Reviewed by: Sharron Swain
6 startups won $225K at Alabama Launchpad in 2023. See where they are now
Reading time: 7 minutes
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Last year, 30 startups from around the state participated in a startup competition led by Alabama Launchpad, the state’s most active early-stage seed fund investor.
Although each startup received mentorship and access to invaluable resources, only six walked home with the big prize—a portion of $150K in non-dilutive seed funding.
Bham Now recently caught up with the leaders of these six companies to see how they’ve grown since their big win in 2023.
Domestique Coffee — Cycle 1 Seed Stage Winner, $50K
At the Cycle 1 Finale, beloved local coffee, hospitality and lifestyle brand Domestique Coffee took home the $50K Seed Stage prize.
Since their win, Domestique has been working on an exciting new project—a new Domestique Coffee app! Once complete, the app will allow users on iOS and Android to place their Cafe and Home orders with ease.
Since winning the Alabama Launchpad, our team at Domestique has really started to click. Pitching your company really makes you focus on the fundamentals of your business. Now we’re making hard decisions, holding ourselves accountable, communicating clearly, and best of all, we’re taking action and marking tasks off our list.”
Nathan Pocus, Founder and CEO, Domestique Coffee
After winning Launchpad, Domestique was able to hire a part-time mobile developer to help bring the new app to life.
Cahaba Fire Company — Cycle 1 Concept Stage Winner, $25K
Cahaba Fire Company (CFC)—a Birmingham-based startup specializing in innovative products for emergency rescue teams—took home the Concept Stage prize of $25K at the Alabama Launchpad Cycle 1 Finale Competition in 2023.
“The professional advisement and concept stage winnings of $25,000 have allowed Cahaba Fire Company (CFC) the opportunity to build an extremely solid and wide foundation for our product development startup.
We are now growing and expanding our capabilities through strategic partnerships not only in Alabama but throughout the Southeastern United States.”
Ben Horton, Co-Founder and CEO, Cahaba Fire Company
Since their Alabama Launchpad win, CFC has earned a utility patent for its launch product, the FireWedge: a rescue tool designed to help rescue workers remove passengers from crashed vehicles safely and quickly. In addition, CFC has developed a second product—the PocketWedge—which supplements the functionality of the FireWedge.
“Both rescue tools are proudly manufactured in Alabama with only the highest quality standards. Starting in the 2nd quarter of 2024, CFC is pursuing the research and development of another product that will change the state of structure fire rescue as we know it.
The near future is very exciting for CFC’s upcoming innovation, and it is an honor to serve our nation’s first responders.”
Ben Horton, Co-Founder and CEO, Cahaba Fire Company
Thanks to their success, CFC has been able to hire two sales representatives to increase and sustain the company’s product sales.
Vivosphere, LLC — Cycle 2 Concept Stage Winner, $25K
Since their Concept Stage win during Alabama Launchpad Cycle 2 in 2023, biotech startup VivoSphere, LLC has made great progress in disrupting the way drug discovery and cancer research is conducted.
VivoSphere’s technology creates human-like tissue to use in drug response tests, which can reduce false positive drug candidates at an early stage and help avoid a costly failure during the clinical stage.
“From milestones towards progressing our R&D and finalizing our initial prototype to establishing new connections with potential customers and partners, we have significantly increased our presence in the market.”
Dr. Yuan Tian, Co-Founder, VivoSphere, LLC
That’s not all—VivoSphere was recently nominated for the prestigious Ignite Award at SLAS2024, a conference put on by the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) in Boston. A round of applause for VivoSphere!
Croux — Cycle 2 Seed Stage Winner, $50K
During Alabama Launchpad Cycle 2 in 2023, future of work tech startup Croux took home the Seed Stage winning prize. A previous Alabama Launchpad winner, Croux utilizes powerful technology to connect talented hospitality staff with opportunities to fill shifts for businesses in need.
Since Croux’s initial Alabama Launchpad win in April 2022, the team has accomplished several exciting milestones, including
- Filled nearly 12,000 shifts across the Southeast and Midwest
- Put over $1M into the hands of hourly workers
- Empowered local businesses to operate more efficiently and effectively
“Thanks to two incredible Cycles with Alabama Launchpad, Croux feels armed and ready for focused, responsible and strong growth. We have added a new teammate—an Auburn grad—to our roster, continued to build a community of trusted talent and launched Croux in the Midwest.
We’re also grateful and thrilled to have earned the trust and partnership of premier hospitality organizations in Detroit to help them staff up their operations for the 2024 NFL Draft.”
Jennifer Ryan, Co-Founder and CEO, Croux
DevClarity — Cycle 3 Concept Stage Winner, $25K
In December, co-founders Peter Inge and Will Blackburn of DevClarity—an AI-based management platform for software developers—took home the $25K check as the Alabama Launchpad Cycle 3 Concept Stage winner.
Although its only been two months since their big win, the DevClarity team has been hard at work making meaningful product improvements and adding multiple enterprise design partners.
“Winning Launchpad was a big milestone in our company’s trajectory. Since then, we have had more clarity of mind around the market and customer we’re serving, significantly increased sales momentum, and have started to hire outside help using the funds received.”
Peter Inge, Co-Founder, DevClarity
DevClarity recently moved their offices to Innovation Depot, where they hope to grow their software development team.
“We also firmly believe that our mission to help software development leaders in their effort to create great teams will help these companies (many in Alabama) attract and retain great technical talent. We are very passionate about this and are excited to play a role in it”
Will Blackburn, Co-Founder, DevClarity
Autonoma — Cycle 3 Seed Stage Winner, $50K
Software development startup Autonoma took home the Seed Stage prize during the Alabama Launchpad Cycle 3 Finale for their work creating real-time vehicle models and specialized geo-accurate 3D environmental models.
Autonoma’s high-fidelity vehicle-in-the-loop (VIL) testing platform allows companies to test physical vehicles in a safe, virtual environment.
“Since our Launchpad win, we have continued to grow our team and expand our customer base. We now have 7 employees which have all been making major contributions to the development of our simulation. We have already created a few more jobs in Alabama since Launchpad and plan to continue to grow our team of top talent here in the state.”
Will Bryan, Co-Founder, Autonoma
How Alabama Launchpad can help your startup grow
Since their first Startup Competition in 2006, Alabama Launchpad has invested over $6.2M into 117 innovative Alabama startups—and that’s not all. Each participating startup receives:
- Valuable mentoring from Launch Advisors—proven entrepreneurs with years of experience.
- Access to an ever-growing network of Alabama entrepreneurs.
- And more
Want see how the Alabama Launchpad team can help you grow your startup? Check out the Alabama Launchpad website to learn more + apply to the next Cycle!
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