Innovate Mississippi is thrilled to share that Corridor Ventures, a New Orleans-based venture capital fund, is expanding into Mississippi with help from the InvestMS program. Co-founder and managing partner Kwamena "Kwam" Aidoo is leading the effort to bring more early-stage capital to promising Mississippi startups. The new partnership is part of the…
With roots in academic research and real-world problem-solving, Onteko is advancing a breakthrough technology that could reshape how farmers deliver agrochemicals to plants. Co-founded by Luis Ponce, a physicist and laser specialist, and Matt Rosenberg, business development lead, Onteko's signature product—Laser Foliar Boost—uses a targeted laser treatment to gently remove…
Jackson, Miss. (July 15, 2025)—Innovate Mississippi is proud to announce the addition of four distinguished leaders to its board of directors. Joining the board are Jamie Miller, Rebekah Staples, Ryan Miller, and Dr. Tim Lampkin. Each brings a unique blend of experience in economic development, public policy, regional know-how and…
On July 16th, area Mississippi founders took the stage in Tupelo to compete in the 2025 edition of The Pitch, an annual business competition hosted by the Community Development Foundation. Each finalist delivered their best pitch to a panel of judges, but Brandi Brown and her company, Gulf Spore, rose…
JACKSON, Miss. — [7/15/25] — Mississippi is opening the door to national and regional venture capital funds with the launch of the InvestMS Funds Program, a key component of the state’s $86 million SSBCI strategy to expand access to early-stage capital for Mississippi-based startups. Managed by Innovate Mississippi, the InvestMS program is…
Innovate Mississippi was thrilled to join the Mississippi Gulf Coast Business Council and Mississippi SBDC for the inaugural StartUp Gulf Coast Pitch Competition, which took place on June 10 at MGCCC's Hospitality Resort Management Center in Biloxi. This high-energy event brought together nine innovative startups drawn from across the Gulf Coast,…
Maranda Joiner wears many hats—entrepreneur, speaker, author, and now lead facilitator for the Founders Plus program at Innovate Mississippi. A native of Jackson and co-founder of Succeed and Elevate, a non-profit dedicated to helping entrepreneurs, Maranda brings her professional expertise and personal commitment to helping women and minority entrepreneurs thrive in the startup…
Twenty-three Mississippi entrepreneurs reached a significant milestone in May, graduating from the inaugural Mississippi cohort of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses (10KSB) program. Held at the Old Capitol Museum, the ceremony celebrated small businesses' growing energy and impact statewide. We're especially proud to celebrate two Innovate Mississippi alums who…
Innovate Mississippi is pleased to have supported the 2025 MSU Spring Startup Summit—a dynamic showcase of innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration. Held on April 24th and 25th, this year's summit welcomed over 75 startups nationwide and awarded nearly $100,000 in prizes to emerging businesses. We also thank the MSU communications team and Emma McRae…
Big thanks to Roslyn Anderson and the WLBT team for shining a spotlight on Mississippi’s rising entrepreneurs at The Bean Path's recent pitch competition. The competition offered two tracks "Innovation and Technology" and "Small and Diverse Business." The Tech & Innovation track focused on businesses that could be high-growth companies…