After recruiting 23 tech companies to relocate their headquarters or open offices in the Magic City, Birmingham Bound begins its next chapter as a not for profit 501(c)(3) organization. The program was established less than five years ago under the Shipt umbrella. 

In addition to the exciting establishment of Birmingham Bound as its own entity, the board of directors has also made the strategic shift to expand its current mission to include an intentional focus on attracting underrepresented founders and diverse companies to Birmingham, supporting the city’s existing start-ups, and nurturing a vibrant and inclusive tech ecosystem. In short, Birmingham Bound now belongs to Birmingham and to the entire business community in the Magic City. 

“Growing Birmingham’s tech ecosystem creates a huge opportunity for our community,” said Khadijah Abdullah, Vice President of Economic Development and Social Impact at Shipt. “Birmingham’s tech community is so proud of Birmingham Bound and we’re thrilled to continue our great work to ensure that the tech ecosystem, workforce and leaders of Birmingham are representative of the population.” 

 The new board of directors will have representatives from Shipt, Landing, the City of Birmingham Mayor’s Office, Tech Birmingham and other leaders throughout the Birmingham business community and nonprofit sector. The initial focus on the board will be to focus on finding a proven leader with entrepreneurial experience to serve as the nonprofit’s leader.  It’s expected that the team will initially be small and mighty, with the president leading the charge. Once Birmingham Bound has established a strategic plan and approach, it is expected they will build out the needed team to help grow a world-class organization. A formal announcement and application will be shared later this month.

In order to set the tone for Birmingham Bound’s success, Shipt and Landing are making significant monetary contributions to the organization during this transitional phase and invites other Birmingham businesses to invest in the future of Birmingham’s technology ecosystem by donating as well. 

For more information, visit bhambound.com or email hello@bhambound.com.