Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

From Furman University:

Eight rising sophomores and juniors from the private Mount Vernon School in Atlanta had just 60 seconds to pitch their innovative business start-ups as participants in the inaugural class of the Innovation Academy, a new program by Furman University’s Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

For a week in June, the students immersed themselves in the real-world task of developing a start-up company. By the end of the week, they pitched their idea to a panel of industry experts and one of the country’s top angel investment groups. 

“This is 100% experience-based learning,” said Hill Institute Executive Director Bryan Davis. “We’re connecting high school students with unique partners and opportunities.” 

The Mount Vernon School in Atlanta has an innovation diploma program offering a four-year, project-based education in innovative thinking and problem solving.

From The University of Southern Mississippi:

Glenn Anglada dreamt of owning his own 3D printing business and using his engineering knowledge to make an impact along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Anglada’s dream is now a reality because of The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) Ocean Engineering Entrepreneurship Pathway (OEEP) program, which prepares graduates for success in the state’s Blue Economy.

Anglada put his skills to the test and became the first graduate of the program, which is committed to establishing the Mississippi Gulf Coast as the nation’s leader in ocean science, engineering, and technology.

Southern Miss is the only institution in the state to offer the OEEP program, which sets students on a unique five-year path to earn a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering (OE) in four years, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in one additional year–all while acquiring the necessary skills for a career in the Blue Economy. The program supports workforce development and job creation along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, allowing students like Anglada to chart a path forward by combining his passion for business ownership and knowledge of 3D printing.

From Marshall University:

The Marshall University Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (iCenter) has announced the launch of its first gBETA accelerator cohort, in partnership with nationally recognized venture capital firm gener8tor. Five dynamic start-ups were chosen for the inaugural cohort. The group has been selected to participate in the program, representing key industries including agriculture, digital infrastructure, medtech, advanced manufacturing, and artificial intelligence.

Hosted at Marshall’s iCenter, the gBETA Accelerator is a no-cost, seven-week program designed to help early stage start-ups refine their business models, gain customer traction, and prepare for future investment. Participants benefit from one-on-one coaching and direct access to gener8tor’s national network of experienced mentors, investors, and corporate partners.

“At Marshall, we believe in the power of people with big ideas and we’re proud to be a launchpad for entrepreneurs who are shaping the future of our state’s economy,” said Tricia Ball, Executive Director of the iCenter. “This cohort represents the purpose-driven founders and innovative ideas we aim to cultivate in West Virginia, and gener8tor has been an incredible partner, providing them with the relationships and resources they need to accelerate their success.”

From Carnegie Mellon University:

Dave Mawhinne, founding Executive Director of the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), has returned to the faculty on June 30, after nearly a decade of visionary leadership shaping the center’s growth and trajectory. The university will soon launch a national search for the center’s next leader.

The Swartz Center launched in 2016 thanks to a transformative $31 million gift from CMU alumnus and distinguished entrepreneur and venture capitalist James R. Swartz. Today, it is a nationally recognized engine for entrepreneurship education, supporting CMU start-ups through an array of programs including the Gebhardt Sandbox Fund, the McGinnis Venture competition, Venture Bridge pre-seed accelerator program, a robust Entrepreneur-in-Residence and mentor program, and the Tartan Entrepreneurs Fund.

These programs have helped anchor Carnegie Mellon as a leading producer of start-ups among academic institutions, a primary driver of Pittsburgh’s growing dominance in emerging technologies, and as an incubator for innovation. 

The university has named Meredith Grelli as the Swartz Center’s interim Director. Grelli, who has worked closely with Mawhinney and the CMU start-up community over the years, will retain her other responsibilities as director of the Project Olympus Incubator Program, Assistant Dean for Entrepreneurial Initiatives within the School of Computer Science, and Associate Teaching Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Tepper School of Business.

From the University of Massachusetts:

The University of Massachusetts has joined the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), a nationwide partnership of universities that have the shared mission to graduate engineers with an entrepreneurial mindset. This collaboration empowers educators to effectively engage their students and cultivate what KEEN calls the 3Cs of the entrepreneurial mindset: curiosity, connections, and creating value.

“By partnering with KEEN, we are thinking beyond traditional classroom boundaries,” said Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. “Faculty are responsible for translating material learned in a classroom into insights relevant to students’ lives and futures. The framework KEEN uses to bolster curriculum supports this work, helping us develop and enact an entrepreneurial mindset to better prepare our students for the complexities of the modern workforce.”

Among the nearly 70 member of KEEN is Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT):

Leveraging the strengths of two world-class research institutions, MIT and Mass General Brigham (MGB) recently launched the MIT-MGB Seed Program. The new initiative, which is supported by Analog Devices Inc. (ADI), will fund joint research projects led by researchers at MIT and Mass General Brigham. These collaborative projects will advance research in human health to develop next-generation therapies, diagnostics, and digital tools that can improve lives at scale.

The program represents a unique opportunity to dramatically accelerate innovations that address some of the most urgent challenges in human health. By supporting interdisciplinary teams from MIT and Mass General Brigham, including both researchers and clinicians, the seed program will foster groundbreaking work that brings together expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and measurement and sensing technologies with pioneering clinical research and patient care.

The initiative is funded by a gift from ADI. Over the next three years, the ADI Fund for Health and Life Sciences will support approximately six joint projects annually, with funding split between the two institutions.

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