Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

From Birmingham, AL:

Nine start-ups have been selected from hundreds of applicants for two Birmingham, AL-based accelerator programs. Both are run by Wisconsin-based gener8tor.

Five innovative start-ups have been selected to join the Spring 2025 Bronze Valley Investment Accelerator (BVIA). Each participant will receive a $100,000 investment and participate in a 12-week intensive program designed to accelerate growth, access capital, and connect with Birmingham’s thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.

This year’s Spring cohort includes:

1. Aleoop – Revenue intelligence platform that converts sales feedback into actionable product insights for B2B tech teams.
2. BalanceAI – EnergyTech company optimizing energy use in multi-family housing with artificial intelligence (AI)-powered control of building systems.
3. Feedcoyote – Global freelance collaboration platform with over 105,000 users.
4. NYAD – AI platform automating manual troubleshooting in industrial wastewater treatment.
5. Transition – AI agents for trade and career schools that automate student enrollment, support, and job placement.

Each founder has relocated to Birmingham to participate in the program in person.

The BVIA accelerator is made possible by partnerships with Innovate Alabama, Alabama Power, Regions, First Horizon, BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama, Spire, Pinnacle Bank and PNC Bank.

Four emerging healthcare start-ups have been selected to receive $90,000 investments each and participate in the seventh cohort of the Prosper Healthtech Accelerator (PHTA). They are:

The selected start-ups for Cohort VII are:

1. aloeVR – Creates trauma-informed virtual reality experiences that help children build emotional resilience and manage stress through play-based therapy.
2. Ashmi Health – Delivers personalized nutrition guidance for hormonal health, starting with gestational diabetes and expanding to other conditions like PCOS and perimenopause.
3. CLEO Education – Provides an online platform for healthcare students to practice diagnostic skills, beginning with X-ray interpretation, in a low-stakes environment before treating real patients.
4. Profunda Health – Addresses the lifelong effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) through a precision care platform combining behavioral screening, care navigation.

The Prosper Healthtech Accelerator is made possible with support from Encompass, Coca Cola Bottling United, First Horizon, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, and UAB Medicine.

From Huntsville, AL:

The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology will launch the Spring 2025 cohort of the HudsonAlpha AgTech Accelerator powered by gener8tor, a global venture firm and start-up accelerator.

This innovative program will provide an unparalleled opportunity for early-stage agricultural startups to advance their technologies, attract investment and grow their businesses. With a focus on sustainable farming practices and cutting-edge agtech solutions, the accelerator will support companies that are tackling some of the most pressing challenges in agriculture today.

The following companies will participate in the program:

1. Downland helps landowners navigate the Great Wealth Transfer by creating succession plans to pass agricultural land down to the next generation. Downland is developing an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven estate planning and land-matching platform that ensures farmland stays in production while honoring family legacies.
2. Ecobrew captures and reclaims carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the brewing process, turning a major cost and environmental liability into a source of operational savings for craft breweries. Breweries use Ecobrew’s proprietary plug-in carbon capture system to become self-sufficient, save thousands, and reduce emissions by reusing the CO₂ they already produce from the brewing process.
3. Oceanfarmr provides farm management software and tech-enabled farm financing to systemize and scale shellfish and seaweed operations.
4. Tylmen Tech uses stationary cameras to instantly scan livestock postmortem, capturing precise data on fat distribution, yield, and cutability. This real-time insight is designed to help meat packers reduce waste and maximize carcass value, addressing a $5.7 billion loss in the U.S. beef industry.

From Durham, NC:

NC IDEA, a private foundation committed to supporting entrepreneurial ambition and economic empowerment in North Carolina, has announced that the organization has awarded a total of $300,000 in grants to six North Carolina start-ups. Since its inception in 2006, the NC IDEA SEED grant program has awarded over $10.3 million in non-dilutive grants to 225 innovative companies across the state, with these most recent awards being the 39^th cycle of the program.

The recipients are:

1. Arclet of Asheville: An all-in-one platform for sharing evidence-backed health communications with your community.
2. Kahmino of Raleigh: Simplifies the home search by delivering personalized, curated neighborhood recommendations to help users move with confidence.
3. Marla Amplification, also from Asheville: Amplifiers that stand out as American hand-built, high-quality, and meticulously crafted, timeless tools.
4. Scale Social AI, another start-up from Raleigh: Transforms how small businesses market themselves by automating the creation of authentic, customer-generated content.
5. That Pitch of Charlotte: Helps vocal artists make money from sync licensing without the legal headaches or industry gatekeepers.
6. Verenovo of North Wilkesboro: Redefining waste-to-value with patented pyrolysis technology that converts biomass into high-carbon biochar, renewable energy, and carbon credits.

NC IDEA SEED offers early stage companies the critical funding they need to scale faster. The $50,000 grants are awarded to innovative start-ups with a proven concept, even if they are not yet profitable. The funds, along with mentorship and guidance, push companies forward and reduce the risk associated with these nascent firms.

Another from Durham:

GrepBeat reports that this year’s Grep-a-Palooza 2025 conference will feature eight early stage, North Carolina tech start-ups presenting across two sessions. Each session will feature three investor-judges, who, following each founder’s pitch, will provide questions and feedback in real time. The June 5 event at the Durham Convention Center will feature:

1. BuilderPad of Raleigh that is providing intuitive construction management software for home builders.
2. CounterForce Health of Durham that is building AI agents that can help patients and physicians effectively fight back against health insurance claim denials.
3. FlightLine Software, also from Raleigh, that is modernizing general aviation management with a comprehensive operating system automating and streamlining scheduling, maintenance, training, and more.
4. Focus Cubes, another Durham-based start-up that uses a combination of adaptive AI, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral therapy to identify stress indicators in employees and preempt burnout with micro-interventions.
5. Nearby Nearby of Asheboro that is providing a platform making it easier for people in rural communities to find local businesses, events, and parks, as well as access vital services when emergency strikes.
6. Path of Charlotte that is using AI-driven virtual tours and “always-on” conversational AI agents to streamline real estate processes for developers and home buyers alike.
7. Troodie of Winston-Salem that provides a combination food and travel app that rewards content creators for the engagement they bring to restaurants and helps users log restaurants for future visits.
8. Ver Coaching, the third Durham start-up, that is using advanced vision training to help athletes process information, locate the ball, and make decisions more quickly.

From Duncan, SC:

Xoted Biotechnology Labs (Xoted), a cutting-edge research and development center, announces plans to establish operations in Spartanburg County. The $4.2 million investment marks a significant advancement in sustainable biotechnology and scientific innovation, creating 34 new job opportunities at launch.

Xoted – a subsidiary of DRC Ventures, a global leader in biotech, nutraceutical, and environmental innovation, and TRB Holdings – is dedicated to clean, innovative solutions that enhance lives and empower industries. The company’s new facility, located in the Spark Center at 1875 East Main St. in Duncan, will focus on plant-based detoxification, seed research, and next-generation applications in textiles and cleanroom technology. In addition to product development, the new operation will serve as a hub for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education and scientific research.

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