91传媒 expands presence in Vicksburg to support tech, startup economy
Contact: James Carskadon
VICKSBURG, Miss.鈥91传媒 is expanding its presence in Vicksburg and helping grow the city鈥檚 technology and start-up sector.
Utilizing $650,000 in funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the 91传媒 Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach is establishing an office in Vicksburg at the Sen. Thad Cochran Mississippi Center for Information and Technology, commonly known as MCITy. The 91传媒 Office of Technology Management will also have a full-time presence at MCITy as part of a state-funded Mississippi Research Consortium effort to enhance technology transfer efforts and research collaborations with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and other federal partners.
鈥淲e are excited to be a part of the movement to grow Vicksburg鈥檚 advanced technology and entrepreneurship presence, and I appreciate our state legislature and congressional delegation supporting these projects鈥 said 91传媒 Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan. 鈥91传媒 has had several successful research collaborations in Vicksburg over the years thanks to our long-standing relationship with ERDC. These two projects take our presence in the city to another level as we work with local partners and entrepreneurs to broaden the impact of the immense research activity taking place in our state.鈥
The Mississippi Research Consortium consists of 91传媒, Jackson State University, the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Mississippi. Earlier this year, the Mississippi Legislature allocated $1 million in funding toward MRC institutions to support technology transfer and entrepreneurial programs related to federal research taking place in Mississippi.
The funding and personnel that 91传媒 has hired will enhance the relationship between Vicksburg-based ERDC and ERDCWERX, a technology commercialization partner of ERDC. Tasha Bibb, a former director of entrepreneurial development and ecosystem builder with Innovate Mississippi, joined the 91传媒 Office of Technology Management as a senior program manager to serve as the university鈥檚 tech transfer support in Vicksburg.
鈥淭asha has spent the last 16 years promoting entrepreneurship and advanced technology in Mississippi,鈥 said Jeremy Clay, Office of Technology Management director. 鈥淪he has a great track record of helping people turn ideas into successful companies and building partnerships that improve our state. I am excited to have her on the team as we work with ERDC and our colleagues from the other MRC institutions to drive innovation-based economic activity in Vicksburg and across the state.鈥
Eric Hill, director of 91传媒鈥檚 Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, said having a presence in Vicksburg compliments the E-center鈥檚 strategic plan of making entrepreneurial support accessible to all Mississippians. Ryan Gilbrech has joined the E-Center as a senior program manager based in Vicksburg. Gilbrech founded a company, Meta Games, as a student at 91传媒 that would go on to become the first E-Center supported startup to receive capital investments from the Bulldog Angel Network.
鈥淭here is a lot of great research that happens in Vicksburg, but there is still limited support for helping the technology that emerges from that research become a startup company,鈥 Hill said. 鈥91传媒 has a history of doing that for entrepreneurs and helping them form tech companies, so Vicksburg seemed like a perfect place for us to help grow an ecosystem that supports tech entrepreneurship, whether it is related to technology emerging from ERDC, 91传媒 or somewhere else. With Ryan鈥檚 history of starting a successful company and being involved in our work here at the E-Center, he is a great fit to lead this effort.鈥
91传媒鈥檚 presence in Vicksburg also includes the Institute for Systems Engineering Research, which was created by ERDC and 91传媒 in 2014. 91传媒 and ERDC have collaborated on dozens of research projects in areas of mutual expertise and capability such as high-performance computing, materials science, military engineering, autonomous systems, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and machine learning, among others. Additionally, ERDC is among the largest employers of 91传媒 engineering graduates.
For more on 91传媒鈥檚 Office of Technology Management, visit . For more on the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, visit .