Boosting Innovation: MSU MCITy launches expanded Startup Expedition
Contact: Mary Pollitz
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Building on the success of last year’s Startup Weekend, Mississippi State’s Vicksburg office at the Mississippi Center for Innovation and Technology, or MCITy, is introducing a new and enhanced Startup Expedition in January 2026.
The three-phase Startup Expedition begins January 30-31 with an intensive, two-day launchpad event. Participants will form teams to explore ways to turn university and government inventions and research into real businesses. Following the kickoff, Phase 2 runs from February to mid-March as a hybrid, six-week guided program. This stage provides hands-on mentoring and training in key areas such as customer discovery, technology development, competitive research, business model design and financial and pitch preparation.
The final phase concludes in late March with teams pitching their newly developed venture opportunities during the local DAWG Tank competition. Winning teams will move on to showcase their ventures at the April 2026 Startup Summit.
“We know that there are entrepreneurial folks out there waiting for the next big idea. We’ve got the ideas and can help you turn it into a real business,” MSU Office of Technology Management Senior Program Manager Tasha Bibb said. “It’s about helping people in Mississippi see what’s possible when creativity, research and determination meet the right tools, resources and mentors to take an innovation to the next level.”
Registration is open and available at https://tinyurl.com/w2uvmds9.
Located in Vicksburg, MCITy serves as a collaborative hub connecting entrepreneurs, researchers, and industry partners to advance technology-driven economic growth across the region.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.