Nashville is renowned for its vibrant music scene and booming health care industry, but the city is now working toward becoming an emerging powerhouse of innovation as well.
Over the past year, the university has worked closely with community organizations and local civic leaders to foster opportunities for businesses, startups, investors, researchers and policy influencers to come together and exchange ideas that could take root and launch in Nashville.
Here are some of the events and milestones to support the city’s growth into a center for innovation for which Vanderbilt has played a vital role:
June 2024
Chancellor Daniel Diermeier appointed an innovation ecosystem advisory group that comprises faculty and staff from across the university. The group is building upon existing work to leverage Vanderbilt-driven research and innovation to support local community needs, attract entrepreneurial talent and venture investment, and expand the city’s and region’s innovation capacity.
In the same month, Vanderbilt joined Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell to launch the Nashville Innovation Alliance with the goal of bringing together public, private, civic and education institutions to enhance the region’s innovation ecosystem. The aim of the alliance is to grow Nashville’s innovation capacity to create a local economy that is more resilient and prosperity that is more inclusive.
July 2024
The Nashville Innovation Alliance hosted the Innovation Ecosystem Forum, bringing together representatives from innovation districts in Barcelona, Berlin and New York City to share their learnings. One of the key takeaways from the event was that Vanderbilt is uniquely positioned to grow its innovation ecosystem, including creating a physical place for innovation to thrive.
Leveraging Vanderbilt’s strong reputation in the field of medical research, the university’s Industry Collaborations team within the Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization hosted the Life Science Showcase. The event featured discussions by leading investigators, insights into industry efforts and a panel on antimicrobial resistance, providing valuable insights into the latest advancements in addressing infectious disease challenges. Most importantly, the showcase connected attendees with researchers, investors, policy influencers and community resources to foster potential research collaborations and partnerships in the fight against these diseases.
February 2025
The Nashville Innovation Alliance toured Atlanta’s Tech Square, learning about the value of co-location, shared vision and collaboration in driving economic growth through innovation. Key takeaways included:
- The Value of Co-Location: Shared hubs foster collaboration and strengthen corporate attraction.
- A Shared Vision: Georgia Tech, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, and Invest Atlanta are aligned around a shared priority of driving economic growth through innovation, with a focus on inclusive development.
- Collaboration as a Key to Success: Atlanta’s economic development stakeholders collaborate consistently and have strong public investment, helping drive growth and innovation through these long-standing partnerships.
March 2025
The Nashville Innovation Alliance and LaunchTN hosted Nash at Night during SXSW, showcasing the city’s growing innovation ecosystem and fostering new connections. The alliance also launched the Nashville Tech Studio, pairing Metro departments with Vanderbilt experts to pilot technology-based solutions.
Helping connect Vanderbilt’s and Nashville’s entrepreneurial ecosystems, the university hosted the inaugural Convoy Conference. The evolving business landscape was discussed by more than 150 Vanderbilt founders—including seven unicorn founders—plus 80 investors and more than 10 alumni from top accelerators like Y Combinator, Techstars, Neo, and Creative Destruction Lab. But the event was more than a gathering—it served as a catalyst for future entrepreneurship, investment and radical collaboration by bringing together entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders.
April 2025
The Nashville Innovation Alliance hosted Tech Talent at Scale at the Vanderbilt Student Life Center. This workforce development event helped identify collaborative solutions to bring higher-paying jobs to more Nashvillians and position the region as a premier innovation hub.
Vanderbilt and its Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization hosted the inaugural Southeast Venture Showcase. This event connected early-stage startups from regional universities and labs with national investors, accelerating research to real-world impact. To showcase innovation across the Southeast, more than 40 venture-ready startups spanning tech sectors—including advance materials, AI, diagnostics, medical devices, mobility, robotics, software, sustainability/clean tech and therapeutics—were selected through a competitive process led by entrepreneurs and experts.
SHAPING THE FUTURE OF THE INNOVATION LANDSCAPE
Input from faculty, entrepreneurs, Metro Nashville officials and others in the innovation community indicates that a dedicated innovation space is needed to grow Nashville’s innovation economy. Demonstrating a forward-looking approach and a commitment to expanding Nashville’s innovation economy, the university is in the early stages of reimagining space on the western side of campus to pursue a mixed-use neighborhood focused on innovation.
The aim of this innovation neighborhood is to ensure that research and development on campus translates into growing businesses, to collaborate with partners and entities outside the university, and to broaden opportunities across the region, including for our students, alumni and faculty. Creating innovation space and building a vibrant ecosystem requires partnerships with public and private entities who can create space and services for new ventures, develop a dynamic neighborhood that fosters community, recruit corporate R&D aligned with the university’s mission, and support a collaborative environment. The university is in the early stages of this planning process and has begun initial conversations with key stakeholders, including university community members and neighbors to inform this project. While this is a long-term effort, the university is moving forward to set the framework now to be ready to develop an innovation space when the time is right.
As the university continues planning for this initiative, the Vanderbilt community will have additional opportunities to engage throughout the process, including during the upcoming fall semester.
