5 Forestry Startups Selected for Alabama Forestry Accelerator

(Gener8tor/Biomass Magazine) Five startups building for the forest-products industry have been selected for the Alabama Forestry Accelerator, a gBETA program run by national venture capital firm gener8tor. DNA Source, enVerde, Gulf Coast Biomass, Proon-Tech and Treelyon will participate in the program, based at the Wiregrass Innovation Center in Dothan.

The Alabama Forestry Accelerator is a free seven-week program designed to set a path for startups to pursue investment opportunities. It charges no fees and takes no equity. Founders receive intensive concierge coaching and access to gener8tor's national network of mentors, customers, corporate partners and investors. This cohort also spends three in-person stretches in the Wiregrass, including an industry tour, and hears weekly from forestry leaders such as the Alabama Forestry Commission.

gener8tor received more than 30 applications for the program. The five selected companies were chosen based on their growth potential, investor readiness and commitment to doing business in the Wiregrass. See below for more details on each company.

"Forestry has long been one of the cornerstones of Alabama's economy, and nowhere is that more true than here in the Wiregrass. The companies selected for this year's Alabama Forestry Accelerator represent the next generation of innovation in an industry that supports thousands of jobs and countless rural communities across our state," said Dean Mitchell, Director of HudsonAlpha Wiregrass. "We're proud to help these entrepreneurs grow their ideas and strengthen a sector that matters so deeply to our region's future."

The program is made possible by a partnership with Grow Southeast Alabama and HudsonAlpha Wiregrass, with support from Innovate Alabama, Alabama Power and ALFA.

"Grow Southeast Alabama is proud to bring this program back to the Wiregrass for a second cohort. Forestry is one of our region's biggest industries, and these founders are bringing new technology and new investment to it," said Melody Lee, Executive Director of Grow Southeast Alabama.

At the end of the program, the founders will pitch their companies to investors, community partners and the public at a showcase on Friday, Dec. 11, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the Wiregrass Innovation Center, held as part of the monthly Wiregrass Innovation Network meeting. RSVP.

Startups and founders interested in learning more about gBETA's programming or applying to a future cohort can visit the Alabama Forestry Accelerator website. Those interested in mentoring these companies or getting involved in other ways are also encouraged to connect.

ALABAMA FORESTRY ACCELERATOR FALL 2026 COHORT

DNA Source uses DNA-based technology to support the timber and forest-product industry, to help them verify what they grow, protect what they develop, and prove what they sell. Once started as a forestry research grant at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, DNA Source is currently based in Dothan's Wiregrass Innovation Center, and is preparing to spin out as an independent company.
Business Development Lead: Lindsey Fountain | lfountain.contractor@hudsonalpha.org

enVerde turns wood waste into heat and fuel gas (syngas) using a patented catalytic gasification technology licensed exclusively from the University of Minnesota. Its modular units give sawmills/forest products organizations a use for bark, chips, sawdust, tree tops, branches, and pulp they would otherwise pay to handle. enVerde is actively progressing pilot and demonstration opportunities.
Founder and CEO: Dave Goebel | dave.goebel@enverdellc.com

Gulf Coast Biomass is developing a wood pellet manufacturing facility in Dothan to convert locally sourced sawmill and forestry residuals into premium residential heating pellets for export. Shipping from Savannah and other southeastern ports, the facility will produce pellets to ENplus A1 specifications for residential markets throughout Europe, with focus on the large and growing Italian market.
Founder and CEO: Dominic Walker | dominic@gulfcoastbiomass.net |

Proon-Tech helps land owners reduce the resource intensity of growing, managing and protecting trees: the water, labor and inputs each tree needs to survive and thrive. Its 360-degree deep-tech stack combines biotech and AI field intelligence across the tree lifecycle, for forests, nurseries, orchards and infrastructure. Across its four field pilots in forestry and orchards, Proon-Tech cut planting and post-planting resource and labor cost by 73%. The company is now bringing these pilot results to the United States, starting in the Wiregrass and the Southeast.
Co-founders: Thea Gherdan, CEO and Stefan Alin, CTO | thea@proon-tech.com

Treelyon is a Physical AI company building the biophysical intelligence infrastructure for the world's forests, starting with Alabama's timber industry. Its sensor-agnostic AI pipeline fuses LiDAR, hyperspectral and thermal imaging, ground-based sensing, and environmental DNA (eDNA) technologies to measure individual tree structure, species, health, and defects, while developing automated timber product and grade classification. A recent Alabama pilot reduced field data collection time by 93%, demonstrating the potential for faster, more affordable timber cruising and a deeper understanding of a forest's biological and economic value. Founder and CEO Abby Seneor, recognized as one of the Top 10 Women in AI, previously served as CTO of deep-tech companies, led urban forest digitization initiatives, and held senior engineering roles at Microsoft and Intel, specializing in computer vision and spatial technologies.
Founder and CEO: Abby Seneor | abby@treelyon.com READ MORE