Mississippi has bemoaned its lack of technology startups and venture capital since the first dot-com boom in the mid 1990s.
Innovate Mississippi believes it might have a solution. It is providing funding and training to seven Mississippi tech startups through a 12-week program.
Alex Bucklew and Johnathan McAdory had an idea for a product that would find the best price for prescription drugs by aggregating discounts from a variety of sources. Their company, SimpleScript, is their first try at starting a business. For Bucklew and McAdory, Innovate Mississippi’s accelerator has taught them how to grow their business.
”Especially something that’s scalable to the level (SimpleScript) is, it can be difficult to figure out what to do next. We needed some counsel on how to get from point A to point B.” said Bucklew. “From working with CoBuilders we will be ready to get funding.”
Mississippi has a nascent tech scene and state leaders have struggled with how to grow it. Innovate Mississippi is a nonprofit organization trying to connect entrepreneurs with investors and other resources across the state.
“With 3 million people in Mississippi, we’ve gotta do a lot of work just to find the business that needs the mentor three hours away, that needs the accounting person,” said Tony Jeff, the CEO and president of Innovate. “We connect those dots.”
Jeff says that without this connection, founders would turn to other states for funding and resources.
CoBuilders, Innovate’s 12-week startup accelerator, mentors and trains Mississippi entrepreneurs on how to get their company and product ready to show to investors. Innovate, which is funded through a mix of public and private money, also invests $25,000 into each company.
This year’s cohort of seven companies has been refining its products to pitch to investors on Nov. 11. On pitch day, they’ll be looking to raise upwards of $100,000 each. Unlike other small businesses, startups are focused on rapid growth and capturing a large share of a market.
To support this they usually rely on raising money from outside investors. In the early stages of a startup, companies often look to “angel investors,” wealthy individuals or groups that invest a small amount in a company.
Jeff said it’s not enough for founders to have a polished pitch, they need to have researched their competitors and received feedback from users.
Leta Palmiter’s company, Vertical Take-Off Reading, is currently in its third pilot round and has over 130 students using it.
Entrepreneurs from across the state attended an Innovate Mississippi incubator event held at the Capital Club to promote startup companies, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 in Jackson. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi TodayThe software she created with co-founder Ben Stasa, measures students’ oral reading skills. As a speech therapist and executive director of a nonprofit that serves dyslexic students, Palmiter saw students needed one-on-one help with reading that teachers just didn’t have the time for. She looked for a tool to help her measure her students’ ability to read out loud but couldn’t find anything. So she decided to do it herself.
Vertical’s program can be used in a classroom or at home on any device with a microphone. A child reads out loud while the app records it then creates a report for the teacher to measure the student’s progress.
Leta Palmiter Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi TodayReading out loud helps with comprehension and is especially important for students with dyslexia. Palmiter says that Vertical is designed to complement teaching, not replace it.
“ We know that it’s doing a great job measuring that accuracy at that sound level and that kind of data will drive instruction,” said Palmiter.
She met Stasa, a doctoral student in computer science at the University of Southern Mississippi, who was tackling the same problem. Palmiter said that working together helped bring the product to market.
Mississippi’s colleges are playing an active role in growing the startup pipeline, funding research and fostering new ideas. Innovate works with universities to host pitch competitions and connect to founders.
“ There’s a lot of resources that the schools and universities help support tech entrepreneurs,” said Ricky Romanek founder of ClaimTra, a healthcare analytics tool for hospitals and clinics to recover insurance claims.
Jeff says that students regularly tell him that they plan on leaving Mississippi because it lacks good job opportunities for them. While it’s a small slice of the economy, Jeff thinks the tech sector could play a role in addressing Mississippi’s brain drain problem.
“ There are a slice of Mississippians that these are the best and most exciting ways for them to stay here, be gainfully employed, and even move people here,” said Jeff.
It can be difficult finding the right companies for the accelerator. They need to be innovative companies, often in the tech sector, that are early in development and have high growth potential.
“It is very obvious we have more money chasing deals than we have deals. So we’ve got to get everything we can to make every startup qualified for that money,” said Jeff. That’s where Innovate comes in, nurturing home-grown companies and attracting new companies to Mississippi.
Romanek has brought Innovate “ a couple other crazy ideas” before and is excited to contribute to Mississippi’s tech industry.
Romanek said: “ I think there’s a huge startup potential in Mississippi that’s untapped. There’s a lot of great ideas. I don’t think they’re aware of all the resources that are available.”
Hence then, the article about innovate mississippi startup accelerator wants to create new jobs and opportunities was published today ( ) and is available on Mississippi Today ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Innovate Mississippi startup accelerator wants to create new jobs and opportunities )
Also on site :