7 tech startups pitch for investment on April 30 at Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator 2019 Demo Day. Join the audience
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Do you enjoy watching Shark Tank and hearing business owners pitch their ideas to investors? We have our own version right here in Birmingham. Attend Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator 2019 Demo Day presented by Regions, happening Tuesday, April 30 from 5-7:30PM. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is a must. Register now.
What It’s All About
So what is Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator 2019 Demo Day all about? It started back in 2017 when Innovation Depot saw a growing need for more early startup capital in Alabama. The program is a 13-week intensive start-up bootcamp that supports tech startups with high growth potential.
What’s especially cool about the program is that it is the first seed accelerator in the state of Alabama.
Innovation Depot chooses up to 10 companies to partake in the program for each cohort. Participating companies also get some pretty awesome perks:
- $50K in investment funds
- Co-working space in the Velocity Accelerator located in the Innovation Depot
- Access to mentors, industry experts and connections to grow their business
- The opportunity to pitch for follow-on grant funding
But these perks do come with a hopeful exchange—companies who score follow-on funding after Demo Day will be encouraged to move to, or maintain, their headquarters in Birmingham.
The opportunity to have your startup in a booming city like Birmingham? That’s a pretty worthwhile deal!
All About Demo Day
Now in its third year, participants in the Velocity Accelerator Program have been actively pursuing their dreams of being the next big startup in Birmingham. After 13 weeks in the program, all of their hard work comes down to one day—the Velocity Accelerator 2019 Demo Day presented by Regions Bank.
On Tuesday, April 30, you’re invited to join the audience for Demo Day and celebrate the seven startup companies in this year’s cohort as they showcase their businesses.
Check out this stat: Companies who participated in the program’s first two years have already created over 65 jobs and raised over $8 million in follow-on capital! WOW!
But these companies aren’t the only ones who have gotten their big break from Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator. Some of the other notable companies include:
“The Velocity Accelerator Program was a game changer for GLOW. If it wasn’t for the program, we would not have met and partnered with the great investors that we have and wouldn’t have launched in Nashville soon after the program ended. But most importantly we formed friendships with other business owners that now help advise us. This program will always be a part of GLOW’s story and we are forever grateful to have been a part of it.”
Yazmin Cavale, Founder & CEO, GLOW
The event also has some pretty big sponsors, including:
- Regions Bank
- UAB’s Bill L. Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- PNC
- Alabama Power
- BBVA Compass
- Protective Life
- Shipt
Participating Companies
If you’re the curious type (no worries, I am, too!), you are probably dying to know what startups will be showcased on Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator 2019 Demo Day. Lucky for you, I have the list of the lucky seven. Here’s a peek at who they are:
- Fledging: Fledging premium electronic products, starting with storage solutions for Macs and PCs
- Fanboard: A platform that allows marketers to advertise to fans at live events using augmented reality.
- S(wervice): An on-demand solution for auto maintenance that provides appointment booking and vehicle pickup and dropoff service.
- Need2Say: A mobile app that helps second language learners communicate what they “Need2Say” when they “Need2Say” it.
- MILK The Moment: A mobile app that rewards you whenever you refrain from using your phone in places or situations that require you to be more present, intimate, focused or safe.
- BabyPalooza: A parenting platform making it easy for new, expectant and hopeful parents to get the information and resources they need.
- UpTime Dynamics : Computerized maintenance management software designed to maximize safety, reliability and growth for manufacturers in the brewing industry and beyond.
“Simply put, Velocity was the lifeline for Mixtroz… Birmingham got us, understood us, felt us… Velocity didn’t simply pat us on the back and say ‘Good job so far Team Mixtroz’ and then tell us to read a book. They invested in us and have been a value-added, action-oriented part of Team Mixtroz. The way that civic, corporate and tech work together here is the reason we now call Birmingham home!”
Ashlee Ammons, Founder & CEO, Mixtroz
Attend the event to find out more about these startup companies and what they will bring to Birmingham and beyond. Register now.
Attend the Event
Want to check out all the latest tech startups in Birmingham? Then attend Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator 2019 Demo Day. The event takes place on April 30 from 5-7:30PM at Iron City. The event is free, but registration is required. Click here to save your seat.
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