Startup Talk: New York startup Verve Mobile adds another Arkansan to payroll

Editor’s note: Each Thursday, Talk Business & Politics provides “Startup Talk,” a round-up of startup, technology and entrepreneurial news.

NEW YORK STARTUP VERVE MOBILE ADDS ANOTHER ARKANSAN TO PAYROLL: Another former Acxiom Corp. employee has joined the executive team of Wall Street startup Verve Mobile, which touts itself as a location-based mobile platform that enables marketers to engage consumers in real-time. Verve recently hired Little Rock native Bryan Throckmorton as vice president of enterprise data. The former head of Acxiom’s global consulting business, Throckmorton most recently served a stint as chief revenue officer at Big Cloud Analytics, an Atlanta-based analytics software startup that was among three other tech firms to announce plans to set up shop in downtown Conway earlier this year. In April, former Acxiom Chief Revenue Officer Nada Stirratt landed as CEO of Verve, which is headquartered in New York City and has more than 150 employees.

2016 DELTA ENTREPRENEURSHIP NETWORK FELLOWS ANNOUNCED: Thirty-six entrepreneurs and support organizations from the Mississippi River Delta and Alabama Black Belt regions have received a Delta Entrepreneurship Network fellowship and will participate in a series of intensive technical assistance trainings and New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, Delta Regional Authority Federal Co-Chairman Chris Masingill announced this week.

The 22 winning entrepreneurs were selected through a series of six pitch competitions throughout the DRA footprint. Additionally, 14 entrepreneurship support organizations were identified through a competitive application process. These regional experts and practitioners represent organizations providing a variety of technical assistance services to entrepreneurs, including hosting the Delta Challenge. For a full list of the 2016 Delta Entrepreneurship Network Fellows, visit here.

L’OREAL USA ANNOUNCES STEM FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FOR WOMEN RESEARCHERS, SCIENTISTS: L’Oreal USA, which operates a manufacturing and distribution facility in North Little Rock, announced the start of the 2016 application period for the For Women in Science fellowship program, which recognizes and rewards the contributions women make in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields and identifies exceptional women researchers committed to serving as role models for younger generations. Five U.S.-based women will receive a fellowship grant of $60,000 each for their postdoctoral research through the program. In the U.S., the For Women in Science fellowship program has awarded 60 post-doctoral women scientists nearly $3 million in grants. The 2015 For Women in Science fellows included an exoplanetary astrophysicist, a marine microbiologist, a synthetic biologist, a cancer bioengineer and a condensed matter physicist, each conducting innovative research with the potential to impact people’s lives and the world.

MBDA AND OPERATION HOPE FORM NEW PARTNERSHIP TO SUPPORT MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES: The U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) and Operation HOPE have signed a memorandum of understanding designed to provide U.S. minority business enterprises (MBEs) with greater opportunities to access technical and financial resources. The official signing took place at the MBDA headquarters in Washington, D.C., where the federal agency operates a national network of 44 business centers equipped with specialists who help the nation’s minority-owned firms grow through access to contracts, capital, and markets. Operation HOPE is a Los Angeles-based non-profit that promotes financial literacy and education tools in underserved communities.