Startup Southerner is proud to present the Southern Startup Report in partnership with LookFar, a New Orleans software development studio committed to supporting and accelerating technological innovation in the greater Southeast. The Southern Startup Report is a twice-monthly, curated newsletter covering the latest startup happenings in the American Southeast. Subscribe here if you like what you’re reading.
Southern Startup News — April 21 – May 5:
New Orleans, LA – Health Startup BioAesthetics Joins Top Silicon Valley Accelerator – One of New Orleans’ most promising biotech startups is California-bound. BioAesthetic
Their most recent victory: winning acceptance into IndieBio, widely recognized as one of the world’s top biotech accelerators. Their participation in the program comes with $250K in seed investment and four months of intensive networking and mentoring.
It’s another milestone in what’s already been a strong year for young members of the New Orleans life science cluster. Advano and RDnote have already raised funding in 2017, and several other NOBIC-involved companies may follow.
Charleston, SC – Good Growth Capital Launches, Announces Planned $20M Early-Stage VC Fund – Some of Charleston’s most prominent investors are coming together to provide local entrepreneurs with a new source of funding. Newly-announced Good Growth Capital has stated goal of raising $20M, which it intends to invest primarily in companies in South Carolina and across the greater American Southeast. The fund is a joint project between Amy Salzhauer, a VC veteran with an extensive track record across multiple states; David Mendez, founder of Capital A Partners, one of the area’s most active firms; and John Osborne, Director of the Harbor Entrepreneur Center, the heart of an evolving Charleston tech scene.
Atlanta, GA – JPMorgan Partners with Morehouse College to Launch $400K Ascend 2020 Program – Morehouse College, among our nation’s most recognizable Historically Black Colleges, has received a major boost to its efforts to combat inequality in tech and entrepreneurship. JPMorgan‘s r
Those last two names should be immediately recognizable for anyone who has read previous SSRs mentioning the Engage Fund, a massive public/private/academic partnership launched in January of this year. It’s enormously impressive to see another project of similar scope and collaboration launching so quickly, and equally positive to see it focusing on historically underserved entrepreneurial communities. Atlanta’s secret sauce has always been an incredible degree of cross-sector cooperation; we’re seeing it at work again with Ascend 2020.
Mobile, AL – Three Startups Split $250K Alabama Launchpad Prize – The 2017 edition of Alabama’s largest startup competition has come to a close. Three winning startups took home portions of a $250K grand prize, they are:
– Birmingham’s Wyndy ($80,550), an app connecting parents to reliable, on-demand babysitters.
– Orange Beach’s Maho Shades ($62K), a eyewear company selling both sunglasses and custom eyeglasses.
– Selma’s G Momma’s Cookies ($107K), a startup that bakes and sells Southern-inspired cookies.
Raleigh, NC – HQ Raleigh Announces Open Date for Workspace for Designers and Female Entrepreneurs – We’ve got some more concrete information on a long-awaited HQ Raleigh expansion. The NC coworking space has been at work on an expansion into downtown Raleigh’s historic Capital Club for months, which is now set to open its doors on July 1. The four-floor expansion will be split between private offices meant for woman-led ventures, and desks to be filled by solo designers.
Recent Rounds:
Atlanta, GA – Profisee – Undisclosed
Bowling Green, KY – Inked Brands – $4M Series A
Cary, NC – Map My Customers – $275K
Durham, NC – Get Spiffy – $2.5M
Miami, FL – CarHopper – $1.5M
New Orleans, LA – BioAesthetics – $250K Seed
Sunrise, FL – Reloquest – Undisclosed
Tampa, FL – Teewinot Life Sciences Corp – $12.5M Series B
Upcoming Events:
May 8 – New Orleans, LA – GrowCo Conference
May 11 – Atlanta, GA – ATDC Startup Showcase
May 12 – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Startup Awards
May 13 – Atlanta, GA – Latino iConnect
May 17 – Isle of Palms, SC – 2017 Innovation & IP Business Summit
May 23 – Atlanta, GA – Digital Summit
May 24 – Nashville, TN – Muster Across America
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