Nashville Entrepreneur Center

Michael Burcham
President and CEO, Nashville Entrepreneur Center
michael@entrepreneurcenter.com
LinkedIn

Michael has extensive experience in healthcare innovation, entrepreneurship, and startup venture coaching.  He served as President of ParadigmHealth, a provider and integrator of care and disease management services for health plans and employers, from 2001-2007. He also founded and served as President of Theraphysics, a venture-backed specialty healthcare firm managing rehabilitation services, from 1992-2000.  He is founder and Director of the Accelerator Summer Business Institute, a 4-week intensive immersion program designed to challenge undergraduate students to develop their own personal brands and business skills. At the Owen Graduate School of Management, Michael teaches healthcare innovation and strategy. He is passionate about helping the creative class transform their ideas into real businesses, and looks to the Entrepreneur Center as an opportunity to revolutionize Nashville’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and creative venture development on a large scale. Michael received his PhD in Healthcare Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2003.

Erin O. Anderson
Member Services Manager
LinkedIn

Erin Olivia Anderson is a recent Owen MBA graduate, with a passion for entrepreneurship, specifically concentrated in the music industry.  After obtaining her undergraduate degree in Music Business and Entrepreneurship from Belmont University, Erin worked at Universal Music Group for over two years.  She has participated in a variety of consulting projects for numerous music related start-ups in Nashville and is excited about the opportunity to work with the Entrepreneur Center as its programming and member services lead.

Alex Frangadakis
Business Development/EC Activator
LinkedIn

Alex is an entrepreneur and founder of a start-up company that delivers 3D imaging solutions for the dental industry. At the Entrepreneur Center, he works closely to help young entrepreneurs transform their business ideas into investible business plans. In 2010, he was a coach at Vanderbilt’s Summer Business Institute, successfully leading undergraduate students through six real-life consulting projects in four short weeks. Alex is currently completing his MBA at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management with a focus on Strategy and Operations.

Sam Lingo
Operations Manager
sam@entrepreneurcenter.com
LinkedIn

Sam Lingo is a Nashville entrepreneur specializing in the development of new technologies. He is a founding partner of U. S. Cryogenics, LLC, a solution-focused company extending the usable life of industrial wear parts. At the Entrepreneur Center, Sam oversees operations, business development and the Incubator Studio. He received his bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University in 2005. Sam lectures about entrepreneurism and adapting business plans to the real world at both Vanderbilt University and the Owen Graduate School of Management.

Amy Noakes
Business Plan and Data Analytics
LinkedIn

Amy Noakes has worked with several entrepreneurial startups since she moved to Nashville and her passion to help new companies establish their business has led her to data analysis and business analytics at the Entrepreneur Center. In addition to her undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech and experience working with PwC, Amy is currently entering her second year in the MBA program at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

Patrick Widen
Technology & Design Strategist
pwiden@entrepreneurcenter.com
LinkedIn

Patrick began his career in design at age 12 and launched his first design firm while still in high school.  Today, he is the founder and CEO of Blend, an interdisciplinary design firm that harnesses research from sociology to behavioral economics to drive product development and marketing . He is also a student at Vanderbilt University where he is studying Neuroscience, Marketing, and Economics. He has a strong technological background and is currently helping the Entrepreneur Center with product development strategy. 

Heather Borowski
Intern
Vanderbilt University
LinkedIn

Heather is a rising senior at Vanderbilt University studying Political Science, Corporate Strategy, and Leadership and Organization. At the Entrepreneur Center, she is an integral part of the EC’s visionary development and also designs grant proposals, fundraising materials, and other deliverables.  She has a strong belief that socially responsible business can transform society and plans to join such a corporation after graduation.   

Tim Henry
Intern
Vanderbilt University
LinkedIn

Tim Henry is a rising senior at Vanderbilt University where he is studying Economics, History, and Finance.  At the Entrepreneur Center, he is especially focused on business plan analytics and community resource outreach, and he is enjoying assisting the EC in its business plan development.  In the future, he wants to work in consulting before transitioning into private equity and social entrepreneurship. 

Drew Karr
Intern
Vanderbilt University
LinkedIn

Drew is a native of Chappaqua, NY and a rising junior at Vanderbilt University studying Human and Organizational Development (HOD) and Psychology. He has been involved with the Entrepreneur Center since completing the Accelerator Summer Business Institute at Owen Graduate School of Management, where he gained practical business knowledge to compliment his education.  Drew is excited to bring his knowledge of team development and psychology to the table to assist Nashville’s entrepreneurs. 

Catherine Mitchell
Intern
Vanderbilt University
LinkedIn

Catherine is a rising senior at Vanderbilt University studying Economics, Corporate Strategy, and Financial Economics. At the Entrepreneur Center, Catherine helps with building the database of resources, operations of events, and strategy within the business model. She hopes to work in strategy consulting after graduating from Vanderbilt University in 2011 and also wants to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors.

Germain Böer
EC Activator

Germain is an entrepreneur in all that he does and has consulted for a variety of companies including Chase Manhattan Bank, General Electric, the National Heart and Lung Institute, and Magnatek.  He has also been a Professor at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management since 1977, where he is a strong advocate for experiential learning programs that transform students into self-driven entrepreneurs. Germain received his PhD from Louisiana State University.

Jeff Cornwall
EC Activator

Dr. Jeff Cornwall has a tremendous passion for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial development; not only has he authored or co-authored six books about the subject, but he also maintains a blog called,  “The Entrepreneurial Mind.”  He hold the Jack C. Massey Chair in Entrepreneurship and serves as the Center for Entrepreneurship Director at Belmont University.  In addition to his academic career, he has spent many years in the private sector as an entrepreneur.  Jeff received his DBA and MBA from the University of Kentucky.

Tim DuBois
EC Activator

Tim, a native Oklahoman, brings years of experience in launching and developing music industry businesses and has a passion for sharing his knowledge with others. He has written five #1 songs, produced over twenty #1 singles, and opened three successful record labels. More recently, DuBois is serving as the Vice President and Managing Executive of ASCAP’s Nashville regional office. In addition to his music accomplishments, DuBois served as a faculty member at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management for several years. 

Blewett Melton
EC Activator

Blewett is the manager of international business at the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, promoting Nashville globally in order to facilitate economic growth through regional and inward expansion.  She is also the leader of the International Business Council, which provides training and networking opportunities for Nashville stakeholders in international business. On the side, she is passionate about young professional development and has not only contributed to the Chamber’s Young Professional initiative but is also a founding member of the South Eastern Young Alumni (SEYA) Organization.

Mark Montgomery
EC Activator

Mark is a serial entrepreneur who is currently juggles many balls, including the Entrepreneur in Residence at Claritas Capital, a private consultancy, writing, speaking and a variety of philanthropic endeavors.  His last company, echomusic, a technology and music platform play, was sold in 2007 to IAC/Ticketmaster.  Today, he applies his expertise in design thinking, marketing/business development, leadership/team/culture building, and branding building in the world at large, and specifically at the Entrepreneur Center in Nashville.

David Owens
EC Activator

With over 20 years working in product design and innovation, David has consulted with companies including IDEO, Apple, NASA, LEGO, and Bristol-Myers Squibb, among others. Currently, he is serving as a professor in the Owen Graduate School of Management teaching product design, organization behavior, and innovation. David received his PhD in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University.

Jim Schorr
EC Activator

Jim has 15 years of experience working at the intersection of business and society, and is among the nation’s leading experts on social entrepreneurship. In 1993, he co-founded Net Impact, a global network which has since empowered more than 25,000 graduate business students and professionals on five continents to integrate social and environmental priorities into their education and career. Jim received his MBA from Northwestern and is currently a professor at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

Marcus Whitney
EC Activator

Marcus has an innate passion for entrepreneurship and began his first company at the young age of 7.  Since then, he has been very active in several startups including Remarkable Wit, an entrepreneurial development firm, and Moontoast, a social commerce platform which builds member and visitor engagement. Throughout the community, he has served as a technology leader for over 10 years and is passionate about activating Nashville’s creative class.

BarCamp is Nashville’s free “un”-conference for the digital and technical community. BarCamp has become the premier technology conference in Nashville, bringing together the best minds and representation of the hottest companies in the internet, entrepreneurial, new media, and software industries, among others.

The SCORE Association is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to education and counseling of entrepreneurs, growing, solving challenges to their business or forming new businesses, in the small business community. Nashville SCORE is one chapter in a national network of nearly 400 chapters. Our service area is Nashville, TN and the nearly 30 counties comprising middle Tennessee. SCORE is a US Small Business Administration (SBA) resource partner.

Venture Nashville Connections provides a wide range of management, advisory and corporate communications and development services for companies, institutions and agencies.

Eric Bilbrey
LinkedIn

Mike Shmerling
CHoice Food Group, Inc and XMi Holdings, Inc

Lyle Holmes
LinkedIn

Erin Steigerwald
LinkedIn

Meaghan Rymer
LinkedIn

The TSBDC is a network of professional business consultants with 12 centers and 2 satellite offices in 14 cities throughout the State of Tennessee. The TSBDC prides itself on providing expert business advice to all types of businesses whether you are a manufacturer, retailer, service provider, or a professional; we are here to help you help yourself.

Accelerator—Vanderbilt Summer Business Institute is an intensive immersion in business designed exclusively for undergraduates and recent grads in all majors. In four fast-paced weeks at the Owen Graduate School of Management some of the top young minds from around the globe are immersed in real-world consulting roles for companies, helping to solve issues in marketing, logistics, finance, operations and branding.

Mind2Marketplace (M2M) is an organization dedicated to bringing the brightest and best ideas in middle Tennessee to reality. M2M strategically links people and organizations to bring innovation and technology to the marketplace.
M2M covers the 40-county area in middle Tennessee surrounding Nashville, TN, with a diagonal connection to partners at the Oak Ridge National Laboratories in Oak Ridge, TN, and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL.

NBIC provides management and technical assistance, shared support services, and professional advisement to start-up businesses that are housed in the Center.

Business students come to Belmont and study entrepreneurship for a variety of reasons. Some want to start their own business, others want special training for a family business, and still others know they simply do not want to work for anyone else. If you identify with one or more of these reasons, consider joining one of the fastest growing majors in the nation, at one of the strongest programs available — the Center for Entrepreneurship in the College of Business Administration at Belmont University.

Digital Nashville is a member-based community of digital media professionals in Nashville, TN. Our mission is to connect, strengthen and grow the digital community, including digital expertise, use and opportunities, throughout Greater Nashville. Our core services are designed to connect and support the experts shaping the future of digital business, content and technology in Nashville, as well as the business professionals needing their help.

The OEC is the hub of entrepreneurial activity among Vanderbilt’s Business, Law, Medical, and Engineering graduate schools as well as the University’s Office of Technology Transfer. The Center has become a highly respected training ground for serious student entrepreneurs and frequently fields winning teams in the national business plan competitions.

The Angel Capital Group started as a small Angel network in Sumner County, TN in May of 2007 with 22 members.  In 2008, expanded its services to provide educational and support functions to various communities to aid in establishing Angel investor networks.  In addition to the support functions, ACG links all of these networks together through one source so that capital and resources can be efficiently utilized to best aid as many entrepreneurs in finding start-up and seed capital as possible and to provide investors with a diversified capital investment process to mitigate risk.

Small business is integral to the Chamber and the Nashville-area economy. The Chamber‘s membership foundation is built on small and entrepreneurial businesses; approximately 90 percent of our member companies employ fewer than 100 people. Chamber membership benefits include educational resources, leadership and networking opportunities for small business owners and their employees.

The Nashville Area Chamberr is Middle Tennessee’s largest business federation, representing more than 2,500 businesses in 10 counties (Davidson, Dickson, Montgomery, Cheatham, Robertson, Wilson, Sumner, Williamson, Rutherford and Maury). Through a wide variety of programs and initiatives, the Chamber works to positively impact the economic vitality and enhance the quality of life in the region, while supporting the growth and prosperity of Chamber-member businesses.

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research is an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization dedicated to providing concerned citizens, the media and public leaders with expert empirical research and timely free market policy solutions to public policy issues in Tennessee.

The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating community leadership to create economic prosperity. The Nashville Area Chamber is Middle Tennessee’s largest business federation, representing more than 2,500 businesses in 10 counties. Through a wide variety of programs and initiatives, the Chamber works to positively impact the economic vitality and enhance the quality of life in the region, while supporting the growth and prosperity of Chamber-member businesses.

The Tennessee Technology Development Corporation is a private, 501(c)3 corporation created by the Tennessee State Legislature in 1998 and tasked with implementing an innovation-based economic development agenda throughout the state. We are aligned with and complementary to State Economic and Community Development Department programs. In 2007, TTDC was revitalized with a $5M investment from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. We aspire to exceed expectations on returns for state investments in innovation economic development and earn a reputation of doing “more with less”.

The Nashville Technology Council, an affiliate of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, is an exclusive, C6 nonprofit organization devoted to helping the Middle Tennessee technology community succeed.  Membership is open to technology companies, technology employers, service providers, educational institutions, and non-profit companies interested in supporting the growth of technology businesses in Middle Tennessee.

The Nashville Health Care Council is an association of health care industry leaders working together to further establish Nashville’s position as the nation’s health care industry capital. The Council promotes the continued growth of Nashville’s health care industry by fostering a supportive operating environment for existing, start-up and relocating health care businesses. Through educational programs, networking and mentoring activities, the Council provides executives with timely information on key operational and policy challenges facing health care companies.

The Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development (ECD) works to stimulate local economic activity through focusing and coordinating government resources.