36|86 set to shine light on Tennessee entrepreneurship
The music, the Southern vibe, the access to capital, the business opportunities, the high-tech workforce … the list goes on and on, but all roads these days seem to lead to Nashville.
That’s not lost on Launch Tennessee. In fact, we’ve helped make this convergence happen. And it’s why 36|86, our signature conference, will show visitors all of the above and much more June 8-10. Here’s what’s on tap:
Meet the winners of the Southern Series, early-stage companies who got out in front of investors and other supporters during events in Atlanta, Ga.; Alexandria, Va.; and Columbia, S.C., over the past few weeks. Those 12 companies are combining with 24 other start-ups we’ve chosen to create the “Village 36.” Simply put, these three dozen companies (11 of which represent Tennessee) are on fire. They hail from seven states and the District of Columbia, span 197 industry clusters, have raised over $18 million in capital, and are bringing their pitches to Music City with eyes on a $36,000 prize thanks to our recent grant award from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation.
OK, so that’s a taste of the entrepreneurship on offer. We also promise plenty of Southern culture, and we’re delivering on that, too. This year, we’ve invited some regional fashion-industry icons to talk about creating and building brands with longevity, how they utilize American manufacturing and the newly formed Nashville Fashion Alliance.
Included are:
•Steven Kolb, CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America
•Designer Billy Reid
•Libby Callaway, a marketing and media consultant for Billy Reid
•Matt and Carrie Eddmenson, founders of Imogene + Willie
•Natalie “Alabama” Chanin, owner of the Alabama Chanin lifestyle company
•Dean Wegner, president and CEO/owner, Omega Apparel Inc.
And while we’re talking speakers, attendees also will benefit from the wisdom of some of the best-known innovators out there, many of whom have set up shop in Nashville. Additionally, we have over 75 confirmed investors representing nearly 60 different firms.
Here are just some of the speakers representing the best of entrepreneurship, investment and culture — or are actively scouting office space here. So far, we’ve got: Uber;· Eventbrite;· Warby Parker;· Blackstone;· GE Ventures;· Battery Ventures;· Shyp;· yp;· Ipreo; Union Square Ventures; CrunchBase;· TechCrunch;· Revolution Ventures; · Inc. Magazine; · Entrepreneur Magazine;· Drive Capital;· Digital Reasoning;· Correlation Ventures;· Change Healthcare;· North Disruption Corp.;· Bridge Venture Partners;· Brand Collective;· Foundry Ventures;· NextGxDx;· Konica Minolta;· Dan’s Gourmet Mac & Cheese;· Shark Branding;· Power to Fly;· The JumpFund;· KO Insights;· Emdeon;· HCA;· Write2Market;· Lowe’s Innovation Group;· The Iron Yard;· The U.S. Small Business Administration;· Star Vest Partners;· Angel Labs;· Caeden;· Comcast Ventures;· Ventureneer;· Battery Ventures;· TechTown Global;· FLO Thinkery;· Emblematic Group;· Brand Foundry Ventures.
And there will likely be a few surprises as well.
Surely you didn’t think all this would be happening without a soundtrack? We’ll have the music going throughout the entire event all three days, including an evening concert featuring Langhorne Slim and Marc Broussard.
In addition to the outstanding programming and entertainment, attendees will receive access to a healthy dose of Southern culture with lunches from Edley’s BBQ and Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, whiskey tastings from some of the state’s finest distillers, as well as pop-up shops featuring local artisans and retailers.
It’s going to be an unbelievable nearly 21/2 to three days, showcasing the best that Nashville, Tennessee and the Southeast have to offer. All the innovators, and the people who want to fund them, are going to be here. Take a look at the full schedule, get your ticket at 3686south.eventbrite.com and don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind southern celebration.
Charlie Brock is CEO of Launch Tennessee (launchtn.org), a public-private partnership focused on supporting the development of high-growth companies in Tennessee with the ultimate goal of making Tennessee the No. 1 state in the Southeast for entrepreneurs to start and grow a company.