Start In Auburn

10/20/2026

Are you an Auburn University or Southern Union student interested in growing as a leader and exploring your future in Auburn? ⚓

Anchor Auburn, powered by Fuel AL, is seeking 30 students to participate in five curated sessions focused on personal and professional growth. Connect with distinguished local leaders, explore career opportunities, serve the community, and discover what life in Auburn could look like after graduation!

Open to undergraduate and graduate students with at least 30 completed credit hours by December 31, 2026.

📅 Applications close December 7 at 5 PM CST!

🔗 Learn more and apply: https://www.auburnal.gov/economic-development/student-opportunities/

10/09/2026

Join the Auburn Women’s Entrepreneurship Collaborative on October 16th at 12 pm at the New Venture Accelerator.

It is Auburn women connecting with each other and helping Auburn entrepreneurs. The WEC engages with female alumni entrepreneurs and professionals and provides them with opportunities to get involved in Auburn Entrepreneurship, while bringing together university leaders from across campus.

Learn more about the WEC – https://nva.auburn.edu/wec/


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10/01/2026

🚀 Fall 2026 Workshop Series

Looking to take your business to the next level? Join the SBDC for another interactive workshop designed to help entrepreneurs learn, connect, and grow.

📚 Intro to Government Contracting — Oct. 15
🍽️ A light lunch will be provided

Gain practical tools, expert guidance, and resources to help your business succeed.

Spaces are limited—register today!
🔗 Register for the workshops at asbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/10709 and asbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/10708

09/14/2026

🚀 Got an idea? It’s time to pitch it!

AUBURN IDEAS JAM is back on Tuesday, September 29, giving entrepreneurs and early-stage startups the chance to pitch their ideas, gain valuable pitching experience, and compete for a prize pool of up to $10,000!

✨ No slides. No business plan required. Just bring your idea.

📅 September 29, 2026
⏰ 5–8 PM
📍 BEST Room, Horton-Hardgrave Hall
💰 Up to $10,000 in prizes

Registration is FREE, and applications close Wednesday, September 23!

👉 Visit aub.ie/IdeasJam or scan the QR code to apply.

09/10/2026

📢 Alabama SBDC Fall 2026 Workshop Series – Capital Conversations

Looking to fund or grow your business? Join us on September 24th for "Capital Conversations" with presenter Suzanne Darden of the Alabama SBDC Capital Access Team! This interactive session will help entrepreneurs better understand the financing process and prepare for successful conversations with lenders.

🍽️ A light lunch will be provided
📝 Registration is required — seating is limited!
👥 Limited to 25 participants

Register now: asbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/10707

09/01/2026

Setting small weekly goals transforms overwhelming ambitions into actionable, daily habits. By focusing on consistent, micro-steps rather than massive leaps, you build momentum, prevent burnout, and turn incremental progress into long-term success.👏📈

08/26/2026

💻 Get your business set up in QuickBooks!

Join the Alabama SBDC for free virtual trainings covering business setup and Chart of Accounts basics, led by a QuickBooks Advanced Certified ProAdvisor.

💰 Free to attend
⏳Registration Deadline: 9/8/2026 10:00 AM (CDT)

Perfect for entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to get their finances organized and start off on the right foot!

08/21/2026

A great pitch is more than just a great idea—it’s about clearly communicating the opportunity, your solution, and why your business has what it takes to succeed. 🚀

Swipe through for the 4 key elements of a strong pitch:
🎯 Opening Statement
💼 Business Overview
📊 Economics
🚀 Closing Summary

Practice your pitch, know your numbers, and most importantly, believe in your business.

08/20/2026

Are you an Auburn University student entrepreneur with a business idea that needs funding? Check out Tiger Cage.

Signup today to attend a kick-off meeting on either September 9th or 10th to learn about Auburn’s business idea pitch competitions. Get up to speed on programs like Ideas Jam, Business Builders Bash, Markersfest, Tiger Cage and the prize pools for these events which total more than $130,000.

If you have a vision for a business venture and are looking for an opportunity to secure early-stage seed funding to incubate your idea, these programs are designed for you. Program offerings like these are just one of the reasons the Princeton Review ranks Auburn University as having the best entrepreneurship program in the state.

08/19/2026

Your lunch takeout container. Your car's interior paneling. The pavement on your street.

Imagine if, instead of petroleum-based plastics, these products were manufactured from biodegradable grasses grown in Alabama.

Enter the BRIDGES Engine, an initiative designed to transform underutilized farmland in Alabama and Tennessee into a launchpad for biobased consumer products.

Co-led by HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Auburn University, the University of Tennessee, Volkswagen Group of America and AGgrow Tech LLC, BRIDGES brings together 85 additional partners from industry, government and academia.

Tuesday, the National Science Foundation announced the BRIDGES Engine as one of the winners of its nationwide Regional Innovation Engines competition. BRIDGES will receive up to $160 million over 10 years to address critical challenges facing the Southeast, where communities need stronger agricultural markets, economic diversification and quality job opportunities.

“This transformative investment from NSF, paired with the hundreds of years of combined expertise that the partners bring to the table, allows us to build something that hasn't existed before,” said Steve Taylor, vice president for research and economic development at Auburn.

"For generations, the Southeast has exported agricultural commodities to others that create value-added products from them. In that system, our local or regional economies often don’t get to share in the higher value created from those final products. BRIDGES gives us an opportunity to reshape the regional economy by creating new industries, new jobs and new markets rooted in our strengths, right here in our own communities."



Learn more: https://bit.ly/4wNWdIY

Backed by up to $160 million from the National Science Foundation, Auburn and partners will connect farmers, manufacturers and communities to create new markets, new jobs and new opportunities across Alabama and Tennessee.