June will be a very busy month for the Launch Tennessee team
By Tom Ballard, Chief Alliance Officer, PYA
It is a gross understatement to say that June is going to be an extremely busy month for the team at Launch Tennessee.
There’s the two-day “36|86 Conference” scheduled for June 6 and 7 in Nashville, and all indications are the event will be sold-out. In addition, shortly after the conference ends, the still evolving field of candidates for a soon-to-be-vacant senior position within the organization will be reduced to a select group for intensive interviews.
“We’re getting some incredible applications from outside Tennessee,” Charlie Brock, Chief Executive Officer and President, said about those interested in becoming the organization’s next Director of Entrepreneurship and Capital Formation. Jason Denenberg, who has served in the position for several years, announced plans recently to devote full-time to NourishWise, his healthy eating start-up.
Even though he has some great applications already in hand, Brock says there is still time for interested individuals to apply. The deadline is Friday, June 10, and interested individuals can click here to review the job description.
As he has considered the evolution of Launch Tennessee under his watch and the expansive nature of Denenberg’s position, Brock says his thinking has evolved.
“I really feel like this is a really attractive opportunity,” he explains, adding, “I’m not sure it is a one-person job.” The duties include leadership for entrepreneurial efforts such as the regional accelerators and “The TENN” master accelerator, championing the all-important capital formation initiatives, building alliances and partnerships, and helping with some organizational management.
“It’s a lot for one person,” Brock says. “Are there a couple of hires here?
As far as the “36|86 Conference,” he says ticket sales are a couple of hundred ahead of last year at this time.
“All systems are go,” Brock says of the formal program and “Village 36” which features 36 start-ups from the South, including 14 from Tennessee. “That’s the highest number ever,” Brock says about his home state participants.
“We also have a great slate of investors,” he adds. When we talked to him a few days ago, there were 130 investors from 80 different firms registered with almost two weeks to go.
Brock praised the efforts of all the Launch Tennessee team, saying this year’s conference is shaping up to be the organization’s best conference yet, with the highest number of investors, attendees and the best mix of programming.
