Potential software and app innovators from across the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) now have a new local resource.
The UAB Bill L. Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HIIE) recently launched the Blazer App Accelerator, a program that will help would-be UAB software and app creators validate their ideas and create prototypes ready for the next step of development.
The HIIE team worked with Harmony Venture Labs, a Birmingham-area company, to create the Blazer App Accelerator. Participants in the Blazer App Accelerator will go through Harmony Venture Labs’ AppThink program, which includes an entrepreneurship curriculum focused on real-world applications. 
“It’s our goal to encourage innovation across campus, and we believe the Blazer App Accelerator can help boost the creation of novel software and apps,” said HIIE Executive Director Kathy Nugent, Ph.D. “We’re excited to expand our programming to serve the needs of all UAB innovators.”
Blazer App Accelerator participants will first go through AppThink’s four-week “Foundations” program, which helps idea-stage creators and potential startup founders validate their innovations. After completing the “Foundations” program, participants will be eligible to apply for the second part of the Blazer App Accelerator – AppThink’s “Your First Customer” program, which helps potential founders understand audience building, creating minimum viable products, going to market strategies, and scaling the product and company.
Shegun Otulana, founder and CEO of Harmony Venture Labs, said the AppThink program is a fantastic launchpad for those whose software innovations are still germinating in the idea stage.
“The insights we’ve gained from repeatedly navigating the startup journey at HVL was the genesis for creating AppThink,” Otulana said. “Our goal is to share our entrepreneurial learning at scale and provide participants an advantage through our tested framework, actionable tactics, and a network of successful entrepreneurs through our Let’s Build community on Slack.”
The HIIE team expects to select 10-20 participants for the first cycle of the Blazer App Accelerator. Those eligible to apply include UAB faculty members, staff and postdocs. Graduate students may apply with a faculty lead.
All applicants must complete or have previously completed an intellectual property (IP) disclosure covering the idea described in the application.
To find out more about the program, visit the Blazer App Accelerator webpage.
-- Nov. 7, 2024