A little more than two years ago, Thomas White, an experienced barber, noticed that electric hair clippers—used extensively for Black and Latino hair styling—have a tendency to overheat too quickly, necessitating that barbers own and use multiple pairs throughout a workday. White pitched the idea of building better clippers to…
by Tasha Bibb Over the past 15 years, I’ve worked with nearly 1,500 startups. I’ve studied countless others. In my research, both primary and secondary, I’ve realized that one of the main contributors to entrepreneurial success is the founders' ability to network and their willingness to collaborate. You’ve heard the…
Dr. Nashlie Sephus, Ph.D., an Innovate Mississippi board member and mentor, is included in a new program designed to recognize the achievements of Georgia Institute of Technology alumni who are improving the human condition. The Georgia Tech Alumni Association has announced 40 distinguished honorees who have innovated industries and positively…
Walmart is currently accepting applications for its 7th Annual Open Call, which seeks U.S.-manufactured products that they can sell on Walmart shelves. This year, pitch meetings will be held virtually on October 1st with Walmart buyers. The deadline to apply is August 10th, with additional information and the online application…
Heartland Forward, a think tank based in Bentonville, Ark., has given the City of Oxford high marks for the way it and the University of Mississippi work together to spur economic growth. Oxford ranked 12th among "micropolitan" areas (10-50,000 people) in the report. And Oxford was the top-ranked micropolitan area…
Trey Bowles, an entrepreneur in Dallas, Tex., who co-founded and is now the executive chairman of the Dallas Entrepreneur Center (DEC), put together some great tips and links in his Entrepreneur's Survival Guide in the Age of Coronavirus, aimed at business owners dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak and its aftermath.…
During this time of fear and uncertainty, we are thinking about our entrepreneurs and partners and wanted to offer some tips and encouragement to help you navigate through these rough waters. First of all, like most organizations responding to COVID-19, Innovate Mississippi has decided to limit employee travel and move…
The Water Valley Base Camp Coding Academy has broken ground on its new home, creating Mississippi’s first Rural Education and Innovation Hub, according to the Oxford Eagle. Base Camp Coding Academy is a nonprofit program that is free to participants. Applicants must be high school seniors. Once accepted, each student…
The approximately $4.5-million project to install new equipment, called reclosers, will improve service reliability in Entergy Mississippi's service area. JACKSON, Mississippi - To keep the power flowing, Entergy Mississippi has installed dozens of new devices throughout its service area in places that have experienced multiple outages. Called reclosers, these devices…
The 2019 Mississippi New Venture Challenge Pitch Competition saw startup companies from all over the state of Mississippi pitch their companies in one of three categories based on their company's current status: Pre-Revenue, Post-Revenue and Student. First place winners were MiCare Path (Pre-Revenue), EasyKale, LLC (Post-Revenue), and Crystal Game Works…