A week of events for every stage of entrepreneurship ends with a live pitch night:

$17,500 in judges’ prizes plus a $2,500 People’s Choice award

MOBILE, Ala. – Innovation Portal will celebrate its 10th anniversary with Innovation Week, Nov. 16 to 20, a week of events for every stage of entrepreneurship. Student field trips, a program alumni lunch, a founder graduation, an accelerator showcase, a capital workshop and a live pitch competition bring together everyone from first-time dreamers to seasoned investors and mentors.

Four of those events are free and open to the public on Nov. 18 and 19 at Innovation Portal, 358 St. Louis St. in downtown Mobile.

Since 2016, Innovation Portal has served 1,655 entrepreneurs. Those founders have raised $63.2 million and created or retained 1,295 jobs, as of June 2026.

“For too long, the perception was that you had to leave Mobile to build something big,” said Todd Greer, executive director of Innovation Portal. “Over the last ten years, our founders have proved that wrong. Innovation Week is our way of inviting our community to see what’s being built right here, and to invite the next wave of builders through the door.”

Free public events

Wednesday, Nov. 18

• 4 to 5:30 p.m. Regions Foundation TechAcademy Graduation. Local business owners show how they took jobs off their own plates, from automating registrations to building intake systems, and what they’ll build next.
• 6 to 7:30 p.m. Fall gBETA Gulf Coast Showcase. Meet the high-growth startups that could be the Gulf Coast’s next big companies. Each fall and spring, gBETA selects up to five scalable companies for a free, seven-week accelerator from gener8tor, with one-on-one coaching, weekly mentor sessions and pitches to 25 investors. At the showcase, this fall’s cohort shows what they’ve built and where they’re headed. A cocktail hour from 5:30 to 6 p.m. bridges the two events.

Thursday, Nov. 19

• 2 to 3:30 p.m. Capital Readiness Workshop presented by Malone Unlimited. Small business owners and startup founders learn how to finance growth without giving up ownership. A happy hour follows from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
• 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. 10-Year Celebration and Women’s Foundation of Alabama Pitch Competition. Up to eight finalists from across the Southeast get three minutes to pitch and three minutes of Q&A. Judges award a $10,000 grand prize, $5,000 for second and $2,500 for third. The audience votes for a $2,500 People’s Choice award. The night then rolls into a celebration of ten years of Mobile founders.

The $20,000 prize pool is funded by a grant from the Women’s Foundation of Alabama. Finalists will be announced by Nov. 6. » INNOVAT10N PORTAL PRESS RELEASE

Innovation Week is made possible by Regions Foundation, the Women’s Foundation of Alabama, Innovate Alabama and Malone Unlimited.

These public events are free, and everyone is invited to join. Details and RSVP at innovationweek.innovation-portal.com.

Innovation Week is also a chance to learn more about Innovation Portal. Founders and business owners can schedule a tour or explore programs and prototyping lab resources, and community leaders can learn about becoming a mentor, sponsor or partner. Start at innovation-portal.com/contact-us or email info@innovation-portal.com.

About Innovation Portal

Innovation Portal is a nonprofit incubator and innovation hub dedicated to accelerating the growth of startup businesses across southwest Alabama and the central Gulf Coast. Offering more than just workspace, Innovation Portal is a community where entrepreneurs, innovators, and creatives come together to launch and grow their ventures.