Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

From Aiken County, SC:

Dr. Johney Green Jr. has been named the next Laboratory Director at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). He currently serves as the Associate Laboratory Director for Mechanical and Thermal Engineering Sciences at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and earlier in his career served in several leadership roles at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Among those roles was Director of the Energy and Transportation Science Division and Group Leader for Fuels, Engines, and Emissions Research.

“We are thrilled to have Johney become the new leader of SRNL,” said Juan Alvarez, Battelle’s Executive Vice President for National Laboratory Management and Operations and Chair of the Board of Directors at Battelle Savannah River Alliance LLC (BSRA). “We are confident that he is the right person to lead this exceptional national asset with a legacy of delivering impactful solutions for environmental, energy, and security challenges.”

From Durham, NC:

Some six weeks after announcing its intent to enter negotiations, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced on Friday that CHIPS for America awarded the Semiconductor Research Corporation Manufacturing Consortium Corporation (SRC) $285 million to establish and operate a CHIPS Manufacturing USA institute headquartered in Durham. With a combined total investment of more than $1 billion, the new institute, known as SMART USA (Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advanced Research with Twins USA), will focus on efforts to more rapidly develop, validate, and use digital twins to improve domestic semiconductor design, manufacturing, advanced packaging, assembly, and test processes.

SMART USA and its planned members span more than 30 states, with more than 150 expected partner entities representing industry, academia, and the full spectrum of supply chain design and manufacturing. Collaborators also include 10 national laboratories, five Manufacturing USA institutes, five economic development agencies, and four trade and union groups. The CHIPS Manufacturing USA institute will join an existing network of seventeen institutes designed to increase U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and promote a robust R&D infrastructure.

To learn about SMART USA Institute operations, its approach to technical R&D and workforce development, program timelines, upcoming solicitations, and becoming a member of the organization, individuals can register at this link for a two-hour virtual overview session from 1 to 3 p.m. EST January 30.

From Greenville, SC:

Life sciences continues to be the fastest-growing industry in South Carolina. Since 2017, the industry has experienced 42 percent growth and has an annual economic impact of $25.7 billion, according to the South Carolina Biotechnology Innovation Organization(SCBio).

According to this article from the Upstate Business Journal, Greenville has specifically emerged as a thriving innovation hub for medical technology, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical companies within the life sciences sector. Several life sciences companies have relocated or announced plans to move into the Upstate over the last several years.

The most recent example is Samaritan Biologics, a Memphis, TN-based medical technology company specializing in human amniotic allograft products that plans to open a $5 million manufacturing facility in Greenville County and create 85 new jobs in the market.

From Little Rock, AR:

Two notable announcements from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC).

1. The Forge Institute has announced the launch of the Phoenix Xcelerator, a pioneering program designed to empower and grow start-ups across the defense and aerospace sectors. Through structured programming—including a rigorous high-quality curriculum, personalized mentorship, and coaching, the Phoenix Xcelerator is designed to advance industry-informed and mission-led innovation. The program is funded in part through a grant from AEDC. Participants will experience a 12-week intensive program, guiding them through business validation, go-to-market strategies, and development of minimum viable products (MVPs) or prototypes.
2. AEDC also distributed $2 million in grants to 11 Arkansas-based accelerator programs through the Arkansas Business and Technology Accelerator Grant Program. The initiative provides grants to accelerator applicants to sponsor business and technology programs that mentor start-up companies. To qualify for the program, applicants must develop a full-time, immersive program that accelerates start-ups, and applicants must be in good standing with the Arkansas Secretary of State.

From Vicksburg, MS:

Mississippi State University announced it would host a Tech Startup Weekend on January 24-26 at the MCITy building in downtown Vicksburg. The weekend-long event connects entrepreneurs to cutting-edge technology developed at Mississippi universities and in federal labs.

From Chesterfield County, VA:

Richmond Inno reports that Commonwealth Fusion Systems plans to build the world’s first grid-scale commercial fusion power plant in Chesterfield County.

The announcement marks a milestone not just for the Devens, MA-based company that spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but for the global clean energy industry. The process — which combines two small atoms into one — can produce a large amount of energy, but without the radioactive byproduct that results from nuclear fission, where a large atom is split. For decades, scientists have chased the limitless zero-carbon energy promised by fusion.

CFS is still working on a prototype, but its technology has drawn more than $2 billion in funding Google, Bill Gates, and a George Soros fund since the company was founded in 2018.

From New Orleans, LA:

The Idea Village has issued its 2024 Annual Impact Report with highlights its outcomes in building the start-up ecosystem in New Orleans and across the Gulf South, fueling entrepreneurial activity, harnessing talent, and creating jobs. During its 25 years in operation, the organization has served more than 20,100 entrepreneurs that have collectively raised more than $115 million in outside capital.

From Charleston, SC:

1. The annual Charleston Tech Week is scheduled for April 24–May 2. The brightest minds in technology, creative industries, and business will gather at a dozen plus events to celebrate Charleston’s growth as a destination for tech founders, entrepreneurs, talent attraction, and investment capital. Charleston Tech Week is expected to attract thousands of professionals, entrepreneurs, and investors from across the region, the Southeast, and beyond. It’s an opportunity to network, grow your business, learn, and build a powerhouse tech community in the Lowcountry. Current participating groups include: Dig South Tech Summit, Charleston Digital Corridor, The Harbor Entrepreneur Center, Charleston Women in Tech, CharlestonHacks, DisruptHR Charleston, Start-up Grind Charleston, 1 Million Cups Charleston, Reforged Gaming Lounge, Charleston Regional Development Alliance, Charleston County Economic Development, and the College of Charleston.
2. The Charleston Post and Courier reports that Blackbaud Inc. has finalized the sale of an online learning business that never lived up to financial expectations, three years to the day after it paid $750 million for the company. The Charleston-based software developer released few details about the divestment of Everfi Inc. It announced that it sold the struggling subsidiary on December 31 for “a nominal amount” to to an unaffiliated and unidentified private investment firm after “a diligent and thorough strategic process.”

---