The Demo That Changed the Diagnosis
Richard MacKinnon didn’t expect to walk out of The Room as Ian Nott’s next investor. What happens there doesn’t always stay there. The Room is invitation-only — reserved for Nashville...
startups
How a Broken Toe Led to a Marketing Platform That Solves a Major Pain
Pamela Wilson had spent 2025 doing the work she loved: building marketing strategies for growing companies that needed to compete. The strategies were solid. The positioning was sharp. The problem...
55 Sundays and Counting
A new user emailed Justin Gray in March 2025 with a few questions about how Potluck worked. He wanted to try something: a dinner party every Sunday with the people...
Ron Samuels Started a Bank at 60. Here’s Why He Waited.
“They wouldn’t give me the money when I was 50.” When someone asks Ron Samuels why he waited until he was 60 years old to start a bank, that’s his...
Manuel Cuevas Has Been on Vacation for 85 Years
The fashion designer who dressed Elvis, Johnny Cash, and the King of Morocco — and says he’s never worked a day in his life Manuel Cuevas is sitting at his...
The Best Pitch I Heard Last Week Came from a High Schooler
Ashanti Was Eating Nachos and Pitching Her Bakery She had maybe two minutes between investor rotations. Enough time to refuel, check her notes, and get ready to explain why Ashantii’s...
Michael Burcham Got 30 Nos from Nashville Investors. Then He Built the Nashville Entrepreneur Center.
Michael Burcham was 31 years old, sitting in the parking lot of one of Nashville’s biggest investors, unable to turn his ignition. The investor’s first words had been: “What the...
The Five Questions That Got a Founder Unstuck: A Board Member’s Lesson
Elise Mitchell just joined the Nashville Entrepreneur Center board. She built Mitchell Communications Group from zero to 500% growth in five years, ran it for 18 years, then sold it....
How to Work a Networking Event When You Hate Networking
David Castro went to Coffee & Connections at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center in December. Four guys were already in the IceBrekr app before the event started. “When we got to...