A decade of change in Nashville’s tech industry

Time changes almost everything, which is why it’s not hard to believe that the tech industry in which I started my telecom business a little more than 10 years ago is far from the same industry that lives and thrives in Music City today. And it’s not just the advances in technology that have shaped the industry. Rather, our entire culture has evolved, revamping companies, ideas and opportunities along with it.

It’s been an interesting and inspiring journey to watch unfold. The greater Nashville area now shines as a beacon of technology relevance across the nation.

So, what does a decade worth of change look like? Well, there’s no question that Nashville’s tech industry has expanded dramatically in 10 years. According to Forbes, it’s grown 43 percent in that time. But aside from these kinds of statistics, here’s what I’ve noticed:

•Emphasis on entrepreneurialism: As fast as technology development moves, the industry itself is one that perfectly complements tech entrepreneurs. Anyone with an idea of how to meet a need or provide better efficiency has an opportunity to create a standout start-up.

Nashville has been an exceptional supporter of such companies in the past few years. In fact, it was just five years ago that the Entrepreneur Center opened its doors to new and aspiring CEOs and became a significant catalyst for supporting and inspiring new innovation and start-ups in the greater Nashville area. There are also a number of accelerator programs designed specifically for technology entrepreneurs to revolutionize, collaborate and begin forward-thinking businesses right here in Middle Tennessee.

•Strengthened tech network: Nashville’s technology professionals have come to value intra-industry support more than ever. Over the past few years, technology organizations have significantly expanded the number of development and networking opportunities they offer tech professionals. From the Nashville Technology Council and its many professionally centered development programs, to WorkIT Nashville and its ability to connect job seekers with job providers, the girth of our growing industry now has an infrastructure to maintain and grow itself from within.

•A new level of diversity: Though women still face a number of inherent obstacles to becoming leaders in the tech industry today, I’m seeing more of my talented female peers play a significant role in Nashville’s tech industry. Consider bytes of knowledge CEO Julie May, G Squared Wireless’ Heather Thomas and Diane McDaniel and Firefly Logic’s Amy Henderson. All four of these tenacious women run tech-driven companies in town — and that’s just naming a few. I’m proud to say that women comprise half of the Nashville Technology Council’s executive committee, with many more serving on the board of directors. In this regard, the landscape is certainly changing.

Even more, Nashville is increasingly becoming a permanent destination for people of all ages and backgrounds. With a growing diversity of businesses, industries, restaurants and cultures calling Music City home, it’s attracting job seekers from across the nation, brewing a melting pot full of varied tech perspectives and talent.

•A complement to Nashville’s high notes: Nashville is rising in prominence on many fronts — one of which is its health care industry. As we’ve become the health care capital of the nation, the tech industry has had the opportunity to grow and develop alongside this vertical, creating a burgeoning tech sector of health care IT companies, products and services.

The same holds true for Nashville’s music industry. Just this year, several music industry giants, including the Country Music Association, partnered with the Nashville Entrepreneur Center to offer the city’s first music and digital media-focused accelerator. Its goal is to support the development of new technology to help propel the music industry forward.

Despite such a change in Nashville’s tech landscape, I believe we’re just at the cusp of what’s to come. After all, coupling Google Fiber with a few years of innovation could bring unprecedented growth to the industry. The excitement abounds.

Melinda Curran is the founder and CEO of RCG, a single-source telecom provider based in Franklin, providing all aspects of voice, data and mobility solutions with superior customer service to businesses across the country. Learn more about RCG at www.myrcg.com.