About
Tennessee University-Business Showcase is a program to connect university research, investors, and business leaders in order to accelerate the innovation economy of Middle Tennessee. With twenty-two regional colleges and universities and nearly $4ooM AUM, Middle Tennessee is poised to become a leading regional innovation economy.
model
Tennessee University-Business Showcase is a collective impact initiative facilitated by Global Action Platform to connect the leading regional universities, LaunchTN, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and over fifty local investors and business leaders in Middle Tennessee in activities to build the innovation ecosystems critical for long term economic stability and prosperity.
Implement
Tennessee University-Business Showcase launched in 2017 with a series of forums. The first focused on the investment landscape of Middle Tennessee; the second, conducted in partnership with LanuchTN, was a business-pitch competition for Tennessee college students; the third focused on the research and workforce capacities of the universities of the region. The annual agendas focus on innovation hub modedls and strategy, cluster development, investment, regional ecosystems, policy, and other key topics.
Programs, such as the showcase, have proven successful around the country in fostering new, profitable and innovative business ventures and increasing investment in local innovation.
Tennessee University-Business Showcase
Connecting and mobilzing investors, universities and
businesses to advance the innovation economy of middle tennessee
The Tennessee University-Business Showcase is a series of
events curated and hosted by Global Action Platform, the regional innovation field
catalyst and lead for Middle Tennessee.
The program is designed to connect leaders from three sectors critical
to the economic future of the region, but sectors that are traditionally
siloed, namely leaders from the region’s
major investment firms,
university research institutions, and
business start-up leaders and communities.
The program engages the current 64 investment
funds headquartered in the region, over fifty regional businesses, and the
following major R10R3 universities --
- Vanderbilt University
- Belmont University
- Tennessee State University
- Meharry Medical College
- Austin Peay State University
- Middle Tennessee State University
- Lipscomb University
- Fisk University
- Trevecca University
- Cumberland University
The goals of the Showcase are to:
- Increase regional prosperity and economic growth
through improved university-business engagement, i.e., strengthen the
innovation economy ecosystem (the university-business-investment matrix) of Middle
Tennessee; - Increase global market awareness and global
market share for regional businesses and universities in Middle Tennessee; - Increase capture of graduates, IP, and the
creation of new businesses from local investors and universities; - Share information on regional innovation with
global institutions, companies, and markets through the annual Global Action
Summit and Global Action Report; - Engage regional universities in planning and
co-presenting with Global Action Platform leadership programs to inform regional
research and business services; - Improve knowledge of local researchers of the
investment priorities and goals of local investors and businesses to increase
better alignment of local research with local economic needs/opportunities; - Engage region’s leading investors and business
leaders in development and participation in the showcase events; and - Increase investment from regional investors in
the research and tech transfer opportunities from regional universities to create
new local companies.
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With special sponsorship support from
