Miss Birmingham’s BIG startup news? Here’s a roundup for you.

We’re excited to see Birmingham’s startup scene exploding lately and lots of events on the horizon.  Get all the details here.

Hot Off The Press

Lots of local entrepreneurs have been making headlines lately.  Here’s a short recap of the highlights:

Two Velocity Accelerator Startups Named Rise of the Rest Finalists

Innovation Depot‘s Velocity Accelerator program is one proud parent.  Two of its seven companies were picked to compete for $100K in Revolutions’ Rise of the Rest startup competition on May 9th. AOL founder Steve Case is stopping his tour bus in five cities to award money to incredible startups.

It’s an honor for Birmingham to be picked and for eight great companies to compete at Sloss Furnaces. Get your tickets to see Eugene’s Hot Chicken, Mixtroz,  o3 Solution, SmartAlto, Swervice, Tappas, Shine E Solar, and Help Lightning duke it out at the end of next month. Also get your tickets to Innovation Depot’s Demo Day here.

GLOW was ranked one of the top 9 startups in the Magic City by Tech Tribune

GLOW launched last year through Innovation Depot’s first Velocity Accelerator cohort and has now been ranked one of the top startups in Birmingham.  See the full story here. Glow offers on-demand beauty services to help women get ready for events big or small.  From pre-prom spray tans to wedding day makeovers, customers can order beauty services with the touch of a button on the GLOW app.

INFLCR Completed its first Capital Raise of $1M

It only took INFLCR 60 days to complete its first capital campaign of a whopping $1 million.  With it, the sports social media startup has made several important hires expanding its team to more than 10.

Wyndy Celebrates their One-Year Anniversary

Amazing night celebrating our first year! Thanks to all of our supporters and Wyndys! #getwyndy #wyndyturnsone pic.twitter.com/JsDYtpgR7u

— Wyndy (@getwyndy) April 4, 2018

Birmingham’s babysitting app turned one recently and they threw a party to celebrate.  Currently in Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator program, Wyndy invited supporters and babysitters to celebrate with them at the Velocity headquarters.

Alabama Launchpad Winners: Pointz and o3 Solution

Alabama Launchpad gave away $150K at its startup competition finale to two deserving startups. They’re doing big things to support the startup ecosystem in Alabama.  Round of applause to Pointz and o3 Solution for rolling in the dough. Chase your dreams and apply before April 23rd for their next round!

Planet Fundraiser Partners with Alabama Power

Alabama Power has officially jumped on the Planet Fundraiser train and we’re giving them a thumbs up. This Birmingham tech startup makes giving back to local charities easy by donating when you take a picture of your receipt for your Chick-fil-a chicken minis or Piggly Wiggly groceries. And they just raised $1.5M in their second round of seed funding.  Can’t. Stop. Won’t. Stop.

Startup Competitions FTW (& Other Cool Events)

• Velocity Accelerator DEMO DAY. April 23rd @ Iron City.  5-7 PM.
• Birmingham Public Library’s Money Matters Workshop. April 17 @ Central Library.  10-11:30 AM.
• Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Startup Competition. May 9th @ Sloss Furnaces.
• CoWorking Night Birmingham. Every Tuesday @ Innovation Depot.  5 PM.
• 2018 Mercedes Benz Innovation Challenge. June 19th. Apply now!