Alabama Launchpad

This is what the path from early-stage startup to national player looks like. As a two-time Alabama Launchpad winner, CerFlux shows how founder grit, academic partnerships and early-stage support add up over time. Milestones like this build momentum for the next wave of Alabama founders and the people backing them!! Congratulations, CerFlux + Karim Budhwani. We’re proud to have been part of your journey! #AlabamaLaunchpad #Biotech #InnovationEconomy

We’re excited to announce that PowerBox Technology has been selected as a finalist for the Alabama Launchpad Cycle 2 2026 competition! 🚀 As one of five finalists in the Technology Track, we’re competing for a $75,000 non-dilutive investment to help accelerate our mission of making industrial energy more reliable, affordable, and sustainable. With our growing presence at the Alabama Mobility and Power (AMP) Center in Tuscaloosa, we're excited to continue building partnerships and advancing energy innovation across Alabama's industrial manufacturing sector. A big thank you to Alabama Launchpad, the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, and Innovate Alabama for this opportunity and for supporting the next generation of technology companies in the state. Congratulations to all the finalists! We're looking forward to the next stage of the competition. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e3hj3cZ4 #PowerBoxTechnology #AlabamaLaunchpad #EnergyInnovation #AdvancedManufacturing #CleanTech

Joseph Rusk didn't win his first pitch competition. Or his second. He lost with a completely different idea before The BreadBoard Company ever took shape, and he'll tell you every one of those losses taught him something he needed for Launchpad. His advice for founders sitting on an idea: apply anyway. The BreadBoard Company | Cycle 1 Technology Competition Winner #AlabamaLaunchpad #FounderStory #KeepGoing #PitchCompetition

We are so thankful for such wonderful friends and partners across the state! The Tuscaloosa Regional Meetup was a success!! Thanks to the Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute for the wonderful hospitality, always.

Ever wonder why it's called a breadboard? Joseph Rusk did too, and it turns out the answer goes back to literal wooden cutting boards and hammered nails. When he built his own version for teaching electronics, he leaned all the way into the name. The packaging looks like a slice of bread. That's the kind of detail that makes a product memorable. The BreadBoard Company | Cycle 1 Technology Competition Winner #AlabamaLaunchpad #FounderStory #STEMforKids #Entrepreneurship

🚀 Meet the 10 finalists competing for $175,000 in Alabama Launchpad's Cycle 2 2026 competition. From AI-powered dairy barns to next-generation cancer immunotherapies, these founders are building real solutions to real problems — and they're doing it right here in Alabama. $100,000 is on the line for our life sciences track winner. $75,000 for technology. But the prize money is only part of the story. Every finalist is paired with a group of Launch Advisors — specialists in sales, finance, marketing and software — for weeks of hands-on consulting most early-stage founders could never access on their own. That preparation builds toward closed-door investor meetings this November: technology finalists on Nov. 5, life sciences finalists on Nov. 12. This is what Alabama Launchpad has done since 2006 — connect ambitious founders with the capital and mentorship it takes to turn an idea into a company that creates jobs and stays rooted in our state. Congratulations to all 10 finalists. Read about each one and what they're building: https://lnkd.in/e3hj3cZ4 #AlabamaLaunchpad #Startups #Alabama #Innovation #EconomicDevelopment

One minute left on the clock. ⏰ That’s when Joseph Rusk submitted his Alabama Launchpad application. That last-minute decision helped turn his idea for a better, beginner-friendly breadboard into The Breadboard Company. From using his finalist stipend to fund his first 1,000 units to testing the product with real kids, Joseph’s story is a great reminder to take the chance and apply. Read more about his journey and how he’s building his company right here in Alabama. 👇 https://shorturl.at/WvRqb #AlabamaLaunchpad #AlabamaStartups #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #Startups #MadeInAlabama

They say Tuscaloosa is where legends are made. (Their words. We're borrowing them.) But before you're hoisting a trophy, you're probably hoisting a laptop bag into a coffee shop, wondering if your business idea is a national championship or a 2-7 rebuilding season. Either way ➡️ Tuesday, September 15 at 5 PM, Alabama Launchpad is pulling into The Edge at the Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute, teaming up with Entrepreneurs Resource Group (ERG) for an evening that's less "fourth-and-goal" and more "come talk to us about your startup while eating free food." No pressure, no pitch deck required. Just founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, and the Alabama Launchpad team, in a room, being normal about business ideas. Since 2006, we've invested $6.6M+ into 120+ Alabama startups — companies now worth a combined $1 billion+ and responsible for 1,600+ jobs statewide. RSVP 👉 https://lnkd.in/eTszF6AT #AlabamaLaunchpad #Tuscaloosa #StartupAlabama #RollTide #ERG

From Alabama Launchpad winner to this. 🎉 Huge congratulations to Matt Pierce and the entire team at Immediate — this is a milestone worth celebrating, and one we're especially proud of given Immediate's roots as an Alabama Launchpad winner. Stories like this are exactly why we exist: giving Alabama-grown founders the capital, mentorship, and validation to build something that scales far beyond the state line. Congrats again, Matt Pierce and team. 👏 #AlabamaLaunchpad #TeamAlabama

7 years ago we were fortunate enough to win a $100k pitch competition (Alabama Launchpad) that helped springboard Immediate into existence. I think we had 3 clients at the time... zero of which were live 😏 but we won because the mission is obvious, and our attack plan made so much sense. But the real competitive advantage is who you build with. I always tell founders: "Make sure you're building with people you trust and respect, and ideally, people who solve for your own personal weaknesses." Jason & Mason have been that for me since 2019. I'm incredibly proud of this business we've built and am even more excited about what's ahead of us!