September 12, 2025 · Innovators
Meet the Founder: Innovate Alabama Supplemental Grant Recipient Nou Systems
As part of Innovate Alabama’s mission to support high-growth, high-impact startups across the state, the SBIR/STTR Supplemental Grant Program provides matching funds to Alabama companies that have received federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards.
In the most recent round of funding, Innovate Alabama awarded $3.3 million to 20 companies across the state. These founders are building the future — right here in Alabama.
Get to know them in our “Meet the Founders” Q&A series.
Company: nou Systems, Inc. (nSI)
Founder: Dr. Brent Romine
City: Huntsville
Q&A with Dr. Brent Romine, nou Systems, Inc.
In simple terms, what does your company do?
nou Systems (nSI) develops products and provides services essential to solving our customers’ most difficult, urgent and demanding technical problems. In Huntsville, we have about 200 engineers and scientists working on cutting-edge research and development projects. Our customers are the Department of Defense, other federal agencies and a growing number of commercial customers. For NASA, nSI is developing Xpres™, a portable device to automate biological sample preparation for DNA and RNA sequencing. The product for NASA will be a flight-hardened unit to help astronauts perform genetic sequencing aboard the International Space Station and future space platforms. In parallel, we are developing a commercial version of Xpres™ for field use in numerous applications, including medicine, law enforcement and agriculture.
Why are you building and growing your business in Alabama?
Having lived in Boston, Atlanta, the National Capital region and abroad, I ultimately chose to return to Alabama to launch my business. While the presence of major federal government customers in Huntsville played a role in that decision, I had long recognized Alabama’s pro-business environment. From early on, I saw the state’s commitment to supporting growth, particularly through the efforts of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber and local government, which consistently drive economic development. Local business leaders have also been incredibly generous with their time and mentorship. Additionally, Alabama’s significant investment in the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology has spurred remarkable growth in the region—momentum we’re now well-positioned to build on with our current project.
Tell us about a recent success that you’re particularly proud of.
nSI is now 100% employee owned through our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). We were only able to do that because of our continuous growth, which I attribute to our fantastic workforce! The ESOP and other profit-sharing mechanisms allow our employees to share in the success they make happen.
How will the Innovate Alabama SBIR/STTR matching funds help your company?
The Innovate Alabama Supplemental Grant will enable us to bring Xpres™ to market ahead of the competition. We will leverage the funding to accelerate product testing, refine industrial design and initiate early-stage production. A select group of beta testers—who are also potential customers—will receive loaner units to evaluate within their genetic sequencing workflows. Their insights will be critical to optimizing the product and ensuring strong market adoption.
What’s next for your business?
nSI is actively exploring strategies to scale up production in response to growing market demand. To take Xpres™ to the next level, we anticipate the need for external investment. While initial low-rate production will begin at our HudsonAlpha facility, we expect to quickly exceed that capacity. Our vision is for this growth to remain rooted in Alabama, where we can continue to build on the state’s strong support for innovation and industry.
The photograph shows the first Xpres prototype along with a disposable sample processing card that were built for NASA at nou System’s facility at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnique in Huntsville. nSI will build new generations of prototypes and deliver them to researchers for testing and user feedback using the grant funds from Innovate Alabama.
The CAD renderings show the final Xpres product: with the lid closed for processing and with the lid open to show the disposable sample processing card.
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