DevClarity and Autonoma win a combined $75,000 at Alabama Launchpad’s Cycle 3 2023 Finale
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Dec. 8, 2023) – Two startup companies competed in a field of 10 finalists to earn a combined $75,000 in non-dilutive funding in the Alabama Launchpad Cycle 3 2023 Finale. Alabama Launchpad, a program of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA), partnered with Innovate Alabama to host the finale at Innovation Depot on Dec. 7, 2023.
Autonoma, founded by Will Bryan, claimed $50,000, winning the early-seed stage competition. Autonoma creates autonomous vehicle simulation and validation tools. It combines an AV simulator with high-bandwidth, low-latency wireless communications to allow a real vehicle to “see” a virtual environment around it. This allows for a safer transition from simulation to on-road operation and is much cheaper and more efficient than current validation methods.
“I think the real value I’ve gotten is the advice and mentorship I’ve gotten from the Launch Advisors throughout this process,” Bryan said. “Their decades of experience will provide even more than a check does, and winning Alabama Launchpad really will help us accelerate our next stage of growth.”
DevClarity, co-founded by Will Blackburn and Peter Inge, won the concept stage prize of $25,000. The company is an AI-powered platform for proactive developer management. With DevClarity, developers are able to maximize and streamline operations, while optimizing resource allocation.
“We started this company because we’ve led development teams before, and we’ve seen the difficulties in doing so,” Blackburn said. “We’ve seen developers leave Birmingham and Alabama in general, and we’ve seen tech layoffs recently. We truly believe DevClarity can play a role in creating better, more attractive teams, keeping talent here and avoiding layoffs in the future. This capital gives us a full quarter of runway, with developer help, so that we can mature the platform while we raise seed capital.”
Each finalist company received two months of intensive mentorship, through both one-on-one and group session training with startup founders and business experts, to prepare for the finale judging panels.
The early-seed stage companies were evaluated by three judges: Taylor Peake, Founder and President of MotionMobs; Maayan Gordon, Managing Partner at RTG Group Inc and Founder of Maayan Gordon Media; and Ben Wallerstein, CEO and Co-Founder of Whiteboard Advisors.
“It’s incredibly difficult looking at these amazing companies coming through Alabama Launchpad, who have been vetted and mentored,” Peake said. “To rip off one of the other judge’s statements, in full agreement, I feel like this decision was harder than the selection committee for the College Football Playoffs!”
The concept stage competition included a panel of three judges: J. Wesley Legg, President and COO at Founders Advisors; Martha Underwood, Founder of Prismm; and Bryan Stewart, Founder and CEO of HDO Health.
“To have a front seat to the innovative companies that are in Alabama, doing amazing things, is rewarding and proof and evidence that Alabama’s open for business,” Underwood said. “There is a talent pipeline here, and larger companies can come here to access people and resources to scale. People think Alabama is not the place to come to because of the history here, but when they come here and see programs like Alabama Launchpad and high-tech companies, like DevClarity and Autonoma, they realize their perception was wrong. Alabama is the place to build.”
Alabama Launchpad has now funded 117 Alabama startups since its inception in 2006. Over the past 16 years, Alabama Launchpad has awarded over $6 million in non-dilutive funding to the winning companies, which today have an estimated combined post-money valuation of more than $1 billion and employ more than 1,300 people.
Alabama Launchpad is conducted in partnership with Innovate Alabama, which implements programs and policies that support Alabama’s innovation ecosystem. Through these efforts, Innovate Alabama empowers entrepreneurs, business owners and students to build a business, a career and a life in Alabama.
Alabama Launchpad is also funded in part by grants from the Alabama Department of Commerce and Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), as well as private foundations like Truist, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama’s Caring Foundation and Wells Fargo.
The Alabama Launchpad program has funded growing companies like TaxxWiz, CHONEX, Vulcan Line Tools, Immediate and more by offering non-dilutive prize money for its pitch competition. The EDPA is a private, nonprofit organization that supports business recruitment and expansion efforts in Alabama and promotes innovative and emerging startup companies through its Alabama Launchpad program.
The Alabama Launchpad Cycle 1 2024 applications will open January 2, 2024. To learn more please click here.
About Alabama Launchpad
Established in 2006, Alabama Launchpad is Alabama’s most active, early-stage seed fund investor, driving innovation and job growth through startup competitions and ongoing mentoring for Alabama entrepreneurs. Alabama Launchpad is made possible by the generous support from Innovate Alabama, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, the Alabama Department of Commerce, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Caring Foundation, Truist Bank, The University of Alabama, Auburn University, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, the Daniel Corporation Foundation. It is the state’s longest running business plan and pitch competition. Over the past 16 years, Alabama Launchpad has invested over $6 million into 116 Alabama startups. The winning startup companies have generated over 1,300 jobs for the state and have a combined post-money valuation of over $1 billion.
About Innovate Alabama
Innovate Alabama is Alabama’s first statewide public-private partnership focused on entrepreneurship, technology and innovation with a mission to help innovators grow roots here in Alabama. Innovate Alabama was established to implement the initiatives and recommendations set forth in the Alabama Innovation Commission’s report, including smart policy solutions that will create a more resilient, inclusive and robust economy to remain competitive in a 21st-century world. With founding CEO Cynthia Crutchfield leading the charge, Innovate Alabama is also made up of a board of 11 innovation leaders appointed by Gov. Ivey, collaborating across sectors to advance industries, drive technology and facilitate an environment where innovation and entrepreneurship thrive. Learn more about Innovate Alabama at www.innovatealabama.org.
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