September 19, 2025 · Innovators
Meet the Founder: Innovate Alabama Supplemental Grant Recipients Applied Technology Solutions
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: Applied Technology Solutions, Inc. (ATS)
Founders: Ian Allen, Jimmy Allen, Shawn Ericson and Carla Macdonald
City: Huntsville, AL
Q&A with Ian Allen, Applied Technology Solutions, Inc.
In simple terms, what does your company do?
ATS develops engineering solutions for extreme environments, with a focus on hypersonic flight and high-temperature applications. We specialize in modeling and simulating hypersonic conditions, designing ground test facilities and creating advanced materials that can withstand intense heat and speed. Our team of engineers and scientists works at the intersection of research and real-world application, supporting Department of Defense priorities and helping solve some of the toughest technical challenges in next-generation aerospace.
Why are you building and growing your business in Alabama?
North Alabama is a nexus for much of the high-end technical development that occurs in the US related to space, defense and energy. We are excited to be collocated with our customers and contribute to the vibrant, technical excellence this community is known for.
Tell us about a recent success that you’re particularly proud of.
We have been fortunate over the last year to win several important programs. This has enabled us to almost triple the size of the team with several esteemed and capable individuals. Growing our team with folks committed to collaboration and technical excellence is what we are most proud of.
How will the Innovate Alabama SBIR/STTR matching funds help your company?
This funding enables us to augment our development efforts underway on the SBIR, which increases the likelihood of maturing our technology to a point where it can meaningfully contribute to solving our customer’s high temperature material problems and enable economic growth in the region.
What’s next for your business?
Our team is laser-focused on delivering value to our customers and doing our part to address the challenges the Government is facing. We endeavor to build upon our recent successes and further grow our company’s capabilities, so we can provide more value to our customers.
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