State initiatives take Tennessee to №8 nationwide for the National Institutes of Health SBIR/STTR application success rate. Why is our state performing so well? For PreTel Health, the fourth time was a charm. After submitting three applications to the National Institutes of Health for Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer awards, the company sought…

Tennessee Innovation Crowdsource Platform provides fast-track vetting for solutions and resources to solve COVID-19 challenges. NASHVILLE — Launch Tennessee, a public-private partnership that empowers a statewide network of resources supporting Tennessee’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, today announced the Tennessee Innovation Crowdsource Platform, a call for resources and solutions from businesses, including entrepreneurs and startups. Using Knoxville-based startup Vendor Registry, LaunchTN…

Sharing the Tennessee entrepreneurial story with policymakers statewide LaunchTN’s annual Week on the Hill, co-hosted by our network partners from across Tennessee, provided entrepreneurs and innovators face-to-face time with legislators. The 2020 Legislative Reception took place during the last week of February, at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville. It marked the beginning…

Get to know the startups and entrepreneurs changing the Tennessee landscape — designing innovative solutions, creating jobs, and building communities. This week, meet GoCheck Kids, an app that detects risks of vision impairments. Give us your elevator pitch. GoCheck Kids is a pediatric iPhone-based app that detects risks of vision impairments, the №1 disabling condition in…

As we prepare for next week’s kickoff of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Week on the Hill, we revisit our Startup Policy Workshops series. Our Cookeville session explored guidance for relationship-building with policymakers, the intersection of “town and gown,” and how favorable policy impacts universities. Our Legislative Reception to kick off Week on the Hill takes place Feb….

Get to know the startups and entrepreneurs changing the Tennessee landscape — designing innovative solutions, creating jobs, and building communities. This week, meet Paris couple Nancy and Gary Morris, med-device founders and Elvis fans. Nancy and Gary Morris at the June 2019 opening of the FOOTBAR Walker storefront in Paris, TN Give us your elevator…

The ‘magic and energy’ of inclusive workplaces On the latest episode of Disrupt the Continuum, The Coven cofounder and CEO Alex West Steinman explores why inclusive workplaces are essential — and urges her fellow entrepreneurs to build them. When Alex West Steinman, Bethany Iverson, Liz Giel, and Erinn Farrell founded The Coven, they shared a vision…

New organization joins statewide network of resources for Tennessee entrepreneurs and startups, kicks off first cohort in March to the delight of regional innovation partners. NASHVILLE — Launch Tennessee, a public-private partnership that empowers a statewide network of resources supporting Tennessee’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, today announced Sync Space as its newest network partner. The Tri-Cities accelerator kicks…

Get to know the startups and entrepreneurs changing the Tennessee landscape — designing innovative solutions, creating jobs, and building communities. This week, meet CPRWrap CEO Felicia Jackson: “We want to empower people to do the most basic, unselfish thing a human can do: Save a life.” Give us your elevator pitch. Did you know that…