The BIG recap of Birmingham Innovation Week 2018: 12 quick takeaways, winners, photos and more
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The stardust has settled from the whirlwind of Birmingham Innovation Week 2018. Time to reflect, with 12 quick facts, three deep reads and one very important survey.
Kickoff Party At Iron City
By The Numbers
- Approximately 2,500 people attended Birmingham Innovation Week 2018.
- 62 percent of attendees were current or aspiring entrepreneurs.
- 17 local organizations and businesses collaborated to bring the week together.
- 10 states were represented.
- 6 countries were represented, including United States, Mexico, Canary Islands, France, Germany and United Kingdom.
Quote of the Week
“We don’t have to be the next Austin or Chattanooga. We have to be the next best version of ourselves.”—Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, Sloss Tech 2018
Deeper Dive
- 3 takeaways from Sloss Tech, including Mayor Randall Woodfin’s poignant message
- 10 sports analytics insights from ESPN’s Ben Alamar at Sloss Sport 2018
- STEM Education Outreach Lab opens at Southern Research Institute
Big Winners
Event: Business pitch competition at imerge 2018, hosted by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA)
- Birmingham tech startup APEX Pro took home the top prize of $100,000 in seed funding, plus the $1,000 audience choice award.
- Global Inspections LLC won $50,000 in the concept category for its technical training programs for pipe welding.
APEX Pro technology helps race car drivers up the ante with real-time feedback, intuitive displays with simple indicators like red and green lights, and easy-to-understand data insights. Vroooom!
The Magic City = Smart City
Check out the photo gallery from Alabama Power’s Smart Cities event and luncheon, including Minsok Pak. Target’s executive vice president and chief strategy and innovation officer was the keynote luncheon speaker.
Major Economic Developments
DC BLOX and Shipt dropped major announcements during Birmingham Innovation Week 2018.
- $785 million DC BLOX data center is coming to Titusville. Find out more.
- $94 million is the estimated economic impact of the DC BLOX data center on Birmingham metro.
- $600,000 will benefit Birmingham’s Neighborhood Revitalization Fund from the DC BLOX purchase of the former Trinity Steel property.
- 881 jobs will be created by Shipt’s Birmingham headquarters expansion. Find out more.
- $1.1 billion is the estimated economic impact of Shipt’s commitment over 20 years.
On The Horizon
Are you an aspiring entrepreneur? You might want to know about Brex, a financial tech company that is redefining how corporate credit cards work for startups. Co-founder Henrique Dubugras was a featured speaker at EDPA’s imerge 2018.
Survey Time!
Data insights make us better. Give the team behind Birmingham Innovation Week some data to crunch. If you attended, take the survey.
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