Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

From Kennesaw State University:

Since the HatchBridge Incubator opened in July 2023 at the Kennesaw State University (KSU) Center, it has hosted 51 different start-up projects in various programs in its first year of existence. Its five offices have been occupied by start-ups since opening.

Those who come to HatchBridge have an idea they believe can be a thriving business but want the training and guidance that they get from incubator staff and interact with others who are on similar entrepreneurial paths.

“People need mentorship and accountability when they’re creating a startup,” said Colin Ake, HatchBridge’s Director of Incubation and Commercialization. “What we do is provide support for all the people who are building something in the suburbs.”

HatchBridge offers programs where entrepreneurs refine their ideas, research potential markets, receive business coaching from incubator staff, launch their businesses, and work to make them grow. Entrepreneurs can then continue working to build their companies at the incubator as they refine products, business plans, and raise money to fund their growth.

While bringing their start-ups into being, HatchBridge members get access to workstations or offices, tools such as laser cutters and 3D printers to make product prototypes, a content studio to make promotional videos, podcasts, and more. They also belong to a digital community of fellow start-up builders who inspire and support each other.

The HatchBridge suite at KSU Center is currently fully occupied, and to serve the many more eager entrepreneurs in the area, the incubator will be moving to a much larger, stand-alone space next year at 1111 Chastain Road, the former General Bookstore building.

From the University of Virginia:

The University of Virginia (UVA) has announced the establishment of the LaCross Institute for Ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Business, accelerating UVA’s leading role in shaping AI’s impact on society and business.

The new institute will be based at the UVA Darden School of Business, enabled by the largest gift in Darden history from alumnus David LaCross and his wife, Kathy.

The institute’s launch extends and expands the work and mission of Darden’s AI Initiative, created in 2022 through an initial gift from LaCross, with support from Darden’s Institute for Business in Society and Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology, and the Collaboratory for Applied Data Science in Business, launched in partnership with the UVA School of Data Science in 2021.

In October 2023, the LaCrosses announced an historic gift of $101 million to Darden, indicating their aspiration to earmark $50 million to establish a Darden-led AI institute that would collaborate with UVA schools and initiatives working in a similar vein. The gift has since been expanded to fund professorships in ethical AI in business, including a University Professorship and a practitioner chair in AI that will allow Darden to build on existing faculty strengths by recruiting additional world-leading faculty and professors of practice to advance teaching and research.

From St. Bonaventure University:

The Entrepreneurship Center at the university will host a Growth Conference this fall for marketers, sales professionals and entrepreneurs. The one-day event on October 11 will be packed with dynamic sessions and workshops along with networking opportunities.

“We are incredibly excited about the first SBU Growth Conference. This event serves as an exceptional platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, sales people and business leaders to collaborate, learn and spark the next wave of growth for their ventures,” said Tom Cullen, Director of the Entrepreneurship Center.

Cullen said the day will be a mix of tactics and inspiration shared by a world-class lineup of speakers:

• Rorion Gracie, Co-Founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, will show the art of building an exciting and enduring brand;
• Business growth coach Kim Latko will discuss scaling up your sales and marketing;
• Jack Greco, Co-Founder of ACV Auctions, will share his journey of growing industries and communities;
• Steve McClain, Director of Corporate Sales at Cutco, who is known for driving growth and fostering relationships with key clients; and
• Seth Greene, Chief Executive Officer of Market Domination and a nationally recognized direct response marketing expert, will reveal powerful strategies to dominate your market and harness the power of AI in sales and marketing.

From the University of Texas at Arlington:

The Maverick Entrepreneur Program awarded $117,500 to nine University of Texas at Arlington student entrepreneurs during the final round of the 2024 MavPitch competition.

It is an annual entrepreneurial competition in which students craft ideas for businesses and products and pitch them to a panel of judges to receive award money for their business venture.

“This event is a great way for students to be exposed to entrepreneurship and help them foster a sense of innovation and outside-the-box thinking,” said Jeffrey McGee, a Professor in the Department of Management and the program’s organizer. “The program’s structure instills confidence and helps students improve their critical skills. It also gives them a chance to win up to $40,000 in prize money.”

Students are awarded monetary rewards based on their business’ feasibility, its potential for success and their professional pitching ability. During the first round, students can win up to $15,000; during the second, they can win up to $25,000.

From Harris-Stowe State University:

The St. Louis-located institution’s Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) in the Anheuser-Busch School of Business opens this week in a newly renovated building on campus. The Center offers seven entrepreneurial programs:

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