LaunchTN staff picks — what to do in Nashville while you’re in town for 3686

By Anna Truss From coffee shops and breakfast spots to dancing and shopping, LaunchTN’s staff have the insider info about how to enjoy The Music City while you’re in town for our annual entrepreneurial festival, 3686. Music Nashvillians know that Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival is the hometown favorite. Happening for nearly a decade now, […]
Are you curious about Tennessee? Meet us in Nashville at 3686

When investors or entrepreneurs ask how they can get to know Tennessee’s ecosystem, we tell them that 3686 is the place to do it. You don’t want to miss an event that drew 820+ people from 23 states in 2022. If you’re curious about what Tennessee has to offer, check out these fast facts. At […]
CPP cohort 2 includes 21 projects
The 21 projects that make up CPP cohort 2 were selected from 38 submissions. Among other areas of interest, resources for food entrepreneurship emerged as a prominent need within the applications, prompting LaunchTN to allocate funding toward four food and beverage accelerator programs. Funding for Proof Restaurant Resiliency Food and Beverage Entrepreneur Ecosystem Services: Fayetteville […]
LaunchTN Community Partner Program celebrates success of first cohort

LaunchTN created the Community Partner Program (CPP) to provide funding to organizations implementing entrepreneurial support programs and resources in their communities. The CPP cohort 1 collective impact reached 28 Tennessee counties and served more than 1,500 entrepreneurs during the first half of 2023. Those numbers will grow as numerous projects continue through completion. In its […]
Save the date: Project FinTech First Look
Featured partner: The Nashville Entrepreneur Center, Project FinTech What: The ~ 9 month accelerator, Project FinTech, kicked off on 8/02, and will culminate with a Demo Day showcase in late March. The vision is to help make Tennessee the best place in the country to launch and scale a Fintech startup. Location: Tennessee The latest […]
Q2 2023 Tennessee Deal Report

By Evan Prislovsky, Capital Analyst View Q2 2023 Deal Report. Funding Recap In 2023, venture capital funding in Tennessee startups went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows — with a harsh ~79% drop from Q1 2023. This is the lowest recorded funding over the past three years since the COVID pandemic […]
LaunchTN’s Ashlin Smith talks 3686 memories
By Anna Truss *Editor’s Note: This series features LaunchTN employees sharing their memories of 3686, as we approach the festival’s 10-year anniversary.* Ashlin Smith, LaunchTN’s partnerships & development Manager, has been involved with 3686 for the past six years. Memory lane Ashlin’s first year participating in the festival was in 2017, when she was in […]
TAEBC: educating leaders about advanced energy
By Abbey Lerner What: The Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council is a member-driven organization that champions advanced energy as a job creation and economic development strategy. TAEBC educates public officials and business leaders about Tennessee’s advanced energy assets, establishes strategic partnerships to connect assets with opportunities and informs policy that expands and strengthens the industry. […]
Q1 2023 Tennessee Deal Report

By Evan Prislovsky, Capital Analyst In Q1 of 2023, venture capital funding for Tennessee startups was a notable bright spot in the industry — with a dramatic 325% increase from the previous quarter and a 211% increase from the same quarter the previous year. This was especially unexpected considering the downward trend of venture funding […]
Pinnacle Financial receives national recognition

Firm leads on environmental, social and governance issues Our friends at Pinnacle Financial Partners have recently received national recognition for its work around environmental, social and governance issues. International market research firm Coalition Greenwich named Pinnacle as a Standout Commercial Bank for Demonstrated Commitment to ESG Principles and Values. Fast fact: The firm is 1 […]