Innovate Mississippi

What is Innovate Mississippi?

Innovate Mississippi is an angel network dedicated to accelerating startup growth and fostering entrepreneurship throughout Mississippi. Their primary goal is to strengthen and grow the culture of innovation within the state.

They achieve this by working directly with both pre-revenue and post-revenue startups, assisting them in developing their business strategies, securing funding, and scaling their operations. Innovate Mississippi functions as a comprehensive resource for investor education, coordinating investor resources within Mississippi to aid clients in obtaining early-stage funding. They have established the Mississippi Angel Investor Network as a platform for this purpose, further contributing to the development of the local investment ecosystem.

The organization also orchestrates educational initiatives and regular events such as Startup Weekends, Discovery Luncheons, Mississippi New Venture Challenge, and their annual Conference on Technology Innovation. In collaboration with partners across Mississippi, they aim to combat 'brain drain' and support talent retention through the Regional Accelerator Program and Mississippi Coding Academies. Over the past 20 years, Innovate Mississippi has played a significant role in the economic development of the state, facilitating the creation of over 1,500 new companies and connecting them with over $181 million in seed and venture capital.

These efforts have resulted in the generation of new high-paying jobs. Their impact also includes accelerating more than 800 companies, creating over 2,000 jobs, and leveraging state resources efficiently, with a state cost per job of just $10.

The angel network takes pride in the diversity of companies they support, which range across various industries and stages of development. Examples include GrowinLocal, HyperLuxe gaming, Duet Technologies, AI Control Technology, and many others with innovative products and services.

Innovate Mississippi continues to be a pivotal part of the entrepreneurial landscape by providing coaching, fostering connectivity, and maintaining a strong network of public and private sponsors to drive innovation in Mississippi.