South Carolina Emerging Tech Association

What South Carolina Emerging Tech Association does

South Carolina Emerging Tech Association (SCETA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit membership organization founded in 2018 as PalmettoChain and rebranded to its current name in May 2021. Operating statewide from Hollywood, South Carolina, SCETA focuses on advocacy, education, and community-building around emerging technologies — specifically artificial intelligence, blockchain and digital assets, energy technology, and data center infrastructure. The organization serves a heterogeneous constituency that includes business owners, students, educators, policymakers, community leaders, investors, and startup founders, and it pursues policy outcomes such as state-chartered bank participation in digital assets, blockchain-based voting pilots, and cryptocurrency political contributions.

SCETA's core offerings are policy frameworks and educational programs rather than software products. Its flagship is the ASCENDSC umbrella framework, which integrates sub-frameworks SCALE (data center and infrastructure siting), PIEC (Payments, Identity, Energy, Compute), FARM (rural prosperity and family land preservation), Freedom Tech (constitutional and accountable technology), and the South Carolina Citizens' Digital Bill of Rights. Operational programs include the annual ASCENDSC Forum, recurring CryptoMonday meetups in Charleston, a monthly BYO Lunch & Learn virtual series, and educational courses distributed through Udemy covering cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and AI basics.

SCETA generates revenue through nine membership tiers ranging from $50 (Student) to $50,000 (Platinum Sponsor with board seat), supplemented by event ticket sales and corporate sponsorships (Innovation through Platinum). Memberships are billed annually in USD with cryptocurrency payment options accepted. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by President Dennis Fassuliotis, and it has secured regulatory engagements including sponsorship of Senate Resolution 225 (2025) on AI, support for S.163 on digital assets, a budget proviso on data center water reporting, and formal comments in PSC Docket No. 2026-138-E.

Name

South Carolina Emerging Tech Association

Legal name

South Carolina Emerging Technology Association (SCETA)

Website

https://sceta.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

South Carolina Emerging Tech Association (SCETA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit that advocates for, educates on, and builds community around AI, blockchain, energy technology, and data centers across South Carolina. It serves policymakers, businesses, students, and investors through membership tiers, policy frameworks, and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees ranging from $50 (Student) to $50,000 (Platinum Sponsor), billed annually in USD with cryptocurrency payment options accepted. All memberships directly support SCETA's education, advocacy, and community programs.
2. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from event ticket sales including CryptoMonday meetups, the ASCENDSC Forum, and BYO Lunch & Learn sessions. Event refunds are not available within 14 days of event date.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorship tiers including Innovation Sponsor ($10,000), Leadership Sponsor ($15,000), Executive Sponsor ($25,000), and Platinum Sponsor ($50,000) that provide brand recognition, networking access, and leadership opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

South Carolina Emerging Tech Association (SCETA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit industry association that advocates for the responsible adoption of emerging technologies such as AI, blockchain, energy tech, and data centers in South Carolina. It delivers its mission through tiered membership, paid educational courses, in-person industry events, and a portfolio of proprietary policy frameworks (ASCENDSC, PIEC, SCALE, FARM, Freedom Tech, Citizens' Digital Bill of Rights) that it uses to educate policymakers and the public.

Product overview

SCETA is a nonprofit association focused on advocacy, education, and community-building around emerging technologies in South Carolina. The organization's offerings include the ASCENDSC™ Framework, which serves as the umbrella platform connecting multiple specialized frameworks (PIEC™, SCALE™, FARM™, Freedom Tech™), the South Carolina Citizens' Digital Bill of Rights™, and ongoing event programs (ASCENDSC™ Forum, CryptoMonday, BYO Lunch & Learn Series). SCETA also provides educational courses on AI, blockchain, and cryptocurrencies, alongside a tiered membership program. The organization does not offer a standalone software product but rather frameworks, events, and educational resources for policymakers, businesses, and citizens.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ASCENDSC: Statewide framework integrating digital infrastructure, public policy, workforce development, capital formation, rural prosperity, digital rights, and accountable governance for South Carolina's next economy.
• SCALE
• PIEC
• FARM
• Freedom Tech
• PalmettoChain

Products and services

• SCETA Membership Tiered annual membership program (Student $50, Individual $150, Business $500, Corporate Partner $2,500, Founder's Board $5,000) that gives members access to the SCETA network, events, courses, and policy advocacy resources across the South Carolina emerging-technology ecosystem.
• SCETA Courses Paid educational curriculum covering AI, blockchain, energy tech, and data centers, designed for students, professionals, business owners, and policymakers who want structured learning on emerging technologies.
• ASCENDSC Forum Flagship in-person industry event convened by SCETA to bring together business owners, policymakers, educators, and technologists around emerging-technology adoption in South Carolina.
• CryptoMonday Recurring SCETA-hosted meetup for the blockchain and crypto community in South Carolina, providing structured networking and education on distributed-ledger technologies.
• BYO Lunch & Learn Member-led, lunch-format educational session organized by SCETA where participants share knowledge on emerging-technology topics in an informal setting.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% of $1 billion digital infrastructure goal reached
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Core ScientificflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Core Scientific, a major Bitcoin mining and data center operator, is listed as a founding speaker for the ASCENDSC Forum. Chief Development Officer Russell Cann is featured as a key speaker at SCETA's flagship annual event, indicating a strategic partnership focused on South Carolina's digital infrastructure development.
• South Carolina Blockchain OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Listed among SCETA's sponsor organizations, the South Carolina Blockchain Organization shares SCETA's mission of advancing blockchain and digital asset technology in the state.
• Town & Country Inn and Suites (Charleston)minorOthers · 1 January 2025Host venue for the ASCENDSC Forum on September 17, 2026. Located at 2008 Savannah Hwy, Charleston, SC 29407.
• Frosty Beard BreweryminorOthers · 1 January 2025Venue host for monthly CryptoMonday events in Charleston at 1401 Sam Rittenberg Blvd, Charleston, SC 29407.
• Liberty In Tech (LIT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025SCETA's sister site (libertyintech.org) shares data with SCETA for legitimate operational purposes. Both organizations share a joint mission around technology policy and innovation advocacy.
• UdemycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025SCETA provides educational courses through Udemy's platform, including Beginner's Guide to Cryptocurrencies, Beginners Guide to AI, Crypto and Blockchain for Beginners, and Real Life Applications of Blockchain courses.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Texas Blockchain Council: State-level nonprofit membership organization advocating for blockchain, digital asset, and emerging technology policy in Texas. Closely comparable to SCETA's role as a statewide emerging-tech advocacy and education body, with a similar playbook of legislative engagement, community events, and policy frameworks.
• Chamber of Digital Commerce: The leading national trade association for the digital asset and blockchain industry. Comparable to SCETA in its core mission (advocacy, education, community-building around emerging tech/blockchain), but operating at a national scale with corporate members and policy engagement in DC.
• Blockchain Association: National industry association representing blockchain companies and protocols through policy advocacy, education, and litigation support. Comparable to SCETA in its nonprofit trade-association structure and education-first stance, though focused at the federal level.
• Coin Center: Nonprofit research and advocacy organization focused on the public policy issues facing cryptocurrency and decentralized digital assets. Comparable to SCETA's research, whitepaper, and legislative-engagement function but at a federal/national policy level rather than state-level.

Broad incumbents

• CompTIA: Large, established trade association for the global information technology industry, offering certification, advocacy, education, and community programs. A broad incumbent analog to SCETA's emerging-tech-education-and-advocacy model, though CompTIA covers established IT rather than nascent emerging tech.
• Consumer Technology Association (CTA): Major US trade association representing the consumer technology industry, known for CES and broad tech industry advocacy. Comparable to SCETA as a tech-sector advocacy and events organization, but national in scope and portfolio rather than SC-focused on emerging tech.

Others

• ITIF (Information Technology and Innovation Foundation): Public policy think tank focused on technology innovation, providing research and policy frameworks. Comparable to SCETA in its policy-advocacy and whitepaper function, though ITIF operates as a non-lobbying think tank rather than a membership-based trade association.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/libertyntech
• Facebookfacebook.com/SCETA.IO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southcarolinaeta

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Carolina Emerging Tech Association