Launch Tennessee-backed Bundled gains national recognition in “Rise of the Rest Ecosystem Playbook”
Bundled, the brainchild of Knoxville Entrepreneur Courtney Jones, just earned some well-deserved national recognition.
In the latest publication from Steve Case and his “Rise of the Rest” initiative and Revolution organization, the effort is one of three state-based and four local or regional programs highlighted in the 2021 edition of the “Rise of the Rest Ecosystem Playbook” (see pages 42-48).
“The Launch Tennessee Bundled initiative is an example of Navigation and Founder Support,” the authors wrote. “This case study explores the ways in which this initiative helps connect start-ups with local service providers at no cost to keep their businesses moving forward.”
We described the Bundled initiative in this teknovation.biz article nearly a year ago and have further spotlighted how two woman-launched businesses – PowerUp Fitness in Knoxville and S&J NanoChemicals Inc. in Chattanooga – have taken advantage of the program in subsequent articles.
As the name implies, Bundled is designed to provide a “bundle” of pre-paid professional services that will enable an entrepreneur to quickly and completely meet an important milestone on the road to a successful launch. Those services could include legal, accounting, technology, marketing, human resources, business development, or assessment and coaching.
“I’m grateful to have the opportunity to work with LaunchTN and other ecosystem builders in Tennessee to facilitate meaningful connections between our Tennessee founders and the service providers who are committed to seeing them succeed,” Jones says. “During this pandemic, we are grateful for the dual impacts that result in start-ups achieving measurable milestones while generating revenue for Tennessee service providers.”
During 2020, she says Bundled provided services valued at more than $140,000 to 12 Tennessee companies while also generating almost $100,000 in revenue for Tennessee based service providers. PYA, the power behind teknovation.biz, is one of those service providers because of its commitment to help grow successful start-ups in the Volunteer State.
“We anticipate continued expansion of the program in Tennessee and throughout the Southeast in 2021,” Jones says.
Two other states are spotlighted – Colorado and Ohio, along with four cities – Miami, Minneapolis, Tulsa and the Northwest Arkansas Region.
“Our Bundled partnership with Courtney is a stellar example of how LaunchTN can connect valuable resources through our Network Partners, not only for entrepreneurs and start-ups, but also technical service providers in communities across the state,” said Van Tucker, President and Chief Executive Officer of LaunchTN. “This pilot program, funded through an Appalachian Regional Council grant, has shown promising results in East Tennessee, as so many companies over the past year have faced challenges with COVID.”
