Black History Month is a wonderful opportunity to remember great movements in history, reveling in wonderful strides despite many challenges, and celebrating the vital role of African Americans in US History. At the EC, we have realized that an extraordinary way to celebrate this month is by highlighting some African American businesses that are putting on special events for Black History Month or celebrate Black History and African American culture year-round.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., January 23, 2020 -- Today, the Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC) announced that seven new members, including three ex-officio, have joined the board of directors.
Unlike many Nashville natives, the increasing traffic and constant construction in the city doesn’t bother Bill McCleskey much. For one, he says, the traffic isn’t even all that bad. Perhaps more importantly, though, the growth is a sign of opportunity, both for his entrepreneurial pursuits and for his love of meeting and engaging with new people.
Today we want to celebrate Possip’s founder and CEO Shani Dowell being the first black woman in Tennessee — and one of fewer than 60 black women in the United States — to raise more than $1 million in venture funding. Nationally, less than 2% of all venture funding goes to companies led by women, and .006% to companies led by black women.
The movers and shakers of Nashville’s business community gathered at Rocketown on November 6 for the 2019 NEXT Awards + Entrepreneur’s Hall of Fame, recognizing the innovators and visionaries making Nashville one of the best cities in the country to grow a business. At the SOLD OUT event, companies of all stages and markets were honored for their contributions to the economy of Middle Tennessee.
In our final episode this season, we briefly spoke with Jane H. Allen, our new CEO of the EC, about her entrepreneurial background and experience of Nashville. She told us about the power of this city as a place to not only build a business, but a family.
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s Project Healthcare teams traveled back to Nashville last Thursday for their second immersive experience as part of the year-long program. While in town, these founders connected directly to healthcare experts from industry partners, including Healthstream, HCA, Brookdale, Aspire, Amerigroup, Amsurg, LifePoint, Tenncare and Carefluence.
NASHVILLE, TN (October 2, 2019) – Jane H. Allen, entrepreneur and founder of Counsel on Call and Hanner Clarke, will take over as the CEO of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC). Her experience taking a business from the idea phase to a fully scaled, successful company will help the EC strengthen its role as a significant support system for the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in Nashville.
Edtech startup Possip took home $60,000 at the LaunchTN 3686 Entrepreneur Festival pitch competition last week, beating out eight startups for both the $10,000 crowd favorite award and the $50,000 main competition prize.