The Tech Check, powered by Interlaced: What Nashville told us about founders, artificial intelligence
By Simran Nath Launch Tennessee’s 3686 conference took over Nashville’s Germantown just a few weeks ago in September. Founders, investors, and operators from across the Southeast packed Brooklyn Bowl for three days of panels, pitches, and hallway conversations. We spent September 15 on the second floor running The Vault, our activation. It stayed busy all […]
3686 recap: Big ideas, bold connections and Tennessee innovation
Fast facts: 3686: LaunchTN entrepreneur conference named for the geographic coordinates of Nashville 13: years of the conference 975 attendees engaged 60 partners engaged 34 Tennessee counties represented 18 states represented 27 industries represented 14 universities represented 58: speakers 25: companies participated in the inaugural Tech and Startup Job Fair, including global Oracle and […]
Austin Peay State University joins Launch Tennessee technology consortium
For immediate release Sept. 23, 2026 Austin Peay State University joins Launch Tennessee technology consortium Nashville — Austin Peay State University became the seventh institution to join Launch Tennessee’s technology consortium, which provides support for university researchers working to get their ideas from research labs to the commercial market. “APSU brings a unique combination of […]
Apply for LaunchTN’s SBIR/STTR Matching Fund
LaunchTN works to bolster startup activity and increase participation from Tennessee entrepreneurs in what’s colloquially known as America’s Seed Fund. Every year, participating federal agencies allocate capital to SBIR/STTR programs. LaunchTN supports founders’ applications to the federal programs, and if the founders land that funding, then LaunchTN invites the company to apply for matching funds. […]
New routes opening for Austin Peay research
By Charlie Reed Mike Wilson has spent 21 years learning how Austin Peay works: where expertise lives, who knows what, and which people need to find one another. Now, as Austin Peay becomes the newest member of the Tennessee Technology Advancement Consortium (TTAC), that knowledge has a new purpose. A Launch Tennessee initiative, TTAC helps […]
The Tech Check, powered by Interlaced — Device Management: The One System Most Startups Build Last (and Regret It)
August 2026 Tech Check: Device management: the one system most startups build last (and regret It) By Simran Nath – Interlaced Marketing Manager Somewhere in your company right now, an employee is working on a laptop nobody’s tracking. Maybe it’s a contractor who never got offboarded. Maybe it’s the sales rep who left six months […]
Launch Tennessee’s commercialization team has a new leader
Launch Tennessee adds Vice President of Commercialization, Director of Tennessee Technology Advancement Consortium Nashville — Launch Tennessee’s Jennifer Skjellum has been promoted to Vice President of Commercialization and Director of the Tennessee Technology Advancement Consortium at the organization. “We’re working to lead Tennessee and the Southeast in commercialization advancement so ideas don’t sit in labs. […]
Tennessee midyear venture report 2026
By: Logan Leatherwood, Launch Tennessee Venture Fellow Editor’s note: This report provides an overview of the venture landscape across the United States, the Southeast, and Tennessee. It’s meant to serve as a tool for founders and investors across the state. All data was sourced from PitchBook as of July 14, 2026. There’s a glossary at […]
The Tech Check: What actually happens to your data when you use AI tools
By Interlaced Your team is using AI. You know it, even if you can’t see it. ChatGPT for writing. Claude for research. Gemini in the inbox. Notion AI summarizing meeting notes. A Slack integration someone added last Tuesday. Here’s the question most founders never ask: Where does all of that data actually go? Not in […]
Request for proposals: Evaluation partner for multi-institution technology transfer office (MITTO) model
Budget: Up to $100,000 Submission deadline: July 17th, 2026 Overview Launch Tennessee (LaunchTN) seeks a qualified evaluation partner with demonstrated federal policy experience to assess the Multi-Institution Technology Transfer Office (MITTO) model and its implementation across three active MITTOs: Kentucky Commercialization Ventures (KCV), Tennessee Technology Advancement Consortium (TTAC), and WiSys. This evaluation will serve three […]