Innovate Alabama

06/01/2026

Students in Alabama: if you’re actively building a business, we want to see it on the Sloss Tech stage.

The Innovate Alabama Student Innovation Competition will spotlight student founders from two-year and four-year colleges across the state — and award up to $20K to help the top ventures move forward.

To apply, submit a 2–3 minute pitch video (June 1–June 10). Finalists pitch live Friday, June 26 at 9:00 a.m. during the Next in Tech track at Sloss Tech.

Check eligbility and apply here: https://forms.innovatealabama.org/261404603729051

05/22/2026

As we look back on a strong 2026 legislative session, we’re reflecting on what happens when policymakers get in the same room with the businesses building Alabama’s economy from the ground up.

Innovation Day at the Capitol back in April brought together founders, ecosystem partners and legislators to share what’s already underway across the state, from research and talent to rural workforce models, manufacturing, and community-led entrepreneurship.

Innovate Alabama board member Abe Harper described it as a way to “connect the dots” between policy support and what that support unlocks.

Meet the founders yourself — read the full blog:

A UAB professor advancing research on childhood eyesight. A rural leader building a workforce model from the ground up. A Montgomery manufacturer keeping industrial capacity close to home. A PhD-trained, early-stage AgTech founder setting up shop in the Wiregrass. A Decatur ecosystem leader helping....

05/11/2026

Applications are now open for EDO Designation through the Innovate Alabama Tax Credit Program.

If your organization supports economic development in Alabama, EDO designation matters because it allows your organization to receive contributions that may generate Alabama state tax credits for donors — helping fund the work that supports entrepreneurs and strengthens regional growth.

👉 Learn more + apply here: https://innovatealabama.org/programs/tax-credit/

05/08/2026

Northeast Alabama showed what’s possible.

At the Northeast Alabama Network Roadshow stop, we gathered in DeKalb County with leaders from Collinsville, Henagar, Fyffe and beyond to celebrate the work happening across their communities.

We were honored to be joined by House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, who shared his perspective on the momentum building across the state: “It’s amazing what’s going on… the growth [Innovate Alabama has] created has been a real shot in the arm for the economy of the whole state.”

From the Northeast Alabama Community College Entrepreneurial Center to local revitalization efforts, this is what it looks like when communities build something better, together.

More at the link in bio.

05/07/2026

We were excited to join Gov. Ivey, Speaker Ledbetter and leaders from across the state earlier this week for the ribbon cutting of the Wiregrass Innovation Center in Dothan, a new 45,000-square-foot hub bringing research, education and entrepreneurship closer to home in Southeast Alabama.

The same day, Innovate Alabama’s Network Roadshow stopped at the Center to recognize the local partners and communities helping drive innovation and opportunity across the Wiregrass.
It’s all part of a bigger story taking shape in the region, one defined by people building in their own backyard and finding new ways forward.

That includes Riley Creek Farms, where Bill Ferguson repurposed empty poultry houses into a hydroponic lettuce farm now serving communities across Alabama.

🔗 Read more:

For 25 years, Bill Ferguson was a poultry farmer in Echo, Alabama, building his own chicken houses and working with his father-in-law on the family farm. When his contract with Tyson ended in 2023, Ferguson was left with several empty chicken sheds. He began looking for a way to repurpose them. With...

05/05/2026

Big news for Alabama and for the future of our workforce: A new Wall Street Journal article drawing on ADP data ranks the Birmingham region No. 1 in the nation for recent college graduates finding good, degree-level jobs.

Over the past year, the region saw major gains in wages, hiring and affordability, with median wages for recent grads rising more than 16%.

The report points to growth across bioscience, advanced manufacturing, energy and engineering, underscoring the strength of Alabama’s innovation economy and the partners working every day to build opportunity across the state.

This recognition reflects momentum and the long-term strategies helping Alabama compete nationally for talent and ideas.

Read more:

The best prospects for many 20-somethings are in fast-growing cities such as Birmingham, Ala., Tampa, Fla., and Raleigh, N.C., a new analysis shows.

04/28/2026

We were honored to be joined by Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter yesterday as we celebrated our Northeast Alabama Network designees at Northeast Alabama Community College.

Speaker Ledbetter, thank you for dedication to helping innovators grow roots in our great state!

04/24/2026

The Wiregrass just made a major move. 🚁

FLIGHTWERX — a brand new innovation facility near Fort Rucker — officially launched this week, and it's designed to put Southeast Alabama on the map as a hub for military drone technology and national defense innovation.

We're proud that Innovate Alabama is part of this effort, which supports workforce development, high-tech job creation and the kind of industry-military-academic collaboration that drives real, lasting economic growth for our communities.

Read the full story here:

FLIGHTWERX Fort Rucker launches in Southeast Alabama, bringing drone innovation, defense technology development, and new workforce

04/23/2026

Did you know Alabama's great outdoors are helping fuel our state's economic growth? 🌿⛰️

Outdoor recreation is a key component of Innovate Alabama's pillars, and Commissioner Chris Blankenship, Chair of the Innovate Alabama Council on Outdoor Recreation, explains exactly why in a new op-ed.

From retaining homegrown talent to attracting entrepreneurs from across the country, Alabama's trails, waterways and natural spaces are part of a bigger economic strategy.

Give it a read in Yellowhammer News:

"From the mountains of the Tennessee Valley to the shores of the Gulf Coast, and everything in- between, our state is second to none in the country when it comes to beautiful outdoors and recreation," Chris Blankenship writes.

04/17/2026

Congratulations to Cynthia Crutchfield, CEO of Innovate Alabama, on being named to the Birmingham Business Journal's Power 60.

The annual list recognizes influential leaders across the region, and we’re proud to see Cynthia included among those helping shape what comes next.

See the full list:

All leaders on this list are influencing Birmingham’s economy in their own way and are people you should know if you want to do business in the Magic City.