UAH’s ICE Lab launches Huntsville Startup Ventures

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (July 25, 2014) – The Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship (ICE) Lab of the College of Business Administration at The University of Alabama in Huntsville is pleased to announce the formation of Huntsville Startup Ventures.

The group's purpose is to bring together professionals to provide essential services to new businesses and nonprofit organizations starting up in Huntsville/Madison County. This can include assistance with filing incorporation papers, securing permits, and staying on top of the complex requirements associated with starting a new business in the local community.

"We want to make Huntsville the easiest place to start a business in the country," said James Vaughn, coordinator of Huntsville Startup Ventures. "So what better way than to welcome entrepreneurs with a team of professionals ready to start them up so they can get on with business?"

The idea is the brainchild of ICE Lab's Huntsville Open Tech Coffee, or HOTCoffee, a bi-weekly gathering of entrepreneurs for networking and information exchange. Over the course of several meetings, participants came to the conclusion that entrepreneurs starting new ventures and nonprofit organizations are in need of initial legal advice as well as ongoing bookkeeping, accounting, tax, human resources, and other support services required for administrative purposes. As a result, Huntsville Startup Ventures was born.

Vaughn's fellow members include Kellie Andrews of Huntsville Hub, who provides startup space and support services; Samantha Brinkley, SPHR, a human resources expert and founder of Rocket City HR; Benjamin Jarrell, Esq., an attorney specializing in business startups at Rocket City Lawyers; Ben Singleton, a Certified Public Accountant; and Maureen Vaughn, who provides accounting, bookkeeping, payroll, and tax services through her firm, Vaughn Accounting Services. Additional members will provide expertise in banking services, real estate, and marketing.

To learn more about Huntsville Startup Ventures, interested parties are asked to contact Vaughn at 256.653.3212 or jwvashford@gmail.com.

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