NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 30, 2023) – Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC) has today announced the finalists for the 2023 NEXT Awards, an annual ceremony that recognizes entrepreneurs who are transforming industries and strengthening the Middle Tennessee community and beyond. Presented by Amazon, the 2023 NEXT Awards will be hosted at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Monday, October 23. Attendees can purchase tickets–Box, or Balcony–and find more details here.
The program honors businesses across different industry categories, including: FinTech (new this year); Healthcare; Music, Sports, and Entertainment; Products, Services, and Retail; Real Estate, Hospitality, and Construction; and Technology. There will be three winners in each category– startup companies with revenue up to $1 million, market mover companies with annual revenue between $1 to $8 million, and market leaders with more than $8 million in annual revenue. Finalists for this year’s industry awards are:
Financial Services
Startup
Baker Bookkeeps, Joy Baker
Raise Financial, Wesley Belden and Patrick Cason
Workloop, Katy Schmitt
Market Mover
Adams Wealth Partners, David Adams
Excelsior Capital, Brian Adams
Wealth Access, David Benskin
Market Leader
Celero Commerce, Kevin Jones
Core10, Lee Farabaugh and Jeff Hanson
Wesley Financial Group, Chuck McDowell
Healthcare
Startup
Care Sherpa, Jessica Walker
Healing Innovations, Luke Benda, Braden Davidson, and Scott Benda
Thrive Therapies Group, Kristin McGraner and Liz Malugen
Market Mover
RxGenomix, Brad Tice
Thalamus, Jason Reminick and Suzie Karan
Winnow, Paul Vernich and Ray Guzman
Market Leader
Archimedes, Brenda Motheral and Adam Hobgood
ObjectiveHealth, Colleen Hoke and Don Lazas
Spero Health, Steve Priest
Sports, Music and Entertainment
Startup
Grayscale Marketing, Tim Gray
TuneHatch, Inc., Christal Hector, Nathan Youssef and Reece Franklin
Wagr, Mario Malave and Eliana Eskinazi
Market Mover
Absolutely Ridiculous, Kyle Mauch
The Climb Gyms, Drew Sloss and Lance Brock
Genni & Co, Johnny Cloherty and Louis O’Reilly
Market Leader
Soundstripe, Travis Terrell, Micah Sannan and Trevor Hinesley
Moo TV, Scott Scovill
Products, Services, and Retail
Startup
Blueprint Expansion, Krissy Manzano and Chuck Brotman
InnerG Juice & Yoga, Nielah Burnett
Trace Femcare, Inc., Claire Crunk, Olaf Isele, and Megan Galaske
Market Mover
Covert Results, Robert Young
Daily Crunch, Laurel Orley and Dan Stephenson
Southern Domestic Diva, Allie Williamson
Market Leader
Archangel Protective Services, Ken Thomas
pH-D Feminine Health, Deeannah Seymour and Mark Faulkner
Turnip Truck, John Dyke
Real Estate, Construction, and Hospitality
Startup
AGB Real Estate, Adam Rosenberg
Comma Designworks, Eric McGinnis
Pillars Development, LLC, Edward Henley
Market Mover
Adroit Restoration, Gabe Chrismon and Lindsey Chrismon
Eshelman Construction, Andrew Eshelman
Holladay Ventures, Evan Holladay and Jined Lamata
Market Leader
The Clear Blue Company, Nicholas Ogden
Hardaway Construction, David Frazier
Strategic Hospitality, Benjamin Goldberg and Max Goldberg
Technology
Startup
Azra AI, Chris Cashwell
Calm Waters AI, Joe Ferro
Couture Technologies, Deanna Meador, Marcelino Rodriguez, and Danny Pippin
Market Mover
Orange Thread LIVE, Luke McElroy
Pivot Technology School, Joshua Mundy and Quawn Clark
Possip, Shani Dowell and Christine Fisher
Market Leader
Acklen Avenue, Colin Callahan
BluWave, Sean Mooney
FreightWise, Chris Cochran, Scott Samuelson, and Phil Forte
Individual Awards
NEXT Awards will also honor two innovative founders across all industries with the Emerging Entrepreneur of 2023 Award (less than $8M revenue) and Entrepreneur of 2023 Award (more than $8M revenue).
Entrepreneur of 2023
Tammy Hawes, Virsys12
Colleen Hoke, ObjectiveHealth
Brenda Motheral, Archimedes
Emerging Entrepreneur of 2023
Luke Benda, Healing Innovations
Allie Williamson, Southern Domestic Diva
Robert Young, Covert Results
“Once again, we are excited to bring together the entrepreneurial community for an evening of celebration,” said Sam Davidson, CEO of the EC. “We’re honored to shine the spotlight on so many deserving entrepreneurs and promising companies so that they have their chance to celebrate their achievements with this community. This is a night for the innovators, the risk-takers, the dreamers, and the disruptors.”
To be announced at a later date, the EC will welcome the 2023 Entrepreneur Hall of Fame inductees for their life-long contributions to Nashville’s entrepreneurial community.
The evening is supported by its major sponsors Presenting Sponsor: Amazon; Champion: Hudson Lee Carter; Pathfinders: Dell Technologies, Evolution Event Solutions, LBMC. The co-chairs of this year’s event are Sherry and Mark Deutschmann.
To learn more about NEXT Awards sponsorship opportunities, click here.
###
About Nashville Entrepreneur Center
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center (NEC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) founded in 2010 by business leaders who wanted to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and to celebrate the spirit and tenacity of the entrepreneurial community. The NEC serves as Nashville’s center for entrepreneurship, supporting visionaries—from every background, in any industry, and at all phases—by connecting them to critical resources and championing their desire to change the world. Learn more about the NEC by following @entrecenter on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at www.EC.co.
