FoundersForge announces programming for the 2025 Startup Mountain Summit in November
The Summit also features The Pitch, a $10,000 startup competition, and closes out the region’s first-ever Appalachian Startup Week.
The Appalachian Highlands is set to welcome a strong lineup of speakers for the annual Startup Mountain Summit this November. FoundersForge has unveiled the programming, which will bring 10 well-known entrepreneurs and innovators from across the country to Johnson City.
The conference is set to take place November 6-8.
From Brad Feld, the Co-Founder of Techstars and a cornerstone of the modern startup ecosystem, to Amanda Goetz, a two-time founder and author inspiring over 150,000 professionals in her newsletter, the Summit is drawing names that resonate far beyond Appalachia.
Attendees can expect insights from leaders shaping the future of SaaS, AI, product design, and brand strategy, along with homegrown entrepreneurs who have built, revived, and scaled companies in East Tennessee.
Meet the speakers
- Brad Feld – Co-Founder of Techstars, Partner at Foundry, and best-selling author with 35+ years of entrepreneurial and investing experience.
- Amanda Goetz – 2x Founder, 4x CMO, brand builder, and author of the upcoming book Toxic Grit, inspiring over 150,000 followers with her weekly insights.
- Katie Taylor – CEO & Co-Founder of Narratize AI, helping organizations accelerate innovation and product development through AI-driven storytelling.
- Asia Orangio – Founder & CEO of DemandMaven, SaaS growth consultant, and former Moz board member, specializing in breakthrough growth strategies.
- David Hatley – CEO of The LPI and Whisper, a Johnson City entrepreneur who built the largest hot tub manufacturer in the U.S. and revived Hatley Pointe Ski Resort.
- Chad Wolfe – East Tennessee native, brand strategist, and storyteller with experience at Trek and Turtleson, known for cultivating authentic brand loyalty.
- Anthony Pierri – Co-Founder of FletchPMM, with a track record of working with 400+ B2B SaaS companies to transform product positioning and go-to-market presence.
- Erin Stewart – Founder of Scenic West Design, a Nashville-based SaaS product and UX strategist with 15+ years of experience launching and scaling AI-driven products.
- Luke Thompson – Co-Founder & COO of The Operations Guide, East Tennessee technologist helping businesses harness AI and automation to scale efficiently.
- Lauren Glass Mullins – Co-Founder of Personality Pool, a Kingsport entrepreneur reshaping hiring through personality-driven HR tools.
The Summit will also feature an Investor Panel with representatives from Invest TN, Pathway Lending, and Market Square Ventures.
“The goal of the Summit has always been to create something unique for founders in our region,” said Isaac Deel, Marketing Director of FoundersForge. “By bringing in top entrepreneurial voices from across the country alongside leaders from right here in Northeast Tennessee, we’re offering a perspective that can’t be found anywhere else. Attendees gain access to knowledge, resources, and an experience that’s usually reserved for much larger ecosystems—yet it’s happening here in East Tennessee.”
Beyond the main stage, the Summit also features The Pitch, a $10,000 start-up competition, and closes out the region’s first-ever Appalachian Startup Week, which has a series of partner events leading into the conference.
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