36/86 brings TechCrunch, Eventbrite execs to Nashville

As Launch Tennessee hosts the new version of its annual startup summit, now called 36/86, this time without PandoDaily, it is still drawing big names in technology, media and music.

Julia Hartz, Eventbrite co-founder and president, will be the keynote speaker, and AC Entertainment, co-founders and producers of Bonnaroo, will be the entertainment partner. Jonathan Shieber, senior editor of San Francisco-based Crunchbase/TechCrunch; John Biggs, TechCrunch East Coast editor; and Regan Carrizales, CEO of Omaha, Neb.-based publication Silicon Prairie News, have signed on to lead interviews.

"Between our amazing keynote speaker, the participating media and our partnership with AC Entertainment, 36/86 is going to be a world-class event carrying forward the very best of culture and entrepreneurship represented during the first two years we produced Southland," said Charlie Brock, Launch Tennessee CEO. "The real stars of the event are the brilliantly innovative entrepreneurs and investors, plus the hospitality of the region."

Launch Tennessee held its first conference, Southland, in 2013 and partnered with San Francisco-based tech publication PandoDaily the following year. The two groups split last year, but will each be hosting its own conferences for entrepreneurs and technology companies in the same month in Nashville, a development that could further establish the city as a startup destination. 36/86 seeks to focus on companies coming from the Southeast region, while Pandoland wants to build a global conference that takes place in Nashville.

The decision to feature Eventbrite's Hartz underscores LaunchTennessee's effort to spotlight companies with Southeastern ties. The San Francisco-based ticketing and events company, which processed more than $1.5 billion in ticket sales in 2014, opened its second U.S. office in Nashville last year. Former Vice President and native Tennessean Al Gore was the keynote speaker for Southland in 2014.

The event will be held June 8-10 at Marathon Music Works, days before the Bonnaroo festival. Each night will include performances from musicians who "represent the culture and talent of our region," said Ashley Capps, AC Entertainment founder.

For early bird tickets, visit www.thirtysixeightysix.com.

Reach Jamie McGee at 615-259-8071 and on Twitter @JamieMcGee_.