Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

From Tampa, FL, but with Ties to Chattanooga:

Kristina Montague, Managing Partner at Chattanooga’s The JumpFund and the author of the book titled Jump In which chronicles the fund, is one of the featured speakers at next month’s Glaring Gap Summit in Tampa. Scheduled for all day on August 20 and a half day on August 21, the event is Florida’s premier investor training experience for women, designed to unlock the capital women already carry: relational, intellectual, emotional, and experiential.

From accredited investors to rising professional leaders and even college students, the sessions on the first day are designed to provide a rigorous curriculum that will help attendees amplify their investing skills, secure start-up advisory roles, and become a better champion of women entrepreneurs. On the morning of the second day, attendees will put their learning to practice through observing real pitches by women-led start-ups building at Embarc Collective and through TiE Angels.

The events are scheduled for the ReliaQuest Auditorium at the Embarc Collective, 802 E Whiting Street. To register, click here.

From Birmingham, AL:

Alabama’s thriving start-up scene is growing, thanks to the recent launch of the state’s first public-backed venture studio led by Innovate Alabama and Birmingham-based Harmony Venture Labs (HVL).

The goal of Innovate Alabama Venture Studio and Fund is to launch scalable start-ups that solve real-world problems in Alabama’s industries, including agriculture, healthcare, fintech, and industrial systems. As described in this article from Bham Now, HVL has a goal of:

1. Launching 10 new companies by 2028;
2. Attracting at least $10 million in venture capital; and
3. Sparking long-term job creation and economic impact across Alabama.

Founded by Shegun Otulana, HVL has a strong track record of turning ideas into businesses. Now, with backing from Innovate Alabama, HVL will manage both the studio and a connected fund to get these start-ups off the ground.

Another from Tampa:

A new venture fund targeting the Tampa Bay region’s start-up ecosystem has launched, according to a report in Tampa Bay Inno.

Led by local investors Ashby Green of St. Petersburg-based Gazelle Capital and Kim Vogel, the Coastal Community Fund will back seed-stage start-ups headquartered in the state while working with local organizations to address talent development and funding gaps.

“If we want to establish Florida as a region where unicorns can flourish, we need to fundamentally rethink how we support our start-up ecosystem,” Vogel said in a statement. “That starts with investing in our own community. When we build strong foundations — from early-stage funding to talent development — we create an environment where high-growth companies can not only survive, but thrive.”

From Lexington, KY:

The fifth GAME Change Summit will be held on September 17 at Lexmark International Inc., 740 W New Circle Road, in Lexington.

GAME Change is the acronym for Generate Advanced Manufacturing Excellence for Change, a two-state initiative – Kentucky and Tennessee -that form the Southeast Commerce Corridor (SCC), a region poised to become a global leader in circular economy innovation for manufacturing and supply chain resilience by 2035.

One of the highlights of Summit #5 will be a first look at the Technology & Talent Scale Center (TTSC), which is anchoring the next wave of innovation in circular manufacturing.

Led by the University of Kentucky, one of the goals of the group is to secure funding from the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines, or NSF Engines, The group was awarded one of the $1 million development awards in 2023. Tennessee partners include two University of Tennessee (UT) campuses – Chattanooga and Knoxville – along with Vanderbilt University, Tennessee State University, the Tennessee Board of Regents, and Launch Tennessee.

To register, click on this link.

From St. Petersburg, FL:

The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce has launched a collaborative committee to support established entrepreneurs and foster the next generation of innovators. Known as the Tech Founders Committee, the group’s overarching goal is to ensure tech companies can start, grow, and thrive in St. Petersburg. Area experts will oversee four key pillars: Funding access, advisory and mentorship, partnership and collaboration and talent and education.

Osama Sabbah, Founder of procurement solutions platform Bedrock, is the committee’s inaugural chairperson. He plans to create a “culture of possibilities” by providing curated advisors who can propel tech start-ups.

“The mission, for me personally, is to turn St. Pete into a launch pad for bold ideas,” Sabbah said. “Where entrepreneurs in technology see the city as a destination – the place to be at.”

More than 30 people, including city officials, attended the committee’s inaugural meeting on April 25. Sabbah said several of the participating founders have successfully exited their start-ups and believe the initiative will fill gaps in the local tech ecosystem. The second committee meeting is on July 25. Sabbah said program organizers, including the St. Pete Greenhouse, must now identify leaders to oversee each pillar and start building “something that lasts.”

From Columbia, SC:

SC Launch Inc., the investment affiliate of the South Carolina Research Authority, has announced recent changes to its board of directors.

Longtime board director Steve Wiggins recently retired after serving for seven years. For 37 years, he worked at BlueCross and BlueShield of South Carolina, culminating in his role as Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO). He is also an accomplished author of books on management and served as a member of the Interplan Technology Advisory Council for the Association of Blue Systems. He was one of the longest-serving CIOs within the Blue System of Plans.

New additions to the board include:

1. Rebecca Gevalt joined the SC Launch Inc. board in May. She is the founder and managing partner at Dcode Capital, a venture fund that invests in high-growth technology companies poised to transform the U.S. government. She also leads a federal market accelerator, where she has helped more than 260 companies scale into the public sector.
2. Gary Shiffman joined the board in June. He is also a war veteran-turned-economist and applied researcher, exploring the convergence of artificial intelligence and human behavior. He held senior national security appointments with the federal government, worked in the corporate sector, co-founded two software companies, and led multiple Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency R&D initiatives.

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