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March 29, 2018 | Tom Ballard

Planning underway for 2018 edition of “Nashville Startup Week”

Nashville Startup Week 2018By Tom Ballard, Chief Alliance Officer, PYA

Planning is underway for the second annual “Nashville Startup Week,” according to Sam Butler, one of the key organizers.

The event is scheduled for May 15 through 18, again at various venues throughout Music City.

“The whole team has changed and grown,” Butler says in comparing the planning process for the second year. In 2017, the veteran of a number of start-ups including Outset Data Corporation, his newest, joined forces with Nick Potts, Founder of ScriptDrop, to organize the week.

It was pretty much the two of them driving the planning around the Techstars model. For 2018, he says the goal was to get the community more involved. As such, the planning team has grown to 14 or 15 members including people such as Lindsey Cox and John Lanahan of Launch Tennessee and Andrew Goldner, a Co-Founder of GrowthX and a Kauffman Foundation Fellow.

“We’re opening it up to the community,” Butler says. “We want individuals to submit content and host workshops.” Those interested in submitting ideas can do so here, but they need to submit their suggestions soon.

The planning group is also seeking sponsors (click here) and volunteers (click here).

With individuals still having the opportunity to submit session ideas, Butler characterizes the schedule as still evolving. There is a framework, however.

  • May 15 – The kick-off is an opening party at the WeWork Nashville location at 901 Woodland Street that is sponsored by Buffalo Trace Distillery.
  • May 16 and 17 – Program sessions will be held between 3 and 6 p.m. each day. On May 16, they will be hosted at Fisk University, and the May 17 location will be at WeWork.
  • May 18 – This will be a pitch competition held at the ONEC1TY. The winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize and $5,000 in legal services, both from Baker Donelson.

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