Accelerate 2020 Schedule
Tuesday November 10
1:30pm • Company and Investor Spotlight
This event showcases a few of Mississippi’s most promising startups. Companies selected to pitch are currently or will soon pursue funding to support further growth. Between pitches, investors will conduct panels on topics pertaining to raising capital and investing in Mississippi startups.
Software tool to create the “golf handicap” of running, making possible all sorts of competitive metrics and virtual competitions.
Social and promotional tools specifically for musicians and bands.
Duett developed self-cooling electric barber clippers and sheers specifically targeted a niche market for African-American and Latino hair.
Caroline Crumley, Dr. Nashlie Sephus, Mike Morgan, and Wade Patterson
From Shark Tank™ to Pitch Competitions, Investors are always asking entrepreneurs the hard questions, but this panel gives entrepreneurs (& others) the chance to reverse the roles and ask hard questions to this panel of experienced investors. Lindsey Benefield, Innovate Mississippi Investment Manager, will lead Q&A from four investors with different experiences and backgrounds and field audience questions to the panel.
Dr. William Rayburn
3:05pm • Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann
3:10pm • C&IS Session Two
Software and algorithms for safely moving things in the ocean, making advanced fish-farming and automated harvesting possible.
Creators of BuzzBassador, a Shopify plug-in automates the management of social media influencers and affiliates who help promote and sell products online.
Harold J. Callais II “Hal”
Callais Capital Management, based in Thibodaux, LA, is consistently one of the region’s most active Venture Capital Firms and Harold J. Callais II, “Hal”, Managing Partner and the Chief Investment Officer will discuss “Fundable Metrics.” Gain key insights on how investors think about your business and what you can do to prepare your company and your pitch to focus on the right measures of success.
Details to come.
Wednesday November 11
8:30am • Morning Keynote Session
> 8:30am: Welcome Remarks, Tony Jeff, President & CEO of Innovate Mississippi
> 8:35am: Message from Governor Tate Reeves
> 8:38am - Introduction of Breakfast Keynote Speakers
Dr. William Rayburn, co-founder and CEO of mTrade
> 8:40am: Fireside Chat: "Building Thriving Clusters and Ecosystems for Young, Entrepreneurial High-Growth Firms"
Ross DeVol, president and CEO of Heartland forward and Jon Maynard, president and CEO of Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation
9:20am • Coffee and Contacts - Networking Break on Innovation Alley
9:50am • Partnering on the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
> 9:50am: "The Growing Professional Practice of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Building, an Important and Emerging New Aspect of Economic and Community Development in a 21st Century World"
Andy Stoll, Senior Program Officer, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
> 10:15am: "Identifying Your Unique Resources and Amenities to Attract and Retain Human Capital"
Eric Hill, Director, Center for Entrepreneurship & Outreach, Mississippi State University
Jeffrey Rupp, Director of Outreach & Corporate Engagement, College of Business at Mississippi State University (moderator)
Dr. Brian Cuevas, Director, Office of Technology Development, The University of Southern Mississippi
> 10:40am: "Innovation in Education: Connecting Communities, Technology and Education"
Allyson Best, Director of Technology Commercialization, University of Mississippi, (moderator)
Sharon Nichols, State Director, Mississippi Small Business Development Center
Dr. Almesha Campbell, Assistant Vice President for Research & Economic Development, Jackson State University
> 11:00am: Wade Hinton, Assistant Secretary of State for External Affairs, State of Mississippi
> 11:10am: "Building the Workforce of the Future"
Dr. Sarah Lee, Director, School of Computing Sciences & Computer Engineering, University of Southern Mississippi (moderator)
Vince Jordan, Founder & Chief Evangelist, Lobaki, Inc.
Bobby Gillon, Director, The District on Howard Avenue, Biloxi
> 11:35am: "Attracting Advanced Technology Businesses to a Rural State"
John Rounsaville, Interim Executive Director, Mississippi Development Authority
Joe Donovan, Director, Entrepreneur Center, Mississippi Development Authority (moderator)
12:00pm • Break for Lunch + Innovation Alley
Grab your lunch and take this opportunity to meet with exhibitors on Innovation Alley or set up future meetings.
12:30pm • Afternoon Keynote and Sessions
> 12:30pm: Introduction by Dr. William Rayburn, mTrade
> 12:35pm: Afternoon Keynote: "Five Kinds of Amazing: Creating Amazing Experiences"
Joe M. Turner, Founder and Principal Speaker, Turner Magic and Keynotes
Joe M. Turner is a former change management consultant (Accenture, Bank of America) who has spent the last 20 years as a speaker, host, and entertainer for corporate meetings and conferences. An accomplished mentalist and sleight-of-hand artist, Joe weaves his illusion skills into his programs, using live interactive experiences instead of slides to illustrate and lock-in his points.
> 1:05pm: "Dealmakers - Access to Early-Stage Risk Capital in Mississippi"
Matthew McLaughlin, Founding Shareholder, McLaughlin, PC (moderator)
Ria Goel, Associate, GI Partners
Ben Walton, Former President, Mississippi Angel Fund, L.P.
> 1:30pm: "Emerging Technologies Project: Opportunities for Remote Worker Recruitment"
Dr. Henry Jones, Director of Research Development & Scientific Entrepreneurship, University of Southern Mississippi
Clark Love, CEO, Brighter Health Network
> 1:55pm: Closing Remarks and 'Block and Tackle' Reminder by Tony Jeff
Thursday November 12
9:00am • Block and Tackle - Sessions for Entrepreneurs
> 9:00am: Welcome from Director of Entrepreneurial Development Tasha Bibb, Innovate Mississippi
> 9:05am: Angela Grayson, CIPP/US, CLP, founder and principal member, Precipice IP PLLC
"Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About How to License Your Product for Big $$"
> 9:25am: Kurt Black, president of Glenwood Digital
"Design a Customer Journey that Attracts and Converts Your Ideal Clients"
> 9:47 - 9:57: Tony Jeff, President & CEO, Innovate Mississippi
"We've got a Map! Discover a Wealth of Startup Resources in Mississippi"
> 9:57 - 10:07: Dr. Nashlie Sephus, Applied Science Manager, Amazon Web Services AI
"Inside the #JXNTechDistrict: Behind-the-Scenes Discussion and Video Tour"
> 10:10am: Dr. Michele Morgan, owner, God’s Way Enterprises and Stephen Daigle, co-founder and CEO, BidMoni, Inc.
“Entrepreneurs Discuss How They Capitalized on the State Resources Available to Grow Their Ventures”
> 10:30am: Entrepreneur Roundtable (moderated by Tasha Bibb)
Join us for an open-forum discussion about the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Mississippi from the entrepreneurs’ perspectives. Engage with the panel members to ask questions, voice concerns and share success stories about items related to building successful startups in Mississippi.
> 10:58am: Closing Remarks
9:00am - 11:00am • VIP and Mentor Lounge
Contact Tasha Bibb to schedule time for our VIP investors or a member of our Mentor Network to discuss your business.
Bill Rayburn & Lois Lovelady
General Business Strategy & Capital
Rich Sun, Sun & Co.
Lurlene Irvin
Jim Lowery, mTrade
Sunny Desai
Intellectual Property & Legal
Whit Rayner, Jones Walker
Matthew McLaughlin, McLaughlin, PC
David Pharr, David Pharr Law
William Bettis, Butler Snow
Software Development
Carrie Goetz, StrategITcom
Marketing
Bryan Carter, Think Webstore
Natalie Sharma, Pixetal Studio
Darryl Pieroni, PeopleShores