Your Startup Guide
Thinking about starting a business in Mississippi? Learn more about the stages of entrepreneurship and the resources available to help you succeed.
Find your guide
Exploring a new territory needs the right guide. Find the guide to help you map your journey.
Choose your guide
University Programs
Mississippi universities offer a range of programs that promote and support entrepreneurship among students, faculty and alumni.
Tech or Innovation Focus
Innovate Mississippi has helped launch more than 1,300 startups in Mississippi and connected them with more than $179 million in seed and venture capital.
Non-Tech Focus
Mississippi’s Small Business Development Centers are an excellent choice for entrepreneurs, especially those that are not technology or innovation oriented.
Minority owned
Higher Purpose Co supports black entrepreneurs in Mississippi through business funding, business fellowship and education opportunities.
Support in Your Community
Find entrepreneur support organizations and programs in your community.
Prepare Your Launch
Your guide will help you get through the many challenges and opportunities for a new business. You’ll need to find experts to validate your idea to make sure it makes good business sense, recruit a small team of partners to help bring your idea to life, and locate supporters and funders.
Find your crew and pitch
Accelerators
Accelerators provide advice and resources to accelerate the development of small businesses with a minimum viable product.
Workshops
Small business workshops provide entrepreneurs with learning opportunities for both general and specific business topics.
Incubators
Incubators help startup and early-stage companies develop by providing services such as management training or office space.
Meetups
Attend meetings, in person and virtual, with other entrepreneurs, advisors and experts to learn, network and share ideas.
Ideation Events
Participate in team events to create, develop and pitch new business ideas.
Pitch Competitions
Improve and compete
Prototype Shops
Prototype manufacturers provide services that provide services needed to model or create an early release of a product.
Maker spaces
Maker spaces are facilities where community members are provided equipment and materials to learn, design and create products.
Funding / Investors
Investor networks are groups organized to provide investment financing to startup companies.
Coworking Spaces
Coworking spaces allow startups to work independently or collaboratively in an office space with shared infrastructure, equipment, utilities, and other services.
Technology Centers
Technology centers provide facilities and access to resources and equipment needed to advance learning, research and development of innovation-based companies.
University Research Parks
University research parks are university-affiliated institutions that provide facilities, technology and support to advance research- and innovation-based enterprise.
Choose Your Next Adventure
Sometimes the end of one journey is the beginning of another. If you had a successful launch, you have several options ahead of you. You can work to secure venture funding to scale your business, or you can sell your product or business to another party. You may even decide to start another business. While it’s ultimately your choice, it’s a good idea to get advice from experts who have faced similar decisions.
