March 2018
The Business of Building

I am reminded this week how much we all are in the business of building. As you look at the picture below you might think that I'm talking about construction and the excitement in building the new EDGE incubator and accelerator here in Tuscaloosa. And yes, my week included meetings about keys, furniture and technology as well as move-in dates.

At the same time, this year's Start-up Weekend had over 70 people packed in a room on campus talking about ideas, learning from each other and well - BUILDING businesses, skills and knowledge. In addition, many of these same students have been hanging out in our current space learning from business community leaders, talking to each other and BUILDING momentum.

BUILDING IS FUN. We invite you to join us in building our entrepreneurial ecosystem. Please take time to read about our events and ways to get connected.

We need more people to join our construction crew!

Thank you,

Theresa M. Welbourne, PhD

Executive Director and
Will and Maggie Brooke Professor in Entrepreneurship
New Edge well under way
We are inching closer to moving into our brand new Edge building, so we wanted to share some progress on how the construction is coming along!

You can drive by the location on 10th Avenue to see the progress so far.
Learning from Entrepreneurs
Over the last month we have had the pleasure of having many great speakers come to The Edge and talk to both students and Tuscaloosa community members.

Chris Koerner, an entrepreneur and CEO of LCDCycle, talked to us about his own entrepreneurial journey and also gave an introduction to the world of Bitcoin.

Tom Scroggins and Brooke Nixon, attorneys at Rosen Harwood, hosted a workshop centered about legal advice for entrepreneurs new and old.

Bobby Bragg helped attendees in a program designed to prepare their business plans before the event.
Win your share of $150,000 in prize money and other resources to help start your business.
The annual Edward K. Aldag, Jr. Business Plan Competition is only weeks away, so don't miss your chance to sign up!

The first submission deadline is coming up soon.

If you plan on competing, please submit your intent to compete AND the business summary form by March 7th.

Two $50k grand prizes; one for students and one for the community (funded by the City of Tuscaloosa; see on-line information for details).

Two sets of first, second and third prizes ($5k, $3k and $2k for students), additional $500 prizes and services that include office space, consulting, accounting and legal advice.
Congratulations Bobby Bragg!
Congratulations to Tuscaloosa's Bobby Bragg as he was recently recognized as the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama's   Charles H. Land Member of the Year.

Mr. Bragg has been very involved in promoting entrepreneurship in Tuscaloosa over the years, and he has been a tremendous help to AEI and The EDGE in putting on many of our events.
Ugo presented Rising Star Award
Congratulations to John G. Newman III and Will Randle of Ugo LLC who were presnted the Rising Star Award at the annual West Alabama Chamber of Commerce Award Celebration.

You can learn more about Ugo here.
Packed House at Startup Weekend
2018 was a record breaking year for Startup Weekend Tuscaloosa with 70 people registered.

Participants spent 54 hours coming up with great ideas and turning them into entire business plans.

At the end of the weekend, The PAWxmity team led by Spencer Fuhriman was awarded first place.
Upcoming Events
Save the dates! Check out our calendar to see all of our upcoming events, including Aldag Workshops.
Thank you Sponsors and Partners!
AEI and EDGE Sponsors
Event Sponsors