SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
Three cofounders of the medical tourism startup Doctours—Maurice Landers, Girum Tihtina, and Tillman Degens—have relocated to Huntsville, Alabama, thanks to the Sweet Home Alabama grant, which provides rent-free housing for a year. The trio left New York City for Huntsville’s MidCity district to build their business in a vibrant, resourceful environment.
“We quit our jobs and left New York to cut costs,” said Tihtina, 24, Doctours’ CEO, in an interview with AL.com. Doctours connects patients seeking affordable hair transplant services with overseas clinics. Before winning the grant, the founders juggled job applications while building their company. “Now, we have five or six people daily visiting our platform and getting connected with clinics,” added Landers, 25.
The Sweet Home Alabama grant, which includes rent-free housing at the Metronome apartments, gives the team critical space to grow their startup. Their participation in gBETA Huntsville, a seven-week accelerator program run by national venture firm gener8tor, has been transformative. “We went from having nobody on our site to connecting with several users daily,” Landers told AL.com.
Another grant recipient, Ruth Young-Loaeza, 52, founder of Neet Sheets, has also found success. Young-Loaeza, originally from Mexico and previously based in San Diego, creates ergonomic bed sheets and has already made nearly $100,000 in sales. “The city’s vibe is amazing,” she told AL.com. “The transition here has been seamless.”
The grant aims to encourage entrepreneurs to settle in Huntsville long-term, said Sierra Pena, director of gBETA Huntsville, in an interview with AL.com. “Most of them were pleasantly surprised by the resources and community here,” Pena said, adding that the city is eager to retain the participants.
The gBETA program also supported three local startups:
• Fluyo, a language learning platform
• Player Intro, connecting young athletes with coaches
• Alset Technologies, offering AI solutions for businesses
For Doctours, Huntsville has offered much more than business opportunities. “We’ve explored spots like Topgolf and Campus 805,” Degens told AL.com. “Campus 805 is one of the coolest places we’ve seen.”
Tihtina, originally from Ethiopia, was delighted to discover a small Ethiopian community in Huntsville. “I recently met people who told me about an Ethiopian church here,” he shared.
With 10 months remaining in their rent-free housing, the grant has given these entrepreneurs not just a foundation to grow their ventures but also a chance to embrace Huntsville as home.
