Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

From Atlanta, GA:

The annual Fintech South conference and pitch competition is scheduled for August 27 and 28 at the Woodruff Arts Center. Organized and hosted by the Technology Association of Georgia, the event is now in its 11^th year. It includes eight keynote speakers, an “Innovation Challenge” with 10 companies competing for a $25,000 prize, an awards event, and more than 50 exhibitors.

To register, click here.

From the Upstate of South Carolina:

Venture Carolina has launched its Upstate Upstarts List, an initiative run through its Upstate Upstarts program that works to increase the visibility of early stage technology companies in the area. Start-ups are eligible for the list if they meet the following criteria:

• Based in the Oconee, Pickens, Anderson, Greenville, Spartanburg, Cherokee or Union counties;
• Have a technology-basis and high growth potential \; and
• Have at least $150,000 of annual recurring revenue or a minimum of eight employees.

“The Upstate Upstarts list highlights the exciting early stage companies we have in the Upstate region of South Carolina,” said Charlie Banks, Executive Director of Venture Carolina. “We hope this new funding option helps provide the companies with the resources they need to thrive, while encouraging investors to explore the financial and community benefits of investing in startups.”

Venture Carolina, in collaboration with VentureSouth, the Appalachian Regional Commission and other partners may support a fund that will invest in the companies on the list. For individuals or businesses interested in supporting local companies, the fund will provide a diversified portfolio of entities sourced from the Upstate Upstarts List.

From Around the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Region:

The Department of Energy has announced four projects in the Southeast among 14 selected to develop technologies, Renewables-to-Liquids (RtL), for harnessing renewable energy sources like wind and solar to produce liquids for sustainable fuels or chemicals that can be transported and stored as easily as carbon-intensive liquids like gasoline or oil. Three of the four are in North Carolina.

• RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, was awarded $3,400,000 for its “Next-Generation Flexible Modular e-Methanol Production” proposal.
• Susteon in Cary, NC received $4,999,500 for its “ECHO-SAF: Electrified CO₂ Hydrogenation to Olefins for Sustainable Aviation Fuel” project.
• Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA was awarded $1,970,200 for its proposal titled “AIRCAP: Advancing Integration and Reactors for Carbon Capture and Conversion.”
• North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC received $2,729,143 for its “Distributed Methanol from CO₂ via Plasma-Enhanced Catalysis (PEC)” project.

These four recipients accounted for about 32 percent of the total amount awarded.

From Tuscaloosa, AL:

Techstars Tuscaloosa has tapped Anastasia Simon as the program’s first Managing Director. That’s according to a report in Hypepotamus.

Simon has been a star of the Atlanta tech ecosystem, moving from the start-up to the investor side of the table. As her career has progressed, sustainability has been a “thread” throughout her tech career. Simon started her career in tech at SoftWear Automation, an Atlanta-based robotics start-up making t-shirt manufacturing more sustainable. She later worked in the green building sector with Atlanta-based Shadow Ventures and worked with several sustainability-focused companies while serving as the Investment Principal for Techstars Atlanta’s programs.

From Across the Southeast:

Four of the top 10 states submitting the most business applications are in the Southeast. That’s according to a report from Eton Venture Services. The rankings were based on start-up applications per 100,000 residents. Florida was the highest ranked in the Southeast region, placing #3 with 2,730 new business applications per 100,000 citizens. Placing #4 was Georgia (2,498), while Mississippi ranked #8 (1,893) and Louisiana was #10 (1,751).

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