Birmingham, Montgomery progressing on “Smart City” initiatives
In the past two years, two Alabama cities — Birmingham in 2018 and Montgomery in 2019 — have been awarded prestigious Smart Cities Readiness Challenge grants from the Smart Cities Council. An industry coalition established in 2012, the council works with cities across...
Mixtroz poised for continued growth in 2020
For Bronze Valley portfolio company Mixtroz, the fourth quarter of 2019 was a whirlwind of activity, culminating with several honors for its performance to date. According to co-founder and CEO Kerry Schrader, the pace will only increase during the coming year. “As an...
MBDA grant aids NAIC plan to raise $1 billion for investment in minority entrepreneurs
For America’s 11 million minority- and women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs), access to capital remains the most important factor limiting their ability to grow and scale. The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the...
GLOW CEO Cavale says $100,000 investment will accelerate continued growth
GLOW, a Birmingham-based beauty-on-demand company, won a $100,000 investment in the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama's most recent Alabama Launchpad competition. The competition, held on November 14 at Troy University, capped off what GLOW co-founder and...
Bronze Valley welcomes new board member April Benetollo
Bronze Valley recently added a new member to its board of directors. April Benetollo, CEO of Momentum, a program for developing leadership capabilities in executive and early-career women, was elected to the board at the end of September. “April is an outstanding...
CDFI designation will accelerate Bronze Valley mission
Bronze Valley was launched almost two years ago, with the mission of creating an education-to-opportunity-to-outcome pipeline for communities historically underrepresented in technology careers and in fields where innovators will create the future. One component of...
$1.1 million capital round sets Bronze Valley portfolio company Fledging on path for continued growth
In May of this year, consumer electronics startup Fledging completed a capital raise that netted $1.1 million from a group of investors in its home city of Birmingham. For the company, which launched officially in January 2018, the fruitful capital round affirmed both...
Bronze Valley celebrates Black female founders during the 25th ESSENCE Festival
The 25th ESSENCE Festival was held over the July 4th weekend in New Orleans. The four-day festival included events ranging from political discussions to health and beauty pop ups to entrepreneurship-focused Q & A sessions. Bronze Valley...
For Babypalooza’s Pearson, Birmingham is part of the formula for success
Cecilia Pearson, founder of multi-channel platform for new moms, reflects on Bronze Valley investment, startup climate in Birmingham.
Bronze Valley wins federal grant to support entrepreneurial development
Bronze Valley has been awarded a grant by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), a bureau of the United States Department of Commerce. Announcement of the $284,500 grant, which will support Bronze Valley’s strategy for making startup funding more...
Bronze Valley portfolio company Employee Cycle uses data to make HR “smarter”
Throughout the world, the power of data analysis is transforming the ways that people and companies do business. Quick, reliable access to the most important metrics affecting competitiveness and performance contributes to deeper insights, sounder decisions, more...
Bronze Valley announces investments in four startups
Bronze Valley announced investments in four startup companies founded by people of color, including two companies founded by African-American women, during the 25th annual Essence Festival in New Orleans. The announcement came on July 6 at "She. Is. Ready.", an...
HERSCHELL HAMILTON SAYS BRONZE VALLEY CAN CHANGE COMPLEXION OF STARTUP COMMUNITY
Talking about Bronze Valley and its potential impact on the future of Birmingham and Alabama, Herschell Hamilton speaks from experience gleaned during a distinguished professional career. He also draws on strong familial connections to Birmingham's history as a place...
Civic innovation panel considers Birmingham’s future
“It’s about building an ecosystem that enables people to thrive,” declared Anthony Hood. “It takes partnerships between universities, the corporate community, nonprofits and elected officials. That means cooperation and, in Birmingham, we’ve never seen the level of...
Deontee Gordon of TechBirmingham sees Birmingham leading in inclusive innovation
As president of TechBirmingham, Deontee Gordon has a front-row seat to the growing innovation economy in the Magic City. He likes the view. “It’s exciting to see us going from a city and a region that did a lot of studies to a city and a region that is acting on them...
