One of the best parts of my role as Marketing Manager at Innovate Mississippi is spotlighting founders who are solving real problems—often creatively—right here in our state. Most days, I tell the stories of startups with big visions and plans to scale. But sometimes, a founder walks in with an…
In 2021, CampusKnot was at a crossroads. The startup, founded in 2015 in Starkville, Mississippi, had already been in the market for several years, experimenting with features and business models in the higher education space. But something wasn't quite clicking, says CEO Rahul Gopal. The product had features professors liked…
iQSports began because Andrew Doyle, sitting in a press box serving as an assistant high school coach, decided it'd be faster to type the plays he was tracking than to jot them down. He started in Word, but that only helped so much. When he switched to Excel and started…
If you've ever booked a real estate photographer, you know the pain points: scheduling delays, inconsistent results, and long turnaround times for media delivery. Home Tours Pro, a Mississippi-based startup founded by Jeff Smith and Mark Davis, is tackling all that head-on with an ambitious vision to automate and de-skill…
The Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation in partnership with the University of Mississippi and the Mississippi Small Business Development Center Network, announced the return of Innovate Mississippi’s CoBuilders Program to Oxford in Summer 2025. CoBuilders, a Partnership-Driven Accelerator, first launched by Innovate Mississippi in 2022, is a 12-week intensive and…
Innovate Mississippi is proud to partner with the Mississippi Small Business Development Center Network (MSBDCN) and regional partners across Mississippi to present a new season of Statewide Pitch Events. These Pitch Events spotlight innovative startups and small businesses from every corner of the Magnolia State, giving founders a chance to…
For Tyler Anthony and Thomas White, the journey to launching their first product, Switch 1.0, started long before their company, Duet Technology (or DueTT), was even an idea. The two met at the "Summer Bridge" engineering camp before their freshman year at Mississippi State University and quickly became friends. While Anthony was ping…
CANTON, MS – Innovative manufacturing minds took center stage on Friday, March 7, at the SmartTech MS Advanced Manufacturing Prize Competition, where groundbreaking solutions designed to revolutionize the industry were honored. The competition awarded $35,000 in prizes to cutting-edge technologies that enhance efficiency, optimize processes, and redefine the future of…
Earlier this year, we challenged Mississippi's most innovative minds to push the boundaries of advanced manufacturing—and they delivered. Entrepreneurs from across the state submitted groundbreaking technologies designed to optimize processes, enhance efficiency, and redefine the future of manufacturing. The judging is complete, and the SmartTech MS Advanced Manufacturing Prize Competition has reached…
Mississippi-based entrepreneur Rahul Gopal, the visionary behind CampusKnot, has been selected as one of just eight companies to join The Idea Village’s prestigious 2025 VILLAGEx accelerator! This highly competitive program brings together a diverse group of high-growth startups, each driven by bold ideas, strong teams, and a commitment to making a lasting…