc., the investment affiliate of the South Carolina Research Authority, has announced a $400,000 investment in QWERKY AI. The Columbia-based startup addresses the crisis of soaring computational costs, high energy use, and infrastructure limitations that force enterprises to choose between performance and affordability as large models scale. SCRA Chief Program Officer Lee MacIlwinen said, “QWERKY AI reflects the kind of transformative, forward-thinking innovation we are proud to support. Their approach to AI development puts usability and trust at the forefront—values that align closely with our mission.”
QWERKY AI became an SCRA Member Company in August 2025 and an SC Launch Inc portfolio company with this investment. “QWERKY AI has built strong protected IP, ranging from individual proprietary processes to a family of custom models. They have made a ton of progress, and have been accepted into the NVIDIA Inception Program, the NVIDIA DGX Cloud Innovation Lab, and the Microsoft for Startup Program,” said SCRA Senior Investment Associate Javon Jones. “By lowering costs without degrading model performance, QWERKY AI not only stands at the forefront of the global efficiency race but also fuels AI talent development and deep-tech innovation within South Carolina’s emerging technology corridor.”
“We’re thankful to SCRA and SC Launch Inc. for partnering with us as we help make AI more accessible to organizations,” said QWERKY AI Co-founder and CEO Chris Thibault. “Our enterprise AI scales businesses without scaling their budgets, making AI more trustworthy and efficient for companies. Our platform helps organizations work more efficiently across decision-making, communication, and automation.”
QWERKY AI opened its headquarters last summer and has made significant strides in large language model optimization. They recently announced a partnership with Inbox Beverage Inc. to revolutionize the container and beverage industry with an AI-powered design platform that uses more efficient, faster models.
Established in 2006, SC Launch Inc. is the investment affiliate of the South Carolina Research Authority. The independent, nonprofit corporation provides convertible loans and investment funding to qualifying SCRA member companies. The returns from this funding will fund additional investments in next-generation technology startups.
Chartered in 1983 by the State of South Carolina as a public, nonprofit corporation, South Carolina Research Authority fuels the state’s innovation economy through the impact of its comprehensive services to technology-based startups, academia, and industry. SCRA provides funding and support to accelerate the growth of academic startups; high-quality lab and administrative workspaces; facilitation and funding for partnerships between and among industry, startups, and academic institutions; assistance and funding for the relocation of technology-based companies to South Carolina; and coaching and funding for startups that may also receive investments from its affiliate, SC Launch Inc.
