The TOAST That Changed Everything
At 6:15 PM on a Wednesday in August, 37 founders stood in the soaring lobby of HCA headquarters. They’d fought their way here from hundreds of applications. Now they faced the moment every founder knows: public recognition that their work matters.
What the NEXT Awards backed by Amazon really deliver isn’t hardware or handshakes—it’s Nashville’s business community saying, ‘Yes. You belong here. Thank you.’
EC CEO Sam Davidson said it best during the toast: “Entrepreneurship feels impossible alone but becomes inevitable together.” Every founder in that room knew exactly what he meant.
They’d all been there. The 3 AM moments when the work felt too hard. The investor meetings that went nowhere. The friends who stopped asking how business was going.
These finalists remind us: entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone, but it changes everything:
- “10 days after I committed full-time to my company, I suffered a traumatic brain injury. Everyone told me to step back—but I refused. If I say I’m going to do something, I do it.”
- “For 10 years, I’ve fought to bring Brandingo to life. I’ve raised funding, rebuilt technology when it failed, endured financial setbacks, and even lost my co-founder and husband along the way. Yet I’m still standing—more determined than ever to launch in August 2025. In one word: persevering. I’m passionate about building disruptive technology that will set a new benchmark in advertising.”
- “We didn’t come from a trust fund or a business plan written in a boardroom. It started with me flipping homes, working nights and weekends, and helping people who couldn’t get the support they needed. I saw a problem in the market, and I went out and solved it.”
But Wednesday night, they weren’t alone anymore.
Kearstin Patterson, HCA VP of Creative and EC Board Member, explained why a massive healthcare company sponsors an event for small businesses: “The best ideas are grassroots ideas.” Translation: the next breakthrough might come from the entrepreneur working out of a shared space, not a corporate boardroom.
That’s Nashville’s secret weapon. We don’t just celebrate entrepreneurs after they make it. We celebrate them while they’re making it.
Mignon Francois, Founder and CEO of The Cupcake Collection and NEXT Awards Committee Co-chair, put it perfectly: “More than an award, this is recognition of businesses that are changing our city for the better.” She’s right. These aren’t participation trophies. They’re statements of impact.
The NEXT Awards ceremony happens October 20th at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. But the real event started Wednesday night. It started when 37 founders realized they weren’t building companies in isolation anymore. They’re part of something bigger.
“New York can have Broadway. We’ll take business,” Mignon proclaimed.
And we’ll party like NashVegas.
Join the celebration — tickets are on sale now: Get Tickets Here
2025 FINALISTS
Healthcare
Startup: Agentis Longevity, LIFE COORDINATED Commonwealth PACE Inc, UnityAI
Growth: Care Sherpa, DYNTL, Solace Implant Center and Oral Surgery
Financial Services
Startup: Contractor Financial Services, LLC, SpendCare, Upside Guaranty
Growth: Continuum Planning Partners, One Chance Bookkeeping LLC, Wilmoth Financial
Music, Sports, Gaming & Entertainment
Startup: Brandwood Global, Inc., GIGGS, Nashville Adventures
Growth: Bandwagon Music & Repair, CmdShft, mtheory
Products & Services
Startup: A ROZE AFFAIR LLC, Curated Automation LLC, Daily Crunch
Growth: Acklen Avenue, FortyAU, protasec
Real Estate & Construction
Startup: CRE615, LLC, Nashville Maintenance Pros, Ojas Partners
Growth: Culture Architecture and Design, PLLC, Holladay Ventures, Jasper LLC
Hospitality & Retail
Startup: Happenstance Distilling Co., Oye Coffee Co, virsitour
Growth: Creative Soulz Printing, East Nashville Beer Works, Rolled 4 Ever Ice Cream
The NEXT Awards will also honor two innovative founders across all industries with the Startup Entrepreneur of the Year Award (less than five years in business) and Growth Entrepreneur of the Year Award (more than five years in business). Here are the finalists:
Startup Entrepreneur of the Year
Jimmy St. Louis – Agentis Longevity
Laurel Orley – Daily Crunch
Edmund Jackson – UnityAI
Growth Entrepreneur of the Year
Colin Callahan – Acklen Avenue
Penny Austermiller – Austermiller, Inc Roofing & Construction
Charles Lusk – DYNTL
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