LaunchTN supports renewed funding for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) matching funds, which continues to be one of the state’s most promising ways to support the commercialization of high-value startups in Tennessee. The SBIR/STTR program is a competitive awards based-program whose goal is to transform federally funded research and development…

(The following letter, supported by numerous stakeholders in Tennessee’s entrepreneurial & innovation ecosystem, was sent to the Tennessee federal delegation earlier this year to bring awareness to the broad spectrum of policy ideas available in the Kauffman Foundation’s white paper, “America’s New Business Plan”. To read more about this initiative and to learn more about…

NASHVILLE – Dec 8, 2020 – Launch Tennessee (LaunchTN), a public-private partnership guided by a vision of making Tennessee the most startup-friendly state in the nation, today announced that Van Tucker has been appointed the organization’s president and CEO. Tucker, who was appointed Interim CEO in July 2020, now steps into the official role. In her time as…

In the season 3 finale of Disrupt the Continuum, host Clark Buckner and Launch Tennessee CEO Van Tucker provide an overview of the extensive resources available to entrepreneurs all across the state. Van Tucker believes Tennessee is an ideal place to start and grow a business, and it all comes back to community, connection and…

Sumeet Chahal, Regional Executive Director for the Central Region at Bunker Labs, shares the exciting work his team is doing to help veterans create and scale their businesses. Sumeet Chahal wanted to start a business after serving in the Marines, but he struggled to find the network to make it happen. And Sumeet is not…

Abby Trotter and Ted Townsend, executive director and chairman of the board of Life Science Tennessee, respectively, explain how Tennessee’s life science sector is aiding in economic development. Abby Trotter and Ted Townsend believe life science is one of the most important industries for improving people’s lives, and that work is more critical than ever…

Jim Biggs and Brandon Bruce, executive director and board chair of the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, respectively, share some insight into the factors that set Knoxville apart as a hub of entrepreneurship. For Jim Biggs, one of the best parts of working with Knoxville’s entrepreneurs is getting to see companies succeed across an incredibly diverse range of…

Get to know the entrepreneurial researchers leading the charge in Tennessee’s science- and tech-based innovation. This week, meet Purist. Purist is developing a technology to enable a distributed network of small-scale and underutilized nuclear reactors to produce high-purity radioactive ingredients for nuclear medicine applications. What differentiates Purist is the capability to concentrate the radioisotope product,…

Ben Ferguson and Lisa Garner, cofounder and executive director of theCO, share some exciting updates on the work they’re doing to foster entrepreneurship and economic development in West Tennessee. With theCO, what started as a Taco Thursday gathering for Ben Ferguson and his friends turned into a crucial resource for entrepreneurs and business owners in…