24 Founders of Alabama Companies Sign Letter of Support

For Immediate Release
March 20, 2023

A group of 24 founders of technology-related companies in Birmingham, Huntsville, and Mobile have signed a joint letter to the board of Innovate Alabama urging them to support Birmingham-Southern College as it seeks a one-time investment of bridge funding from public sources.

The letter highlights the challenges of meeting workforce needs among tech-focused companies. “Over the past several decades, Alabama’s workforce development efforts have placed emphasis on manufacturing to meet the needs of industrial recruitment successes,” it states.

“Even so, Alabama needs more candidates with bachelor’s degrees and, more significantly, the specific skills of critical thinking, problem-solving, the ability to adapt, learn, and lead, upon which all of our businesses depend.

“For this reason, we have increasingly had to look outside the state for many of our key hires. Since relocation is often an obstacle to hiring, we have lost out on recruiting talent as well. That’s one reason we are enthusiastic about the ongoing work of the Alabama Innovation Commission, and your role on its board is why we are writing to you today. “

The Alabama Innovation Commission, also known as Innovate Alabama, is a public-private partnership focused on entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation. Established by Gov. Kay Ivey in July 2020, the commission’s goals include access to capital, talent attraction and retention, and developing a skilled workforce to meet the needs of Alabama companies.

The College, which is asking for a one-time investment of $37.5 million in bridge funding from the State, the City of Birmingham, and Jefferson County, is Alabama’s only nationally ranked liberal arts college. “Liberal arts colleges have long been recognized for nurturing the kind of critical thinking and problem-solving that entrepreneurs value, and BSC is producing many of the liberal arts graduates who work for our companies,” the letter states.

In 2021, Birmingham and Huntsville had more than 1,100 job openings in data science. This relatively new field, which combines computer science and mathematics, is now a necessary tool for almost every business and every profession, and is now part of the curriculum of top colleges and universities around the country.

Under the leadership of President Daniel Coleman, BSC expanded its tech-related offerings to include a 12-week data science program open to both BSC- and non-BSC students. The College has been approved to launch a master’s degree in data science in fall 2023, with three more master’s programs to follow over the next three years.

“By integrating programs such as data science into the liberal arts, we will continue to educate the young people of our state to think critically while at the same learn useful, practical skills that need to be deployed here in Alabama for our state’s future,“ Coleman said.

“The leaders who signed this letter of support are creating much of the economic growth of the state,” he added. “What they are building through their businesses will change Alabama – not only by providing career and financial opportunities for so many people, but also by creating the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

The letter is signed by:

Sameer Ather, MD, PhD, Co-Founder and CEO, XpertDox, Birmingham
Brooke Tanner Battle, Founder, Swell Fundraising, Birmingham
Kenneth Bethune, CEO, Crossflow Technologies, Madison
David Brasfield, CEO, ThreatAdvice, Birmingham
Delphine Carter, Founder and CEO, Boulo Solutions, Birmingham
Chris Giattina, CEO, BLOX, Birmingham
Dave Gray, CEO, Stoneybrook Ventures, Birmingham
Joshua Jones, Co-Founder and CEO, QuantHub, Birmingham
Trent Kocurek, Founder, Airship, Birmingham
Michael Lynch, Co-Founder and CEO, CHONEX, Birmingham
Mike Mullen, Chairman and CEO, Circulogene Diagnostics, Birmingham
Andrew M. Newton, President, Uniti Fiber, Mobile
Shegun Otulana, Founder and CEO, Harmony Venture Labs, Birmingham
Craig Parker, CEO, Guideway Health; Entrepreneur in Residence, Maynard Cooper & Gale, Birmingham
John Peinhardt, Co-Founder and CEO, Strategypoint Corporation, Birmingham
Mazi Rasulnia, PhD, Founder and Former CEO, PackHealth, Birmingham
Duncan Rein, Managing Director, Tios Capital, Birmingham
William Roark, CEO, Starfish Holdings, Huntsville
George Salem, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Proxsys Rx, Birmingham
Robert Shufflebarger, Founder and CEO, TriAltus Bioscience, Birmingham
Sanjay Singh, PhD, Partner, CS Equities, and Founder/Advisor, Alabama Capital Network, Birmingham
Bill Smith, Founder and CEO, Landing, Birmingham
Tony Summerville, Founder and CEO, Fleetio, Birmingham
Clete Walker, Founder, Vituro Health, Birmingham

Founded in 1856, Birmingham-Southern College has raised almost $46 million toward an endowment goal of $200 million, which it is on track to reach by May 2026. For more information about BSC, how its financial challenges arose, and its workable plan to return to long-term financial resilience, visit bsc.edu.