Even though I’m not a native Nashvillian I was still incredibly proud to see the city I now call home called out as a viable alternative to Silicon Valley for start-up companies looking for a good place to get their business models off the ground.
Internationally known as the home of country music and the Opryland Hotel, outsiders are often surprised to learn of our vast healthcare industry (full disclosure: I currently work for HCA, one of the largest healthcare companies in the country and based in Nashville) among other strong industries including insurance, finance and publishing.
For entrepreneurs, there’s also strong VC and private equity firms including one of Tennessee’s first incubators–JumpStart Foundry–and several of the recently-funded TNInvestco firms.
Also, don’t forget we’re called the Athens of the South for our many colleges and universities (my own alma mater was called out in one of the articles: Lipscomb University where I’m also an adjunct professor) and boast a highly-educated workforce.
So, here’s a hat-tip to my new hometown (actually, I live in the suburb of Franklin but who’s counting?). I’m proud to call you home and hope I can make you proud of me in turn.
