Fast facts
- About 900 people from 31 states, plus Washington, D.C., attended over 3 days.
- Folx Table took home the $10,000 pitch competition prize.
- Attendees had 770 1-on-1 meetings in 6 hours — more than 125 meetings an hour!
- More than 400 headshots taken during Day 2.
- Check out the video recap, created by Fifth & Broad.
Innovation took center stage in Nashville last week as Launch Tennessee’s entrepreneur conference, 3686, united startup founders, investors and visionaries for three days of high-energy connection and growth.
“3686 feels less like a conference and more like a family reunion,” Limber Robotics COO and co-founder Suzanne Drumwright said via Linkedin. “Four years in, and I’m still energized by the talent, grit, and support of entrepreneurs, VCs, and ecosystem builders in Tennessee and across the Southeast.”
InvestTN Summit
Launch Tennessee kicked off 3686 by bringing our InvestTN portfolio companies together with the investor community for an exclusive, invite-only summit on Monday.
More than 200 people gathered at the Tennessee State Museum to delve deep into Launch Tennessee’s $70 million equity fund to discuss how it’s evolving and what’s ahead.
A panel of angel investors, who are currently deploying capital in Tennessee, also took the stage, and the crowd heard about case studies illustrating how portfolio companies met the private capital match requirement for InvestTN.
The AMA Stage
Thirteen leaders, execs and innovators from a wide variety of industries took the hot seat to answer burning questions from the crowd at the inaugural Ask Me Anything.
Participants included:
- UT System President Randy Boyd
- City of Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly
- Nashville Country Music Reporter for the Tennessean Marcus Dowling
- Executive Director of the Tennessee Distiller’s Guild Charity Toombs
Partner Popups
Seventeen Partner Popup events across Nashville capped off 3686 on Wednesday, more than ever before! These are hands-on workshops and happy hours hosted by friends of Launch Tennessee that cover a broader range of topics from across the entrepreneurial landscape and offer more opportunities to learn, connect, and engage.
Ambassadors
Shoutout to all our 3686 ambassadors, who helped champion and promote the event!
The 3686 Pitch Competition, presented by Amazon
The annual fan-favorite allowed 5 founders to showcase their companies in front of a four-judge panel and the 3686 audience, who had a chance to vote for their favorite.
Folx Table, a platform that helps communities spark real connection through small-group, in-person conversation at local restaurants, took home the top prize of $10,000 cash.
While Spikey, a keychain equipped with test strips that detect common rape drugs in seconds, took home the Audience Choice Award, winning in-kind services valued at up to $5,000 from The Operations Guide.
Three additional teams also took the stage for the 3686 Pitch Competition.
- Adele Health: A diabetes management platform that makes it easy for patients to measure and understand their health | Founder: Mark Norton
- Express Wages: Cutting edge platform designed to revolutionize how businesses manage payroll and wage distributions | Founder: Alfred Milan
- JamJuice: An AI-powered live entertainment booking platform that simplifies finding, scheduling, and paying musicians by offering vetted talent, payment processing, and organizational tools in one place | Founder: Matthew Romero
Industries represented at 3686 included:
Artificial intelligence, machine learning, biotech, medical devices, fintech, health and wellness, e-commerce, entertainment/media/gaming, climate tech
Media coverage included:
- 3686 conference offers connection point for investors, founders | The Nashville Post
- For Entrepreneurs and Startups: This Year’s 3686 Festival from LaunchTN | WUTC, Scenic Roots
- Annual 3686 conference concludes, here’s what it says about the state of Tennessee entrepreneurship | Teknovation
- Epicenter CEO on Launch Tennessee’s conference in Nashville | WREG Channel 3, Memphis
Headshot station
If you’re one of the more than 400 attendees who took advantage of our fun, interactive photo station, you can find your headshot online. Headshots were done by Sara Kauss Photography.
Partners
LaunchTN would like to thank our Supporting Partners: Pinnacle Financial Partners, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Interlaced, Calvetti Ferguson, Nelson Mullins, Acklen Avenue, The University of Tennessee System, Vanderbilt University, and JPMorganChase.
Also, a special thanks to our 3686 sponsors:
Harbor, Amazon, Edison Partners, Fidelity Investments, Brook, GrowthX, The Operations Guide, EcoMap, GNPCA, Hypepotamus, Possip, EPB, EO Nashville, The Malin, Concert IDC.