36|86 is for you
Find out from festival insiders how our curated mix of investors, entrepreneurs, executives, and educators bring innovation to life at 36|86.
Every August, entrepreneurs, VCs, executives, students, and business leaders gather in downtown Nashville for 36|86 Entrepreneurship Festival. Powered by Launch Tennessee, the two-day festival provides practical advice for the innovator, along with dynamic programming and entertainment. 36|86 also builds connections, whether you’re scouting for technology to fund or looking to make a career move (pro tip: visit our new Job Board to get a head start).
36|86 is for you — the innovator.
“36|86 has done a spectacular job at curating a unique mix of investors, entrepreneurs, executives and educators to help bring real opportunity to these markets,” said Jillian Marie Kelleher, the globe-traveling founder of Connector Entertainment Group.
In the run-up to the festival on Aug. 28-29, you’ll be hearing from our attendees — all innovators with varied backgrounds, job titles, and ways of doing business.
Attendees like Bianca Caban, an ecosystem builder based in New York City and San Francisco, who called 36|86 “a fantastic opportunity for founders in the Southeast to meet top investors and get connected to resources to grow their businesses.”
Or Courtney Hale, Chief Hope Dealer at knowledgeBANK, who praised 36|86 programming, noting the breakout sessions are “informative, inspirational and engaging.”
Or Doug Speight, founder and CEO of Durham, NC-based AnnexTech Partners, who said 36|86 is the “top investor networking in the South.”
Conversation, connections, exclusive events
36|86 offers more than information about the latest in technology and entrepreneurship. The multi-venue experience offers a chance to connect with entrepreneurs across the country through happy hours and our exclusive 36|86+ events, including VIP passes to the annual music festival Live On The Green.
You can meet attendees like Stephanie Cummings, CEO and co-founder of Please Assist Me, an all-inclusive home-management tool. Stephanie, a recent Backstage Capital Headliner, is interested in underrepresented founders and promoting women in tech. Felicia Jackson, CEO of CPRWrap Inc., an easy to use first aid tool, is focused on healthcare startups and mentorship. And Netta Dobbins, CEO and co-founder of Mimconnect, a career resource platform helping companies recruit and retain diverse talent, is ready to talk about, well, diversifying the workforce and the consumer internet.
Our attendees are not just startup success stories — they’re game changers. Last year Ahmed Badr, founder and executive director of Narratio, was selected as one of 17 UN Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals by the UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth. This spring, Nashville-based Channing Moreland, CEO and co-founder of EVAmore, designed and executed a creative wellness retreat for music industry professionals.
From where you are today to where you want to be tomorrow
While entrepreneurs make up the bulk of our attendees, investors and ecosystem builders are also part of the mix. Allie Felix recently returned to her hometown of Tampa to help build a startup community after working in San Francisco and New York City. Patrick Henshaw, the CEO of Louisville Entrepreneurship Acceleration Partnership (LEAP), is passionate about giving entrepreneurs in underserved and overlooked markets the tools they need to grow their companies. And Alexandra Bacchus, brand partnerships senior associate for Nashville-based Nisolo, helped organize the inaugural VFA WMN Summit for Venture For America (fun fact: she can also recite pi to the 32nd decimal point).
Suffice to say, there are plenty of people to connect with and learn from at 36|86 who will help get you from where you are today to where you want to be tomorrow.
Maybe you’re like Louisa Shepherd. You might not have a master’s degree in orchestral clarinet performance, like she does, but you haven’t yet been to 36|86 — and neither has she. Louisa is most excited to witness the “energy converging around tech and entrepreneurship in a non-coastal hub” and learn about Tennessee’s “unique flavor of innovation.”
We invite all creators, groundbreakers, trailblazers, and game changers. And you. Whatever you call yourself, join us in downtown Nashville, Aug. 28-29.
