Techstars Tuscaloosa Appoints Atlanta Star as General Manager

Techstars Tuscaloosa has called on Anastasia Simon as the program’s first general manager.

Simon is a natural fit for the program, which will focus on supporting watertech and sustainability startups. She’s been a star in Atlanta’s tech ecosystem, moving from the startup side to the investor side. As Simon’s career has progressed, sustainability has been a “common thread” throughout her tech career, she told Hypepotamus. Simon began her tech career at SoftWear Automation, an Atlanta-based robotics startup that’s making T-shirt manufacturing more sustainable. She then worked in the green building industry with Shadow Ventures, an Atlanta-based venture capital firm and worked with several sustainability-focused companies while serving as Director of Investments for Techstars Atlanta Programs.

Simon admitted that as a Louisiana State University (LSU) graduate, it might be a bit difficult for her to be in Tuscaloosa (home of the University of Alabama) during football season. But beyond the SEC rivalries, she’s excited to work with startup founders who are dedicated to creating technologies to combat our global water and climate issues and who will be coming to town to be part of the program.

There’s no doubt that cutting-edge technological innovations will be needed to solve the global water crisis. But Simon believes Tuscaloosa could become a hub for such innovation.

“When you talk about water, the South has too much of it in many places,” citing places like New Orleans and Miami as examples. But the Southeast is also home to a deep agricultural scene that is struggling with a growing number of water shortages. droughts of recent years.

“Regionally, WaterTech makes a lot of sense…and it’s a great way for Tuscaloosa to establish itself as its own growth hub,” Simon added.

The WaterTech and Sustainability program is designed in partnership with the University of Alabama and the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority.

Since joining the company as CEO, Simon said Tuscaloosa has been a “welcoming community” for her and those in the startup ecosystem.

“It’s a smaller market than Atlanta, but it’s full of opportunity and potential,” she added.

Techstars Arrive in Tuscaloosa

The Tuscaloosa community welcomes the program and Simon to town. Justice Smyth, executive director of the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority (TCEDA), said, “The decision to partner with Techstars was driven by their unparalleled expertise in fostering startup ecosystems and their commitment to sustainability and technological advancement. We believe Techstars’ presence will serve as a catalyst for the growth of our local startup community and position Tuscaloosa, and Alabama as a whole, as a hub for innovative water technology solutions.”

“The University of Alabama has become an epicenter for cutting-edge water research. Our talented faculty, staff and students are helping to address critical water challenges through programs and facilities hosted on the UA campus,” said Dan Blakley, UA associate vice president for economic and business engagement. “We look forward to partnering with Techstars to launch the WaterTech and Sustainability Accelerator to support commercialization and economic development in this critically important area. I am thrilled to work with Anastasia as our founding executive director. She brings the experience, deep network and entrepreneurial energy to lead this program.” I am confident she will excel as we seek to align the strengths of UA’s talent and cutting-edge facilities with the world’s most innovative startups to create sustainable solutions to society’s most pressing challenges and continue to grow the Tuscaloosa community as a hub for the water economy.”

Earlier this year, Techstars hosted a Founder Catalyst program in Tuscaloosa, a pre-accelerator Designed for WaterTech and Sustainability Founders. The pre-accelerator program attracted founders from multiple countries, demonstrating the growing importance of the WaterTech sector globally.

Under Simon’s leadership, the city’s first full-fledged accelerator program will launch in September. Stay tuned for news about the program’s Demo Day, which is scheduled for December 5th.