Statements
Mission
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center exists to make Nashville the best place to start and grow a business by increasing the likelihood of success for entrepreneurs.
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 NEC's first home was on Broadway, with Clayton McWhorter serving as the first chair of the Board of Directors and Michael Burcham as the NEC's first CEO. The NEC 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 NEC 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 NEC launched PreFlight, the first of its cohort-based programming experiences. In the following years, the NEC 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 NEC became a virtual-first organization, continuing to fully support entrepreneurs whether in-person or online. Post-Covid, the EC offers virtual and in-person learning, programs and events. It has also added new accelerator-stye programs Take-Off for startups under $50,000 in revenue, and Project FinTech.
Impact
With 25% of our economy made up of entrepreneurs, the cultivation of entrepreneurs and small businesses is vital. Since 2010, the NEC has served $14,000+ entrepreneurs, graduated 900 alumni from its programs. EC entrepreneurs have generated $400M+ in revenue, raised over $300M, and have had over $100M+ in successful exits.
EC programs make a real difference. Of our 900+ alumni, 84% are still operating their businesses. That's 8 times the average survival rate of new businesses.
Support from the EC's partners and individual contributions in our McWhorter Circle Giving Society, allow the EC to guarantee no entrepreneur is denied, based on need ,entrepreneurial education and resources,
Supporting Partners Include: Launch TN, Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County, Fisk University, Amazon, HCA, CLA, RJYoung, Pinnacle Financial Partners, Baker Donelson, Wells Fargo, Dell for Startups, Morgan Stanley, First Horizon, LBMC.
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
Nashville Entrepreneur Center exists to help make Nashville the best place to start and grow a business by increasing the likelihood of success for entrepreneurs. To do that, we offer five proven accelerator programs that help founders understand the tools and opportunities needed to grow their idea, regardless of industry or stage.
Additionally, we have a thriving community of 280+ entrepreneurs and 150+ advisors, working together to take their ideas to the next level. Along with that community, members receive weekly educational events, a vetted vendor database, and online content for their businesses to thrive.
All of our work is supported by dedicated partners who are committed to helping entrepreneurs succeed, making us truly, better together.
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 - Cheatham |
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Montgomery |
| TN - Robertson |
| TN - Maury |
