PilotAL expands statewide, pairing Alabama companies with growth

PilotAL is expanding statewide, pairing startups with established Alabama companies to test new technologies while giving growing firms access to potential customers.

The Economic Development Partnership of Alabama announced the expansion through a partnership with Innovate Alabama, with funding for the next phase running through July 2027.

The program matches vetted growth-stage startups with Alabama companies facing specific operational challenges. Rather than committing immediately to a full technology deployment, participating companies can test a startup’s product through a milestone-based pilot, while the startup gains access to an enterprise customer and an opportunity to establish itself in Alabama.

“Founders don’t just need capital. They need a way in the door with the customers, partners and networks that let strong companies with proven products reach their next stage of growth,” said Jackson Pruett, EDPA’s director of technology company business attraction.

PilotAL launched in fall 2025 with $500,000 in initial funding. Since then, the program has engaged seven Alabama corporate partners, reached 30 startups nationally and created advisory committees focused on mobility, forestry and metals. Four pilots are either underway or in final negotiations, with most located in rural Alabama.

One of the first projects paired Colbert County automotive supplier Project XYZ with Maverick IQ, a startup specializing in smart-factory and industrial analytics technology.

Project XYZ had been operating equipment, facility and inventory systems separately, making it harder to identify machinery or inventory problems before they caused downtime. Maverick IQ brought those systems together on a platform providing real-time monitoring.

“Their software has proved to be very capable in helping us solve some of those issues,” Project XYZ President Larry Lewis said.

Project XYZ CEO Kim Caudle Lewis said the technology could also help the company, currently a tier-two automotive supplier, compete for tier-one business with major manufacturers.

“This gives us the ability, I believe, to become tier one,” she said.

The benefit has gone both ways. Maverick IQ CEO and co-founder Dalero Berkeley said the pilot dramatically expanded the startup’s customer opportunities and contributed to the company’s decision to grow its presence in Alabama.

“Our customer base just increased exponentially,” Berkeley said.

The next phase of PilotAL is expected to fund approximately six additional projects across metals, mobility, forestry and defense. EDPA also plans to begin moving new corporate partners toward a cost-sharing model as the program expands.

PilotAL is part of the broader “Alabama Puts Founders First” strategy developed by EDPA alongside the Alabama Department of Commerce and Innovate Alabama. The statewide effort combines corporate pilot programs with startup retention and targeted recruitment of growth-stage technology companies.

“Alabama’s economy grows stronger when entrepreneurs and established companies have more opportunities to work together,” Innovate Alabama CEO Cynthia Crutchfield said. “PilotAL creates those connections, helping promising startups gain access to customers, while giving Alabama companies a practical way to explore emerging technologies.”

Sawyer Knowles is a state and political reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].