INNOVATE® Nashville

Innovations of the World

INNOVATE® Nashville

Nashville – Music City, the capital city of the state of Tennessee is rightfully known as the hometown of country music, the birthplace of bluegrass, and the city with the highest concentration of music industry establishments in the nation, celebrating four times more music industry employment than any other US city.

But it’s that and MUCH more! Recently voted as the 11th best place to start a business in the USA, Nashville is a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship. It has a thriving retail, automotive, and healthcare industry, and a growing tech hub, with notable organizations like Amazon, Oracle, and Facebook investing in the city.

This city, rich in history, culture, and entertainment just topped the list of the Wall Street Journal’s 2022 hottest job markets. Developments in connectivity, infrastructure and transportation will ensure that Nashville remains one of the best cities in the US to live, work, and play.

INNOVATE® Nashville showcases and profiles the innovators and innovation enablers that are contributing to the dynamic innovation ecosystem drawing talent, industry and investment to the city.

Featured Thought Leaders

Featured Thought Leaders

Featured Innovators

Featured Innovators

THE WONDRY

THE WONDRY

From Innovation Ambition to Innovation Capacity- The Wond’ry Anchors a Vibrant University Innovation Ecosystem

The Wond’ry, Vanderbilt University’s center for innovation, serves as a catalyst for efforts to build and strengthen innovation capacity in the region. The Wond’ry provides space, mentorship, programming and other resources designed to facilitate cross-disciplinary collaboration among students, faculty, staff, and alumni from across all parts of Vanderbilt and from...

Launch Tennessee

Advances legacy of innovation

Public-private partnership Launch Tennessee has spent more than a decade creating a unique statewide startup ecosystem, supporting entrepreneurs in all 95 counties across the Volunteer State by providing capital, commercialization support, and connections. “It’s a great privilege to work on behalf of the entire state to boost innovation and entrepreneurship,”...

Hackathons International

Where ideas are put into action!

Many of us have ideas, but how many of us have actually tried to make their ideas a reality? While often seen as tech events for coders, Hackathons offers tremendous value – more than meets the eye. Hackathons are a framework used by CEOs, educators, community leaders, and marketers across...

Bradley

The Legal Architects Behind Innovation

A construction supervisor reviews jobsite footage delivered remotely by an onsite robot. In a rural hospital, a patient’s MRI is uploaded to an online portal, where a specialist on the other side of the country reviews it. An aviation breakthrough gains patent protection to power the next generation of supersonic...

SolidBase Structural Engineers

Solid Foundations, Strong Futures

THE STORY OF SOLIDBASE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS For SolidBase Structural Engineers (SBSE), every project begins with one guiding principle — that a structure is only as strong as the foundation it’s built on. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, SBSE has earned a reputation as a trusted name in residential and commercial structural...

CELERO COMMERCE

CELERO COMMERCE

WAS FOUNDED WITH ONE PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE: TO HELP SMALL AND MID-SIZED BUSINESSES WIN

We know that we can deliver that by leveraging our investment in FinTech and our commitment to partnerships with community /regional banks. It is this combination that truly empowers local businesses in a way that enables them to compete and win in this ever more complex and competitive market.  ...

Tyler York

Relationship-centered real estate, valuing people over profit, and inspiring others to do the same.

“Relationship-centered real estate, valuing people over profit, and inspiring others to do the same” – this was the vision of Founder and CEO Charlie Peterson when launching Tyler York Real Estate Brokers at the beginning of 2018. After a meteoric rise in Nashville real estate beginning in 2013, Charlie quickly...

BOS FRAMEWORK

BOS FRAMEWORK-Cloud Enablement

Cloud Enablement, Simplified

Tech-enabled companies and enterprises save 30-50% of their Cloud development and modernization cost and time with BOS. After building over 200 software products across industries spanning Clinical Research, HealthCare, Finance, Departments of Corrections, Defense, and Education in multiple geographies including North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia, BOS CEO and Founder...

DALTON GETS PEOPLE

DALTON GETS PEOPLE- AND THAT'S HOW THEY GET RESULTS

AND THAT'S HOW THEY GET RESULTS

Since 1989, truly understanding people has been a unique trait of Dalton – a leading advertising, public relations and digital marketing agency with offices across the Southeast, in Nashville, Atlanta and Jacksonville. On every project, Dalton digs deep to uncover the insights and human truths that get to the emotional...

UnityAI

The Future of Smarter, More Efficient Healthcare Operations

Hospitals are some of the most profound institutions in America — places where nearly everyone begins and ends their lives. The complexity of these institutions, operationally and administratively, is immense. While no individual or team can optimize this complexity, UnityAI believes AI can. UnityAI didn’t start with a grand vision...

ACQUIRE

ACQUIRE-The last time we had a technology this versatile

The last time we had a technology this versatile, it changed and improved every element of nearly every business

People used to wonder whether blockchain technology would survive. Then the question transitioned to “It’s not a matter of if, but when it will take hold?” Now the key question being asked is “who is using it and how?” To answer that question, you must understand that Web2 and Web3...

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

The Vanderbilt Vaccine Center -Improving human health through next-generation antibody science

The Vanderbilt Vaccine Center (VVC) was founded in 2004, with James E. Crowe, Jr, M.D. as director. The mission of this internationally recognized biomedical research and development team is to transform infectious disease prevention approaches using instant immunity achieved by use of naturally occurring molecules form the human immune system...

InPaceline

Riding Alongside Entrepreneurs

“You are the most qualified person to help the person you used to be.” This belief is the foundation of InPaceline, a venture studio model built by Clay Banks, a serial entrepreneur, mentor, investor, and endurance athlete. After years of scaling mountains – both literal and entrepreneurial – Banks is...

ATIBA

ATIBA-TECH IS HARD. BITS

TECH IS HARD. BITS, BYTES, ACRONYMS, AND BUZZWORDS— OH MY!

When we started our Nashville-based technology consulting firm Atiba all the way back in 1992, the tech services world was relatively simple. When a business needed tech help, they simply opened The Yellow Pages and looked under “Computer Consultants” to hire any one of the dozen or so Nashville IT...

SUPERWISE

AI That Works for the Real World

SUPERWISE® is leading the next evolution in AI – making intelligent technology work for real-world industries, not just research labs. With practical, scalable, and low-friction tools, SUPERWISE empowers organizations to use AI to increase efficiency, improve decision-making, and transform how work gets done – from the executive suite to the...

MINDFUL

MINDFUL-Add kindness to your tech stack

Add kindness to your tech stack.

Revitalizing a 25-year-old software company is no small task, but can be a pathway towards innovation and compelling value creation for employees, customers, and investors. That’s the story of Mindful, a contact center software company that relocated to Nashville in 2018, which was acquired by Medallia in 2022 after an...

Finwell

Innovating Access: How Finwell Makes Professional Advice Inclusive

How Finwell Innovates Finwell has reimagined financial advice by removing the traditional barriers that prevent most people from accessing professional, unbiased wealth management and comprehensive financial planning. Unlike firms driven by product sales, Finwell focuses on serving individuals and families often overlooked by traditional wealth managers. By prioritizing education, planning,...

ALTO

Making alternative investments and portfolio diversification accessible for everyone, not just the ultra-wealthy

Alto, a self-directed IRA custodian, is on a mission to provide everyday Americans the same investment opportunities long favored by wealthy and institutional investors...

SOUNDSTRIPE

WHERE MUSIC MEETS MOMENTUM

Soundstripe makes it easier for creators to find music that moves—and for artists to make a living doing what they love. Born in Nashville and built by musicians who know the grind, Soundstripe is more than just a licensing platform—it’s a growing music library of tens of thousands of tracks...

THE TABLE

THE TABLE-TAKES ACTION TO BRING EQUITY AND INCLUSION TO NASHVILLE

TAKES ACTION TO BRING EQUITY AND INCLUSION TO NASHVILLE

A new membership organization started in Nashville is growing rapidly. The Table is resonating with the business community because the goal is bold – to make Nashville the model city for equity and inclusiveness by taking action to create opportunities to grow prosperity for people of color. Started in October...

Nashville State Community College

From Classroom to Career: Nashville State Powers Progress Through Education and Partnerships

A Good Fit. A Great Future. That’s how Nashville State Community College defines itself—serving diverse students from Nashville’s urban core to rural counties, each bringing unique backgrounds and experiences. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to how Nashville State serves its students and communities. In fact, with Vision 2030 – its...

Parallel Entrepreneur

How Mark Cleveland Is Redefining Entrepreneurship in Music City

In a city known for breakout artists and bold founders, Mark Cleveland is building something less obvious but no less revolutionary. Through his Parallel Entrepreneur brand – anchored by a podcast, a growing network, and a forthcoming book – Cleveland is giving voice to a specific kind of business leader:...

SwitchPoint Ventures

We build companies around pioneering technologies.

Our journey began a decade ago, here in Nashville – a city known for creativity and reinvention. That same spirit shaped how we approach innovation: with collaboration, grit, and a builder’s mindset. At SwitchPoint Ventures, we build companies around pioneering technologies – particularly in AI, data science, and digital innovation...

Potluck

And the Reimagining of Social Tech

In an era dominated by likes, follows, and infinite scrolls, Justin Gray, founder of Potluck, is betting on a different future—one where social technology isn’t about building an audience, but about deepening real-life connections with the people we actually see: our friends, families, neighbors, and coworkers. Potluck is more than...

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The Publisher

Glen Edwards

Glen Edwards was born and raised in Philadelphia. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University and served in the United States Marine Corps Services. For the next 10 years, Glen worked as a Juvenile Probation Officer in Philadelphia, counseling underprivileged children in North and West Philadelphia. In 1983, Glen left the court and went to work... click to read more

The Publisher

Glen Edwards

Glen Edwards was born and raised in Philadelphia. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University and served in the United States Marine Corps Services. For the next 10 years, Glen worked as a Juvenile Probation Officer in Philadelphia, counseling underprivileged children in North and West Philadelphia. In 1983, Glen left the court and went to work... click to read more

Other Ecosystems