Thursday, December 13, 2012

Humanity Zeitgeist

Nick Holland passed-along this moving vid from Google. Searching for what unites humanity? Take a look here.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

LaunchTN +1

LaunchTN (aka Tennessee Technology Development Corporation) added as a board member David Milhorn, Ph.D., who is EVP and chief operating officer of the UT System, according to Chattanoogan.com, Nov. 20. VNC's updated story is here.


Wednesday, November 14, 2012

ECD + TNInvestco (more)

A subcommittee of the General Assembly's government operations committee today voted in favor of extending the charter of the state's Economic and Community Development agency until 2017. Review of the State Comptroller's report on TNInvestco and other ECD programs, which have been cited by the Comptroller and ECD officials alike, as need improved administration and documentation, preceded the vote. Related VNC story here.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Bizplan contest in NVille

Plenty of new life-science companies showcased and/or competing for a $5K bizprize in Nashville later this week. The story's here.

VU Drug Discovery

Jeff Conn of Vanderbilt University center for neuroscience drug discovery is part of a broader alliance of scientists pushing for a new model for collaboration with Pharma. The story's here.

TNInvestco takes hit

TNInvestco administrators within ECD took it on the chin, along with some others, in the TN Comptroller's report issued today regarding the capital-formation program's management. The story's here.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Pathfinder Therapeutics gains ally

Pathfinder Therapeutics, the image-guided surgery technology firm that was spawned by VU School of Engineering and Medicine research, has agreed to integrate its offerings with those of NeuroLogica, release here.

Kustelski ETIX CEO

Joe Kustelski, who helped shape the early strategy for the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, and has more recently been a principal in the ETIX Rockhouse Partners team here, has been named ETIX CEO. Release here.

Healthstream IT 'challenge'

Healthstream CEO Bobby Frist told stock analysts in a teleconference this morning that the company faces "challenges" in finding enough Tech talent in the Nashville area and hopes its Austin, Texas, office will help. The company reported its earnings yesterday, close-on-the-heels of closing its acquisition of Sy.Med. More here. Based on its report, it seems likely to go over the 3 Million implemented subscribers mark in 1Q 2013 (and pass that mark in 4Q12, when non-implemented subs are included).

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Tom Stephenson joins Condra's Dalcon

Tom Stephenson, the former president of Healthcare Management Systems (HMS), is now president and chief operating officer of Dalcon Communications Systems, founded by CEO David Condra. For more, read here. Condra has been a leader in Nashville's technology and Angel communities for at least 15 years, and founded Dalcon more than 30 years ago.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

INCITE investment (add)

GOBA (Get out, be active) and Opti-Logic are the latest recipients of funding through Gov. Bill Haslam's INCITE co-investment program, administered by TTDC. The release is here.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Shoaf onboard Dobie

Forrest Shoaf, attorney, Cracker Barrel exec and investment banker, has thrown-in with Bruce Dobie at Dobie Media, right here.

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Cyberventure

Cyberventure Optio Labs (Allied Minds) is now represented in Nashville by Brian Dougherty, a VU School of Engineering Ph.D., who is Optio's project manager. Optio could be a portal to sophisticated software and electronic ventures. Story here.

Monday, March 05, 2012

Pathfinder's Cloar

Now the CEO at Pathfinder Therapeutics is Jim Cloar, who brings a med-devices background. Updated here.

MDSave launches

Nashville-based MDSave aims to do well by doing good, helping high-deductible covered insureds negotiate upfront cash discounts with docs they want to see. Right here.

TN IPO talk

Bass Berry's Page Davidson is decidely not hawking IPO's, rather he urges level-headedness. Read about it here.

Imagine TNinvestco

TNInvestco has contributed real energy to the venture ecosystem in Tennessee, but if there's another round, more proactive efforts may be in order to attract entrepreneurs from some quarters. Read about it.

Sagents for sales

LeShane Greenhill's Sagent launch puts corporate buyers and sellers together online 24x7. Angels are showing interest in the Nashville area, he says. Read it here.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Gambill on growthco's

Council Capital co-founder Katie Gambill (at left) alerts us to the needs of growth companies in Tennessee. Read about it here.

Kodiak launch

Kodiak, a tech solution to tie-together all the data from in-class tablets used by students, so teachers can determine learning progress... it's aborning in Nashville.

Lipscomb entrepreneur

Lipscomb University named Randy Goodman its College of Business entrepreneur in residence. It's here.

Split|Secnd

Startup Split|Secnd is sidlin'-up to a capital raise to become a B2C producer of a potentially life-saving technology. Read-up here.

GigCity

Chattanooga's push to celebrate its 1-Gig/persec infrastructure is ambitious. The remaining question is how much interest will it draw? Read about it here.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Accelerator briefing

Representatives of the 3 regional business accelerators in Middle Tennessee will meet with entrepreneurs Wednesday. Lunch is free if you sign-up in time to get a seat. Read the details here.

TN Income Tax

(PolitiFact) We suppose we voters will eventually decide whether or not the state's Constitution "clearly" allows or disallows a state income tax; meanwhile, we simply appreciated the "clear" logic of this piece.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Startup: ProPlayer preps round

As with most companies at this stage, they say there's still 'more to come'.. in this case, we believe it. Read about Pro Player Connect.

HCA-Airstrip Deal

The Deal announced today between HCA and AirStrip might bring HCA better access to a real thought-leader in mobile HIT adoption. Read it here.

Monday, February 13, 2012

N'ville IT talent pool

It's shallow, that's what most observers say, but this VU School of Engineering prof has some ideas for addressing all that. Right here.

N'ville SaaS startup

ERM Legal Solutions, which seems likely to soon be also known as something-like ERM Healthcare Solutions, is inching-up on a capital raise in Nashville. Right here.

Governor's all ears

Gov. Bill Haslam welcomes input, say his staff, on the performance Dashboard the Admistration recently launched online. Read about it and submit ideas.

TN private-equity play

TCRS, the state's consolidated retirement system, made a total $40MM allocation of assets to Bain and Canaan funds. Details here.

Thursday, February 09, 2012

VU entrepreneurs?

Vanderbilt University students have, to some extent, taken tech commercialization and entrepreneurship into their own hands, witness this spring's TechVenture Challenge. Read about it here.

Future B-round

It'll be 6 to 9 months from now, but a B-round is likely, says CEO Mark Harris, just after finishing his $500K A-round for NextGxDx, the online search/buy tool for genetic testing ordered for physicians' patients. Read about it.

SeniorMetrix sold

Welsh Carson is a pretty spiffy callin' card, and they showed up in the form of NaviHealth, alongside Universal American and Select Medical to buy Nashville's SeniorMetrix, led by Rick Glanz, helped along by bankers Brentwood Capital Advisors. Right here.

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Chamber 2,000

Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce aims to add 2,000 members (doubling its membership) by June 30th. Really. Here's the plan.

WealthAccess startup

David Benskin's WealthAccess SaaS startup is getting attention in Nashville, read about it here.

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

EOY Overstreet

Voices Heard Media's founder and CEO, Will Overstreet, has been named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Tennessee Valley Technology Council. Update here.

IPO Memphis

Green Ballast, the energy-saving smart-ballasts maker for commercial lighting, has filed for a small IPO and is awaiting its trading symbol for the OTC:BB. Here our exclusive.

TTDC update

Tennessee Technology Development Corporation (TTDC) may eventually need to look for private funding for its operations. Update here.

Jumpstart your idea

Jumpstart Foundry is getting another running start at its 3rd batch of startups. Get aboard! by reading this.

Our Delaney

Everbody knows a Dave Delaney. Here's ours. Seriously.

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

StartupTN

Case Foundation CEO Jean Case (left) brought the Startup America banner to the Nashville Entrepreneur Center to help mark the one-year anniversary of StAM and the launch of StartupTN. Notes here.

Innovation updates

State ECD's leadership has shifted for its INCITE co-investment and related programs. Tech2020 installed a new CEO. And, Nashville Business Incubation Center was more room, more tenants, more influence. Catchup on it here.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Goba Foursquare

John Dayani Jr.'s GOBA (get out, be active) has done a partnership with Foursquare, release here. Our related story here.

Monday, January 23, 2012

4 guys to watch

Alex Tolbert, David Box, William Griggs, William Paddock... four bootstrappers pushing their startups along. Catch up with 'em here.

TNInvestco update

VNC updates TNInvestco investments right here.

Al Ganier venture

Al Ganier, co-founder of Education Networks of America, is now pursuing a $6MM raise for his VMT startup. Read about it here.

$200MM Health raise

Rock Morphis and crew have a $200MM raise underway for healthcare investments, read it here.

HCA CIO retires

Noel Williams, SVP/CIO for HCA, is retiring and a search for her successor is underway. Read it here.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

FCA Venture Partners

FCA Venture Partners Managing Partner Matt King provides an update on the venture-capital firm's investment plans. Right here.

Biz advocates sought

The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and EmergeMemphis are looking for growth-business champions. Read about it.

Cardio dough

Cardiovascular Care Group is raising $40MM, read about it.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Action Alignment

Nashville's Artist Growth is the first of what is likely to be a series of offerings for different industry-verticals - this one's targeting performing artists, with a new technology platform. Worth a look.

Atiba-Cabedge

Atiba has acquired assets and hired key folks, including Chris Blanz, to create a new company, Cabedge Design LLC. Read more.

VentureNotes

DAIO, which helps mobile-app developers breathe life into their prototypes, and Pearescope, which helps you find like-minded folks on the free range, both attracted Angel capital. Read it here.

Shareholder InSite

Joe Maxwell pulls-off a merger and rebranding, transforming CapControls into Shareholder InSite. Right here.

Krush raise

Krush, the predictive networks startup, has raised $4.5MM, reported here.

NeighborMD

NeighborMD, a Nashville-based urgent care group, has a $2.5MM raise underway. Reported here.

Sunday, January 08, 2012

TNInvestco's Update

A half-dozen TNInvestco funds recently finessed additional investments. Get the update here.

SourceYourCity

Nashville-based Neely Burks, the former PR person who believes journalists and professionals who need to tap-into local expertise need the help of SourceYourCity, is lining-up a part-time market developer for the Bay Area. Read more here.

Saturday, January 07, 2012

Cumberland Consulting

Cumberland Consulting got a Tailwind Capital investment, with a kicker of some sort from father-son Clayton and Stuart McWhorter. Read about the investment in the Nashville-area healthcare IT firm, right here.

Nuyens on Fivestone

Jozef Nuyens sketches-out big portions of Fivestone Partners' strategy, making clear there's more to come for this Franklin-based investment and consulting group. Read more here.

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Jericho in N'ville

Jericho Sciences slipped into Nashville six months ago and is quietly preparing to develop a therapeutic approach that could help dramatically improve HIV treatment. Story here.

StartupTN+Angels

StartupTN's contract with state economic development officials calls for increasing Angel investor ranks in Tennessee. Story here.

TCRS PE commitments

Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS) recently made private-equity asset commitments of $25MM and $50MM to General Catalyst and Denham, respectively.

OneC1ty touted

Nashville healthcare office complex is proposed and seems to be gaining some traction. Story here.

Moontoast capraise

Moontoast is raising $6MM capital. Story here.

Logogarden buy

LogoGarden has bought Whoosh! interactive from the founders of Franktown. Story here.

Populr unveiled

Nick Holland will incubate and accelerate Populr within the Entrepreneur Center, with support from Bullpen Ventures. Story here.

FiledBy sold

FiledBy, the authors' portal based in Nashville, is now owned by Atiba affiliate SLK. Story here.

Healthbox launch

Healthbox launches under Hal Andrews and Ron Styers. Story here.