100+ founders. $40,000 in non-dilutive grants. One afternoon.
Nashville’s largest entrepreneurship showcase is back — and bigger. The GEODIS concourse turned into a founder market. Ten finalists pitching live for Impact Grants. Free, open to the public, and RSVP-only.
What’s happening
A city’s founder economy, all in one room.
Nashville Entrepreneur Day is where the EC’s accelerator cohorts graduate out loud. This spring — TakeOff, InFlight, and Project Healthcare — three programs, 100+ companies, one afternoon at GEODIS Park.
You’ll walk a founder market that stretches the entire concourse. Sample products from food, beverage, and consumer goods founders. Meet healthcare innovators building the next generation of medical technology. Talk to the operators who just spent twelve weeks building something real.
Inside the WeHo Club, ten founders will take the stage to pitch for the EC Impact Grants — $25,000, $10,000, and $5,000 in non-dilutive funding. Awarded on the spot. No equity. No strings. You’re in the room when it happens.
Free. Open to everyone. Capped at 1000.
Spring and Winter Nashville Entrepreneur Day at GEODIS Park
What a thousand+ people saw last year.
Spring opened with Mayor Freddie O’Connell welcoming founders to the concourse — and the afternoon turned into the kind of room where connections get made and introductions actually follow. In December, three founders walked off stage with non-dilutive capital. Everyone else walked off with something they wouldn’t have found on their own.
For sponsors
Put your brand in front of Nashville’s founder economy.
Nashville Entrepreneur Day is the biggest public showcase the EC runs. Investors, operators, corporate partners, advisors, and ecosystem builders pack GEODIS Park for one reason — these are the companies the city is about to hear a lot more from. This year’s footprint is the largest yet: the stadium concourse, 80+ founder tables, 800+ attendees.
Activation opportunities
- Founder scavenger hunt — branded punch cards route attendees through booths; complete the card, earn drink tickets. Email capture built in.
- Stadium slide takeover — your brand rotates on the concourse screens throughout the afternoon.
- Impact Grant presenting partner — on-stage visibility during the live-awarded $40K grants.
- Founder market category sponsor — healthcare, CPG, fintech, or creative — your logo anchors a concourse section.
- Giveaway partner — co-branded attendee gift or experience (past editions: Southwest flights).
- Bar, food truck, or courtyard presenting — the hangout spaces where the deals actually get made.
Custom packages available. Let’s talk about what you want to accomplish and what the room can do for you.
The afternoon
A full afternoon. Here’s how it runs.
Founder Expo runs from 12:45 to 2:45 PM on the North Concourse — grazeable and always on while the stage programming happens.
Free · Thu May 21 · GEODIS Park
Claim your seat before it’s gone.
Meet the cohorts
Three programs, graduating in one day.
Twelve weeks of work. Dozens of companies. Meet them before the rest of the market does.
TakeOff
Early-stage founders getting to first traction.
For the earliest-stage founders in the EC pipeline. Twelve weeks of structure, mentorship, and customer discovery.
InFlight
Post-revenue founders scaling up.
Growth-stage companies with customers and traction, building the systems to scale to the next order of magnitude.
Project Healthcare
Health innovators in the healthcare capital.
Medical devices, digital health, and care-delivery founders building in the country’s healthcare hub.
Voices from the room
What founders and connectors say.
This has been a transformational experience for us coming to the healthcare capital of the country. There’s no place like this.
Kareem Elfoulie · Senior Shield Technologies · $25K Impact Grant winner
We’re going to use this to accelerate development and build better business relationships that accelerate our path to market.
Mark Norton · Adele Health · $10K Impact Grant winner
I wish I’d had the kind of guidance these founders are getting when I was building my first company. Being a connector is how I give that back.
Dan Stevenson · Consumer packaged goods connector
Look ahead ten years. After you build something successful, look back — and remember to give back.
Robert A. Frist, Jr. · Former Board Chair, Nashville Entrepreneur Center · EC Endowment co-chair
806 of 1000 tickets claimed
Be in the room on May 21.
May 21, 2026 · GEODIS Park
One afternoon. Free. Don’t wait. Every Nashville Entrepreneur Day has sold out.
Every Nashville Entrepreneur Day has sold out. 806 of 1100 tickets are already claimed. RSVP now — walk-ins only while capacity allows.
Founders
Applications for the Fall 2026 cohorts are open.
TakeOff, InFlight, and Project Healthcare — twelve weeks, structured mentorship, and a direct line to the room at the next Nashville Entrepreneur Day.