Statements
Mission
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center's mission is to connect entrepreneurs to critical resources to create, launch, and grow businesses.
Background
The original concept for the Nashville Entrepreneur Center was developed during the Partnership 2010 initiative led by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. A 75-member Entrepreneurship Task Force was charged with analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of Middle Tennessee's entrepreneurial ecosystem, benchmarking against peer communities and identifying opportunities for greater support.
The task force presented its recommendations in 2008, and in 2010 the Nashville Entrepreneur Center was officially established. The EC's first home was on Broadway, with Clayton McWhorter serving as the first chair of the Board of Directors and Michael Burcham as the EC's first CEO. The EC launched a membership program for entrepreneurs that gave them access to a network of successful founders for mentoring, and also provided strategic guidance from staff.
In 2013, following a successful community-wide capital campaign, the EC moved to its current location in the historic Trolley Barns. With significantly more room available, membership expanded to include co-working space, and in 2014, the EC launched PreFlight, the first of its cohort-based programming experiences. In the following years, the EC added additional accelerator-style program offerings, including Project Music, Project Healthcare, InFlight, and Twende. In 2020, to better serve its members amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the EC became a virtual-first organization, continuing to fully support entrepreneurs whether in-person or online.
Impact
With 25% of our economy made up of entrepreneurs, the cultivation of entrepreneurs and small businesses is vital. Since 2010, the EC has graduated 800 alumni from its programs who have created over 1600 jobs, generated almost $200M in revenue, raised over $233M, and have over $100M in successful exits. Overall, we've also helped over 10,000 entrepreneurs through our programs.
Our programs make a real difference. Of the hundreds of businesses in our high touch programs, 84% are still in business today. That's 8 times the average survival rate of new businesses. And for every $1 invested into a scholarship, scholars have generated $7 in investment and $4 in revenue.
Since opening its doors in 2010, the EC has partnered with and been recognized by numerous outside organizations, including the White House, U.S. Department of Commerce, Google for Startups and Kauffman Foundation.
Needs
The impact of the March 3 tornadoes and COVID-19 has challenged many Nashville entrepreneurs. More than ever, we need help delivering our mission to provide critical resources to entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses.
1) Companies can sponsor our programs.
2) Successful entrepreneurs can give time by being a mentor, advising or joining McWhorter Circle, a Leadership Giving Society. We offer Donor Advised Funds and Special Initiative Funding.
3) Both companies and individuals can sponsor an entrepreneur's journey through one of the EC's programs.
EARLY STAGE PROGRAMS: $2,000 per scholar:
- PREFLIGHT | 14-week curriculum to move an entrepreneur from idea-to-business
- ADVISOR PROGRAM | One year of access to the EC's 300-strong advisor and mentor network
- TWENDE | Year-long business acceleration program for entrepreneurs of color
LATER STAGE PROGRAMS: $6,000 per scholar:
Year-long accelerator programs in HEALTHCARE, MUSIC & INFLIGHT (all industries).
Named scholarship opportunities for multi-year gifts.
CEO Statement
At the EC, we are on a mission to make Nashville the most entrepreneurial city in America. We do that by connecting aspiring, current, and exited entrepreneurs with meaningful programs, resources, and community to make an impact in Nashville and beyond.
Whether it's our proven accelerator programs, our classes and events led by seasoned experts, our affordable coworking space, or our network of mentors and advisors, the EC has something for each and every entrepreneur to make their journey easier, more meaningful, and more successful. To date, over 14,000 entrepreneurs have used our products and services, resulting in over $325M capital raised, and 3,000+ jobs created.
Robert Greenleaf wrote, "Not much happens without a dream. And for something great to happen, there must be a great dream. Behind every great achievement is a dreamer of great dreams. Much more than a dreamer is required to bring it to reality; but the dream must be there first."
For entrepreneurs (the dreamers) in Nashville, the EC is that "much more than a dreamer". You bring the dream, we'll bring the community.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Community Improvement, Capacity Building - Business and Industry |
| Secondary Category: | - |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Wilson |
| TN - Sumner |
| National |
| TN - Cannon |
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Hickman |
| TN - Macon |
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Marshall |
| TN - Montgomery |
| TN - Robertson |
| TN - Smith |
| TN - Trousdale |
