Birmingham startups Conserv and Lucid Living Solutions take home $150K at Alabama Launchpad

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After presenting their pitch to the judges, two Alabama startups just took home a combined $150K in startup funding at the Alabama Launchpad Virtual Finale on November 19th. We spoke with winners Conserv and Lucid Living Solutions to learn more!

Plus, stay tuned to learn more about the Alabama Launchpad program in 2021.

Alabama Launchpad Virtual Finale

Last Thursday, seven Alabama startups took to the stage at the Alabama Launchpad Virtual Finale to pitch their vision to the judges. Although Alabama Launchpad usually hosts their events in venues across the state, 2020 has allowed Alabama Launchpad to experiment with virtual events to keep their contestants and judges safe.

As a result, you can watch the entire Alabama Launchpad Virtual Finale online.

Although each of the seven participating startups were promising, there could only be two winners. After deliberation, the judges selected Conserv and Lucid Living Solutions as the winners of the Alabama Launchpad Cycle 4 Virtual Finale.

Meet the Winners

Conserv — Seed Stage Winner ($100K)

Check out Conserv: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Conserv is no stranger to Alabama Launchpad. In fact, the team previously won $50K as the Concept Stage winner of imerge2019. It’s easy to see why—Conserv is one of Birmingham’s most promising startups.

As a lover of history in Birmingham and beyond, Conserv’s mission is incredibly important to me. Throughout the country, priceless and irreplaceable historic items and artwork are kept in a variety of private and public collections. Taking proper care of these collections is an art in and of itself. If done correctly, these objects can be preserved for future generations to come. However, one mistake can easily ruin these priceless artifacts.

According to Conserv, over 450,000 art galleries, archives, private collections and more across the world collectively spend $550M each year to keep their items safe.

In order to solve this problem, Conserv has put together a comprehensive environmental monitoring solution for art collectors—at a fraction of the cost and effort. Conserv’s program not only measures heat and humidity, but also light and vibration. By using Conserv’s technology, collections can easily detect small problems before they become big problems.

The Conserv team is led by CEO Austin Senseman and CTO Nathan McMinn, alongside Collection Consultant Ellen Orr and Junior Developer Cheyenne Mangum.

Now with $100K in winnings from Alabama Launchpad, Conserv aims to hire a Conservation Liaison and three new positions in 2021, planning to create $10M in recurring revenue and add 40 jobs in Alabama by 2025.

Lucid Living Solutions — Concept Stage Winner ($50K)

Check out Lucid Living Solutions: Website | Facebook | Instagram

“Alabama Launchpad was beneficial to Lucid Living Solutions, win or not. But winning the Concept category is validating, in that others see the potential good Lucid can do for families in our community and country.”

Elizabeth Read, Founder, Lucid Living Solutions

According to a Gallup poll in 2019, one in ten families in the United States has an issue with illicit drugs. For Lucid Living Solutions founder Elizabeth Read, the problem hits close to home. Throughout her experience with a loved one battling a substance-use disorder, she came to know the problems that many American families are facing.

For families managing a substance-use disorder, there is no all-inclusive solution to monitor a loved one’s path to recovery. Until now. Lucid Living Solutions’ digital platform allows families to voluntarily share results from randomized drug monitoring. Through Lucid Living Solutions, families can securely and confidentially share their results, easing the burden of communication between loves ones and helping to rebuild trust over time.

“The ongoing perspective and feedback from the judges really made a huge difference for me (as a new Founder) and shaping Lucid as a concept. They challenged me to think deeper, broader and inspired reconsiderations I would not have made otherwise.”

Elizabeth Read, Founder, Lucid Living Solutions

Currently, Elizabeth Read is seeking an experienced co-founder/CTO to help bring Lucid Living Solutions to market—and with $50K in funding from Alabama Launchpad, she’s one step closer to her goal.

Stay Tuned—Alabama Launchpad is up to big things in 2021

With a record-breaking number of applications, 2020 has been a big year for Alabama Launchpad. Let’s take a look back at the previous winners of Alabama Launchpad in 2020:

Alabama Launchpad has some big changes planned for the program in 2021. Next year, Alabama Launchpad will be working with the newly-formed Alabama Innovation Commission to continue to innovate and help Alabama reach new heights.

“The Alabama Innovation Commission is Alabama’s statewide commission focused on entrepreneurship, innovation and technology. And our commitment is to help foster innovation and create a more resilient economy by branding our state, supporting an innovation economy, recruiting and retaining companies and talent, and embracing the value of diversity.”

Zeke Smith, EVP, Alabama Power Company / President of the Advisory Council

Excited to see 2020’s winners expand in the future? Tag us @bhamnow to let us know your thoughts!

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