Additional featured speakers announced for next month’s “36|86 Entrepreneurship Festival”
Launch Tennessee has announced additional speakers for next month’s “36|86 Entrepreneurship Festival” in Nashville.
Set for August 28 and 29 at five different venues in the downtown area, the updated featured speaker lineup includes:
- Alex Fenkel, Co-Founder of SmileDirectClub, a pioneer in doctor-directed, remote invisible aligner therapy. Founded in 2014, SmileDirectClub is now valued at $3.2 billion and employs more than 4,300 people.
- Allie Burns, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Village Capital who brings more than 16 years of experience working with entrepreneurs and innovators at the intersection of tech and social change. She previously served as a senior executive at Revolution and the Case Foundation, the venture capital firm and private family foundation created by former AOL executives Jean and Steve Case.
- Ben Jacobs, Head of Ventures for Mars Petcare’s Kinship division, where he is helping accelerate start-ups from the global leader in pet care. His efforts include the $100 million Companion Fund and Leap Venture Studio for early stage companies.
- Carolyn Rodz, a Latina three-time entrepreneur who founded Alice, a free artificial intelligence-driven website prioritizing women and underrepresented founders. Her work has been featured in Entrepreneur, Fortune and Fast Company.
- Hadiyah Mujhid, Founder and CEO of HBCUvc, a nonprofit organization that educates and trains black and Latinx populations in technology entrepreneurship and venture capital to create racially equitable economies.
- Seth Bernstein, President and CEO of AllianceBernstein and former Managing Director and Global Head of Managed Solutions and Strategy at J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
As previously reported, other highlights of this year’s festival include:
- A continuation of programming dedicated to students and young start-up founders with a marquee event billed as the “Student Edition Live Pitch.” It will be an entrepreneur showcase and pitch competition that gives Tennessee student founders a platform to access funding, resources and marketing support. Finalists will compete August 28 to win $60,000 in prizes.
- The inaugural “36|86 Pavilion at Live On The Green” that will include a Job Fair from 4 to 9 p.m. August 30 and 12 noon to 8 p.m. August 31. It will be a casual networking environment open to job seekers looking to join a fast-growing start-up as well as young start-ups scouting for talent to scale their businesses. On September 1, the “36|86 Pavilion” will connect kids and robotics courtesy of the Adventure Science Center.
- The popular “Women’s Lounge” featuring programming and events tailored for female entrepreneurs and a work lounge with free Wi-Fi and refreshments, sponsored by Asurion.
Tickets start at $279 through July 31 and can be upgraded. To order, click here.
