Melton Center Awards $53,000 In Seed Money
Posted on September 28, 2026
On Tuesday, the Melton Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of South Alabama hosted the Launch Lower Alabama Pitch Competition. Entrepreneurs from South and three other academic partners went head-to-head for a chance to receive a portion of a $53,000 total prize purse to support developing business ideas.
The pitch competition was the culmination of the Launch Lower Alabama mentorship and education program which was made possible through a $225,000 grant secured from Innovate Alabama. Originally established in 2025 as Launch USA to encourage members of the University community to foster innovative ideas through business development, mentorship and seed funding, the grant allowed the program to scale across the Gulf Coast region.
The Melton Center provided grant funds to three core institutional partners, Spring Hill College, Bishop State Community College and Coastal Alabama Community College, to establish and host localized entrepreneurial programming during the spring of 2026. Through this programming, each partner selected top participants to receive additional mentorship through two local entrepreneurial hubs, Innovation Portal and The Hatch Fairhope. Throughout the summer, these regional accelerators provided direct access to seasoned mentors, executive guidance and pitch competition preparation.
After months of intensive preparation, student founders took the stage on Tuesday to showcase their concepts to a panel of expert judges and a room full of business leaders and supporters. The pitches spanned diverse industries from health-tech and consumer products to specialized software and service solutions.
Following the judge’s deliberations, the following awards were presented to the top ventures:
Scalable Division
First Place ($20,000) | Bryce Smith / AquaSense - AquaSense is developing integrated hardware and software system for aquariums to help owners manage water levels and track tank care.
Second Place ($10,000) | Falon Humphries / DispersaTip – DispersaTip is developing a single-use pipette tip that aspirates, dispenses and spreads samples to streamline laboratory workflows and reduce consumable waste.
Third Place ($5,000) | Brayden Gibson and Hannah Keel / Southern Rooted – Southern Rooted is developing a non-greasy topical pain-relief cream under the It’s Better brand that emphasizes scent, skin feel and convenient everyday use.
Hometown Business Division
First Place ($10,000) | Claudia Del Mar Robles and Christopher Autry / Scentsations - ScentSations provides personalized fragrance creation experiences for events, alongside discovery kits, subscriptions and online ordering.
Second Place ($5,000) | De'Jonia Franklin / Atelier MC – Atelier MC offers specialized barbering, styling and healthy hair care for diverse hair textures that emphasizes culture and community.
C-Spire People’s Choice Award Winner ($3,000)
Dr. Allyson Shea, Ethan Myers, Rachel Fleck / UroBacT - UroBacT is developing a urinary tract infection diagnostic kit for veterinary clinics to simplify bacterial identification and guide treatment decisions.
Judges included J. Hunter Adams, founding attorney at AdamsIP; Alexis Atkins, co-owner Budweiser Busch Distributing Inc. and University of South Alabama Board of Trustees chair pro tempore; Evan Austill, owner of Austill Ventures; Lance Covan, owner and CEO of Mitternight; Melissa Cross, president and owner of McAleer's Office Furniture; Angela Dunn, senior vice president and financial advisor at Pinnacle Financial Partners; Abe L. Harper, Jr., president of Harper Technologies; Andrew Vickers, business development with Bay Landscaping; and Doug Whitmore, senior vice president and wealth manager with Lynn-Whitmore Wealth Management at Steward Partners.
By uniting higher education, regional business hubs and regional business mentors, Launch Lower Alabama is establishing a lasting pipeline for regional talent, ensuring early-stage ideas have the resources and support required to grow into thriving Gulf Coast enterprises.
