2026 NEXT Awards and Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame, presented by Amazon
Monday, October 19, 2026
Schermerhorn Symphony Center · Nashville
Presented by Amazon
The NEXT Awards & Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame
One spectacular night.
One Music City stage.
The NEXT Awards + Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame, Presented by Amazon, is Middle Tennessee’s most prestigious night for the founders transforming industries, creating opportunity, and shaping the future of Nashville.
Six hundred business leaders. Red carpet arrivals. The Schermerhorn Symphony Center. A new class of Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame inductees, and 24 finalists competing for eleven trophies. Cocktails in the Courtyard until the music stops.
They call it the Oscars of business. The CMAs for founders. We call it the night Nashville’s entrepreneurs take the stage they earned.
Watch the 2025 sizzle reel
Announced August 20, 2026
The 2026 Finalists
Twenty-four companies. Eight industries. Every one of them five years old or younger and building in Middle Tennessee. Winners are announced live on October 19.
Read the full announcement
Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame · Class of 2026
Three founding teams.
Three foundations of modern Nashville.
“Three Nashville founding teams who, between them, built the bank, the buildings, and the restaurants that turned Nashville into a national city.”
The Bank
Rob McCabe & Terry Turner
Pinnacle Financial Partners
The Restaurants
Ben & Max Goldberg
Strategic Hospitality
The Buildings
Don & Tracy Hardin
Don Hardin Group
The Awards
Eleven trophies. One night.
Eight industries that built this city.
A trophy is awarded in each industry category to a Middle Tennessee company in business five years or less, alongside Entrepreneur of 2026 and our two legacy awards.
- Business & Professional Services
- Consumer Goods
- Healthcare & Life Sciences
- Music, Sports, Gaming & Entertainment
- Real Estate & Construction
- Retail & Restaurant
- Social Enterprise
- Technology & AI
Plus
Meet our 2026 Co-Chairs
The leaders behind this year’s stage.
Four of Nashville’s most committed entrepreneurial leaders are co-chairing the 2026 NEXT Awards, ensuring this year’s class of founders gets the stage, the audience, and the celebration they’ve earned.
Gil Beverly
President
Playfly Aspire
Michael Burcham
Chief of Strategy, Research & Talent Development
Shore Capital
Sam Davidson
CEO
Nashville Entrepreneur Center
Mignon Francois
Founder & Director of Joy
The Cupcake Collection
A Season of Momentum
From finalist reveal to the main stage.
Sponsors don’t get a single night. They get a season of engagement with Nashville’s entrepreneurs and business leaders, culminating on October 19.
August 19, 2026
The Toast to Finalists
An invitation-only evening at the HCA Health Impact Center where the 2026 finalists were celebrated by Nashville’s business community.
August 20, 2026
Finalists Announced
Twenty-four companies across eight industries revealed to the public, and tickets to the main event go on sale.
September 2026
Media Amplification
A finalist content series and press coverage across Nashville’s largest media partners build anticipation for the main event.
October 19, 2026
The Main Event
Red carpet arrivals, dinner, the awards ceremony at the Schermerhorn, and the Cocktails in the Courtyard afterparty.
A look back at 2025
Nashville Black-Tie.
Doors open at 5:30 · Red carpet · Dinner at 6:30 · Ceremony at 7:15 · Cocktails in the Courtyard at 9:00
The 2026 Partners
It takes a city to celebrate a city.
The companies, founders, and civic leaders making the 2026 NEXT Awards possible.
Confirmed as of August 19, 2026. Your name belongs here next.
Become a 2026 Sponsor
Stand with Nashville’s most ambitious founders.
Sponsorship is a season of engagement, from the Toast to Finalists in August through the main event in October. Tiers from Advisors to Hero. Every package is designed to put your brand shoulder-to-shoulder with the next generation of Music City’s entrepreneurs.
View Sponsorship OpportunitiesQuestions or ready to commit? Reach out to Lauren McWhirter, VP of Investor Relations, at lauren.mcwhirter@ec.co