Building and scaling a company takes determination. It takes a team with an indomitable spirit who won’t take “no” for an answer. The same is true for tech communities. To grow and thrive, a community and all its members must display perseverance and confidence in the face of obstacles and hardship. In a word, rising tech communities need grit.

The tech communities of Tennessee have grit in spades. In just the last decade, the cities of Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville have grown their tech sectors tremendously, attracting skilled entrepreneurs and talent from across the country with low business and living costs, plus excellent quality of life. The innovative startups and tight-knit communities here share a powerful culture of entrepreneurial pluck—mixed with a healthy dose of Southern hospitality—that has been a secret weapon on their combined journeys toward success.

The Powderkeg team recently traveled to Nashville in Middle Tennessee to unveil the 2018 Tennessee Tech Census Report, our fifth and final census report of the year. During a special reveal event at the co-working space Center 615, we dove into the findings with six influential members of the community. We came away with a better understanding of the unique culture that has supercharged Tennessee’s tech sector and where it will lead these communities in the future.

Download the 2018 Tennessee Tech Census Report

In this episode with some of Tennessee’s top tech entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders, you’ll learn:

• Meaningful ways heartland cities can invest in their tech communities.
• How changing investment dynamics are benefitting rising tech hubs.
• Why a good company culture is the best hiring asset for a startup.
• What to look for and what to avoid in a corporate partnership.
• Ideas and strategies for building a culture that goes beyond lip service.
• Some of the most innovative startups in Tennessee to keep on your radar.

Please enjoy this conversation with some of Tennessee’s brightest entrepreneurs, investors, and tech thinkers!

• Listen to it on iTunes.
• Stream by clicking here.
• Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud or Stitcher. We have an incredible lineup of interviews we’ll be releasing every Tuesday here on the Powderkeg Podcast.

Quotes from this episode of Igniting Startups:

“

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

Companies and organizations:

• Eventbrite
• Reviewbox
• Emma
• Rise of the Rest
• United Way
• Ingram Industries
• KPMG
• Ascension
• Saint Thomas Health
• Hashed Health
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Nashville Software School
• Girls Who Code
• Asurion
• Campaign Monitor
• Nissan
• SOMAVAC Medical
• FedEx
• Bellhops
• Volkswagen
• EPB
• Cirrus Insight
• Scripps Networks Interactive (acquired by Discovery, Inc.)
• Alchemy
• Studio Science
• mAccounting
• Gigamunch
• Toms

Entrepreneurial organizations:

• Launch Tennessee
• Nashville Entrepreneur Center
• Epicenter
• Nashville Technology Council

Venture capital firms:

• Mucker Capital
• ModernCapital
• GrowthX

Co-working spaces:

• Center 615

Conferences:

• 36|86 Entrepreneurship Festival

Universities:

• University of Tennessee
• Vanderbilt University
• Belmont University
• Middle Tennessee State University
• IU Kelley School of Business

Igniting Startups episodes:

• Episode #29 with Clint Smith

People:

• Margaret Dolan (LinkedIn)
• Monique Villa (@MoniqueVilla)
• Bryan Mayes (@bryan_mayes)
• James Horey (@james_horey)
• Andrew Goldner (@agoldner)
• Clint Smith (LinkedIn)
• Christian Paro (LinkedIn)
• Charlie Brock (@cebrock)
• John Lanahan (@jlanahan)
• Steve Case (@SteveCase)
• Marc Benioff (@Benioff)
• Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
• John Bass (@JohnGBass)
• Julia Hartz (@juliahartz)
• Scott Jones (@chachaman)
• Jay Baer (@jaybaer)

COMMENTS?

What stood out most to you in this episode of igniting startups?

For me, it’s the meaningful ways heartland cities can invest in their tech communities.

You? Leave a comment below.

WANT MORE?

To subscribe to the podcast, please use the links below:

Click Here to Subscribe via iTunes.
Click Here to Subscribe via RSS (non-iTunes feed).

If you have a chance, please leave me an honest rating and review on iTunes by clicking here. It will help the show and its ranking in iTunes incredibly! Thank you so much!