7 local startups contend for $150K at virtual Alabama Launchpad on June 11
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It’s happening! Seven Alabama startups will have the chance to bring their business vision to life as they compete for their share of $150K in early-stage seed funding. Tune in to Alabama Launchpad at 6PM on June 11 on the Alabama Launchpad website and their social channels to see the action!
Although the team at Alabama Launchpad throughly enjoys hosting the finale event in venues through Alabama, this round will be virtual to ensure the safety of guests and staff.
What is Alabama Launchpad?
- Contact: 205.943.4700 | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
Alabama Launchpad, a program of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, is the most active early-stage seed fund investor in the state. Since 2006, Alabama Launchpad has invested $5.5 million in 92 Alabama startups.
But Alabama Launchpad does more than invest in promising startups. They also offer invaluable coaching and mentorship through their panel of judges. A finalist for Launchpad gets up to five qualified professionals reviewing their entire business model not once, not twice, but THREE times by the time they finish the competition!
Each competition, several startups vie for a portion of $150K in startup funds. Seed Stage startups compete for $100K while Concept Stage startups compete for $50K.
7 Emerging Startups Competing for $150K
Field Culture Compost — Concept Stage
Alex Thompson, Owner/Operator 
Matthew Nesbitt. Owner/Operator
Whether it’s local restaurants, grocery stores or meals you made at home, Alabama ends up throwing away most of their leftover food. Rather than letting that food go to waste in a landfill, Field Culture Compost aims to turn it into valuable, nutrient-rich compost.
By partnering with local businesses and locals, the company can turn leftovers into environmentally-friendly compost, which can then be used on food-growing farms and in home gardens and landscapes. It can even be used to mitigate soil erosion where needed. Should they win the Alabama Launchpad competition, they aim to expand their residential waste pickup program by purchasing materials and vehicles.
“If anyone has any questions about compost or anything compost related, please feel free to shoot us an email at info@fieldculturecompost.com or on Instagram @field_culture_compost!”
Matthew Nesbitt, Field Culture Compost
LawFit — Concept Stage
Skip Vanderburg – Chief UX Officer Jim Pickle – Legal Industry Advisor 
Nach Mishra – CTO 
Michael I. Connolly – Founder
Did you know that law firms pay attorney search firms $50K or more to recruit lawyers with 1-9 years of experience? With multiple hires and high turner, those numbers quickly add up. Law firms do not like paying these fees because it is expensive and the results are inconsistent, while today’s lawyers are more interested in cultural fit and diversity.
LawFit’s mission is to disrupt the $3 billion/year lawyer recruiting industry by using AI technology to source the right lawyer for each firm’s openings. Their technology makes recruiting faster, better and cheaper. LawFit is a two-sided business model:
- First, LawFit is a talent acquisition engine for law firms.
- Second, it offers a career navigator for lawyers.
MatchFIT — Concept Stage
Mary Ila Ward 
Craig Ellis 
Jillian Miles
Based in Decatur, MatchFIT is a consulting firm that aims to improve employee engagement and retention by changing the way organizations and candidates find one another, connect with one another, and commit to one another.
MatchFIT works by matching people with organizations based on cultural fit.With their online marketplace platform, job seekers complete the MatchFIT assessment and are then matched to employers with whom they fit.
If they win the competition, MatchFIT will use the prize money to improve their A.I. for organizational matching and to make it a more flexible platform that meets a wide variety of employer and candidate needs. In addition, they aim to grow their Alabama-based team to focus on marketing and technology efforts.
MOXIE — Seed Stage
Contact: Website | Email | Facebook | Instagram
MOXIE is a team of expert engineers who design custom IoT solutions for their clients. What is loT? It stands for “Internet of Things”, which means it’s a network of interconnected objects that can absorb and exchange data.
For example, MOXIE recently stepped up in the fight against COVID-19 by designing an app + Bluetooth technology that allows nurses to check the status of patients’ ventilators without having to enter the room.
This system has two benefits:
- It keeps nurses and doctors from catching potential infections from their patients.
- By skipping the long sanitation process involved in cleaning each hospital room, nurses are able to use their time more efficiently.
Purilan Technologies — Seed Stage
Do you love naturally flavored water, but wish you could find it in a non-plastic bottle? What if I told you that a local company is aiming to change that? Purilan Technology, operating out of Birmingham’s Hardware Park, has designed a product that provides the best water possible directly to consumers without single-use plastics.
Similar to a Keurig, the Purilan is a countertop device that lets you upgrade your water by adding flavors, vitamins and minerals to your cup. Just pick your cartridge of choice, pop it into the machine and ta-dah! Water made better.
As of May 20, 2020, Purilan has begun field testing their ‘Alpha’ units in homes. If the team wins the Alabama Launchpad competition, over 75% of funding will go towards engineering and marketing right here in Birmingham.
Sweeple — Seed Stage
College textbooks are expensive, so college students are always looking for ways to make some extra cash. However, typical full or part-time jobs have a strict schedule that students find difficult to work around.
To get around these time constraints, Sweeple offers college students a way to make some extra money while working around their busy schedules. How? By sending trusted, background-checked students from local universities and colleges to clean local homes and offices.
The best part—you’ll feel good knowing that you’re helping a student buy textbooks, supplies and other expenses, all while getting a clean space.
Watts.AI — Concept Stage
In the world of electronic products, transferring data into digital models is incredibly time consuming, which can hinder designers. To simplify the process, Watts.Al provides software services to assist part suppliers with communication information from electronic part data sheets in digital formats. The results: designers can focus solely on product design.
Tune in to the competition on June 11
Tune in to the Alabama Launchpad competition on June 11 to see each of these startups make their pitch to win their share of $150K. The event will be streamed live on the Alabama Launchpad website and their social media.
Which of these Alabama startups interest you? Tag us @bhamnow and let us know!
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