Community Based Programs
Our community programs are free and accessible to all Alabama citizens. They offer a wealth of resources and information designed to help local tech innovators and entrepreneurs to launch, scale, and thrive in their business ventures.
All Access @ The Classic
All Access @ The Classic are networking events that include engaging panel discussions held alongside the various HBCU classic football game weekends across the state. These events offer unique opportunities for tech talent and entrepreneurs to connect in a relaxed and enjoyable setting, all while gaining valuable insights and resources to enhance their individual enterprises.
Read about All Access @ The Classic: Entrepreneurs Edition 2024 here.
Practical Startup Strategies
The Alabama Collective has partnered with Auburn University’s Lowder Center for Family Business & Entrepreneurship to provide a series of training workshops for current and aspiring entrepreneurs. Attendees can expect to learn valuable skills and techniques to help launch, scale, and grow their business.
Read about our recent Practical Startup Strategies events here.
Blacks in Tech
Each year the Blacks in Tech events are designed to foster dialogue and development in the tech sector. Be it a networking mixer focusing on HBCUs and NPHC, a roundtable series or Tailgate Experience they bring together a diverse array of influential voices, from local government leaders to tech industry innovators and most importantly students from our Alabama HBCUs. These vibrant events celebrate the spirit of community and camaraderie. It’s more than just a social gathering; it’s a unique opportunity for attendees to forge new connections, strengthen existing networks, and immerse themselves in tech and innovation.
SLOSS Tech
Founded in 2015, Sloss Tech is an annual tech conference held in Birmingham Alabama that gathers tech enthusiasts, industry leaders, and emerging talents from across the state and beyond.
This year’s event, held on June 27-June 28, 2024, was deeply rooted in our mission to elevate minority tech talent. As part of Innovate Alabama’s “Next in Tech” initiative, The Alabama Collective sent students from HBCUs across the state to participate in this transformative experience. These students engaged in specialized programming, networked with industry experts, and showcased their skills in events like the first-ever Student Pitch Competition. Notably, 40% of Next in Tech attendees were from HBCUs.
Click here to read more about Sloss Tech’s Next in Tech Initiative. Watch an interview with Alabama A&M student Jevon Tatum here.
Innovate Alabama
Hackathon
The Innovate Alabama Entrepreneurship Hackathon aims to engage college students from across Alabama to identify and create innovative solutions benefiting communities across the state.
Each year brings a new problem to address, igniting the entrepreneurial spirit while participants work on crafting venture plans that are self-sustainable, impactful, and creative.
The top teams are awarded substantial cash prizes, mentoring, and grant funding, underlining our commitment to nurturing and empowering Alabama’s emerging talent in entrepreneurship and tech innovation.
