July 2017
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Innovate Mississippi Launches New
"Entrepreneur in Residence" Program to
Boost Statewide Entrepreneurial Success
 
Innovate Mississippi's new Entrepreneur in Residence program is designed to support tech and innovation-based entrepreneurial development throughout the state. Rich Sun, member of the Innovate Mississippi Board of

Rich Sun

 

Directors, is serving in this role and is drawing from his work with more than 30 startups as investor, advisor, executive and board member.

"The Entrepreneur in Residence position offers an incredible opportunity for Mississippi entrepreneurs
to capture insight and guidance from a successful entrepreneur/executive who is willing to share strategic advice based on his experiences and accomplishments," said Tony Jeff, president and
CEO of Innovate Mississippi.

Click here to read the full story.

  
 
Innovate Mississippi Names New Chairman and Vice Chairwoman to Its Board of Directors
 
Innovate Mississippi recently named a new chairman and vice chairwoman to its Board of Directors. Mr. Mike Forster, of Louisville, now is serving as Chairman of the Board, and Mrs. Deborah Hicks Midanek Bailey, of Grenada, is serving as Vice Chairwoman of the Board.

Mike Forster
Deborah Bailey
 
                   
The Innovate Mississippi Board of Directors is made up of private sector CEOs, innovation and technology entrepreneurs, business leaders and investors. Representing the Board's public sector are the presidents of Mississippi's four research universities - Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, the University of Mississippi and the University of Southern Mississippi.
 
Click here to read the full story.

  
Introducing Innovate Mississippi's New
"Mentor of the Month" Spotlight!
Congratulations Matthew McLaughlin ~ July Mentor of the Month!
 
  Matthew McLaughlin, of Jackson, is an a ttorney with 
McLaughlin, PC and owner of  Coalesce Coworking Space   
 
Matthew's Business Basics:
  
Background: Jackson native and attorney with 13+ years of exper ience representing entrepreneurs and existing industry in highly regulated environments. 
 
Most Frequently Given Advice : "Put together an incredible team and
remain nimble."
  


Beliefs: The best products and services are built by teams that include founders, mentors and advisors. 
Building on that, founders need to engage with mentors and advisors with a proven track record of working with startups or have industry experience. Founders need to carefully vet advisors and mentors prior to entering into a business relationship with them.
  
Advocate for: Community development. While Matthew serves on several 
boards, he's really a "boots on the ground" kind of citizen.
  
"Brand New" - On the Search for Mississippi's
Best New Startup Idea!  

  The Mabus Agency and Renasant Bank Partner to Showcase
University Students' Startups   
 
"Brand New" is a set of film documentaries following innovators from three Mississippi universities - Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Southern Miss. Starting with six student teams (two from each university), each were paired with a mentor to help them prepare their business pitches and compete for the title of Mississippi's Best New Idea. "Serving as a judge for the final competition round was an inspiring experience," said Tasha Bibb, Innovate Mississippi's entrepreneurial development manager. "And, it was awesome to see the creativity and progress of these startup teams, many of whom Innovate Mississippi has worked with and assisted.
"

Click here to watch the new release of the first film, which features startups Glo and Cotton's Cafe.

Innovate Mississippi 
121 North State Street
Suite 500 
Jackson, MS 39201 
601-960-3610  
 





 

Contact Janet Parker

at jparker@innovate.ms 

for more information on
Code Mississippi! 

 





  
Fuse.Cloud Celebrates Milestone with 2,000 Customers
in 11 Years of Business


 Jackson-based Technology Provider Meets Growing Business Needs
with Customized Cloud Services Offering   


Congratulations to Fuse.Cloud, one of the leading providers of business technology solutions in the Southeast.
The company is celebrating a major milestone of 2,000 customers since being founded in 2006. Over the last
11 years, Fuse.Cloud has grown to serve customers in 40 states, providing advanced, cloud-based voice, internet and IT services to businesses of all sizes. 
 
Click here to read the full story.
 

  
Walmart Makes Deal with Mississippi Companies  

  
Congratulations to NoTime2Cook, a southern-style frozen ca sserole company in Oxford that recently landed a deal with Walmart at the 2017 Walmart Open Call event in Bentonville, Arkansas. NoTime2Cook is owned and operated by Karen Kurr, a dedicated wife, mother and entrepreneur who has spoken at Innovate Mississippi's Discovery Luncheon series.   Click here to read the full story.     

Tony's Tamales also received a deal with Walmart at the 2017 Walmart Open Call event in Bentonville, Arkansas.   Tony's owner Reginald Mosely, is a Mississippi Delta native who began serving his tamales at a small restaurant in Jackson.  Today, the company operates a restaurant in Ridgeland, and has a wholesale manufacturing facility in Bentonia. Click here to read the full story. 

  
Mississippi Communities Awarded Accelerator
Grants from Entergy Mississippi
  
When it comes to economic development, Mississippi communities   are often edged out of the competition when companies consider where to establish or  expand their businesses. Entergy Mississippi's economic development team has set   out to change that.
 
Through the new Accelerator Competitive Communities Progra m, the company recently awarded more than $125,000 in grants to support economic development.  
 
Click here to read the full story.     
 


 
Delta I-Fund Virtual Accelerator
Offers Up to $50K
for Mississippi Delta Entrepreneurs  
Must Apply by August 20!
 

Innovate Mississippi is seeking Mississippi Delta entrepreneurs to participate in the Delta I-Fund Virtual Accelerator - an intense, 12-week program designed to guide and 
train startup teams of two or more. 

D on't miss this chance to participate and potentially  receive funding of up to $50,000 for proof of concept work.
  
Delta I-Fund has partnered with Innovate Mississippi for developing Mississippi companies, mentors ad other resources
for this program. 

Click here for more information. 


 


Startup Weekend Gulf Coast 2017

Startup Weekend Gulf Coast will take place September 22-24, 2017 at the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Park campus. This event is designed to allow entrepreneurs with innovative business concepts to collaborate with developers, designers, marketers, and others to turn their ideas into viable business concepts in just 54 hours.  Early bird tickets are on sale now, register here. Students get 50% off ticket prices. 
 

Apply to pitch at the Mississippi New Venture Challenge!

The 10th Annual Mississippi New Venture Challenge Pitch Competition will be held on Tuesday, October 17, 2017 in conjunction with the 2017 Conference on Technology Innovation. Student-led, Pre-revenue, and Post-revenue companies are all encouraged to apply. Selected teams will have the opportunity to work with experienced mentors to prepare the winning pitch. A panel of judges will select the most viable, innovative business concept in each category.  Winners will receive cash prizes along with in-kind services.  To apply, complete an executive summary by answering the online questionnaire before August 28
Selected participants will be notified by email on September 5.


  
Make It a Great Morning with 1 Million Cups!

If you're in the Jackson area or just traveling through on a Wednesday morning, start your day with coffee
 and connections! Join us at 1 Million Cups (1MC) Jackson,  the local installment of a national program that educates, engages and connects entrepreneurs and creatives. Meetings are free and take place at Coalesce Coworking at 9 a.m. with fresh hot coffee provided by our friends at Cups.
 
Developed by the Kauffman Foundation, 1MC is based on the notion that meaningful connections are made over a million cups of coffee. 1MC is led by more than 500 volunteer organizers in 35+ states, one U.S. territory, and six time zones - and growing every day.
 
Want to present your startup or idea at an upcoming meeting?  Apply here: 1millioncups.com/jackson.


 

EVENTS!
Aug 21-23 : UAV Training
Aug 22 : Discovery Luncheon in Ridgeland
Aug 24: GJAC Creative Impact Luncheon
Oct 18: Innovate Mississippi's Annual Conference on Technology Innovation in Jackson
 

  
Did You Know There are Grants for Small Business Research?
  
While grants are not typically available for small high-tech firms, there is one exception: World-class researchers can access millions of dollars in grants through federal SBIR/STTR grants. As a matter of fact,
11 federal agencies are required to set aside funding to provide to SBIR/STTR awards!
  
MS-FAST (The Mississippi - Federal and State Technology Partnership), which is led by Innovate Mississippi and The University of Southern Mississippi Business and Innovation Assistance Center, is in place to help Mississippi small businesses better compete for
these grants. MS-FAST provides expertise, assistance and funding and to encourage commercialization of technologies that can be developed because of these programs.
Plus, Mississippi companies making applications for SBIR and STTR grants may be eligible for up to $2,000 to cover grant application preparation and research.
  
MS-FAST is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Contact  Joe Graben for more information. Click here to learn more about MS-FAST.


Find Your Dream Job - OR - Hire Your
Dream Employee   

Through the Innovate Mississippi job index program, companies that have worked or partnered with Innovate Mississippi can post job listings for free. And, anyone interested in working with a growing innovation-based company can search jobs through the Innovate Mississippi website.

There are currently 4 job openings from Camgian Microsystems and Mackinac Technology. 

Click here 
for more information.

Innovate Mississippi would   a follow!  

 

            

Innovate Mississippi Partners 
 

The mission of Innovate Mississippi is to drive innovation and technology-based economic development for the State of Mississippi. 
 
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