REINVENT
How One Teacher Is Working To Reinvent The Student Learning Experience
RECRUIT
See How Middle Tennessee Is Addressing The Tech Talent Shortage
REFRESH
Learn How The Nashville Software School Is Helping Adults Refresh Their Careers
REBIRTH
How Data Analytics Are Helping To Shape A New Music Industry
RESULTS
Our First Ever “Best of Tech” Survey!
Set your sights on a degree that sets you apart. Accelerate your career through Lipscomb University’s School of Computing and Informatics with a master’s degree or certificate in • Information Security • Information Technology Management • Health Care Informatics Earn your degree as quickly as 12-14 months with alternating weekend classes created for busy professionals. All classes take place on campus and provide a rich face-to-face experience. And the GRE requirement can be waived for individuals with five or more years of working IT experience. To learn more, attend an information session and meet the directors. Contact us at 615.966.7500 or visit us at technology.lipscomb.edu to register.
technology.lipscomb.edu
2013
TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURED ARTICLES
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REINVENTING EDUCATION How one teacher works to reinvent the studentlearning experience in the classroom
REBIRTH OF MUSIC How data analytics are helping to shape a new music industry
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RESULTS COUNT
Check out winners of NTC’s “Best of Tech” survey
RELOCATION TIME Entrepreneur Center plans its move to the Trolley Barns
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RENEW COMMUNITY How to build an interactive and engaged developer community
REINVENT YOURSELF Learn how the Nashville Software School is helping adults refresh their careers
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TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 4 LETTER FROM THE CHAIR Welcome Letter From Chris Sloan
PAGE 5 REINVENTING EDUCATION Engage Students Through Tech • Adam Taylor
PAGE 7 REWARD SUCCESS 2012 NTC Technology Award Gala Winners
PAGE 10 RECOGNIZE LEADERS NTC Launches Tech Hall of Fame
PAGE 11 REBIRTH OF MUSIC How Tech helps shape the Music Industry • Eric Stephens
PAGE 13 RESULTS OF SURVEY Best of Tech 2013
PAGE 15 REPRESENT THE AMERICAN DREAM Michael Burcham Mkes Dreams a Reality
PAGE 19 REBRAND NASHVILLE Out-of-Market Recruitment • Janet Miller
PAGE 21 RENEW COMMUNITY Growth of The Developer Community • Matt George
PAGE 23 RECRUIT TALENT Winning The War For Tech Talent • Liza Massey
PAGE 25 RETHINK INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY An Alternative to Traditional Finance • Sam Miller
PAGE 27 RELOCATE TO NASHVILLE Welcome to Technology City USA! • Kendra Cooke
PAGE 29 REINVENT YOURSELF Nashville Software School • John Wark
PAGE 31 RETWEET THIS Social Media Success • NTC Socialites
PAGE 33 NTC SPONSORS Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors
PAGE 38 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Liza Lowery Massey
PAGE 40 UPCOMING EVENTS NTC Calendar
LETTER FROM THE CHAIR Dear NTC Members – Welcome to the 2013 Nashville Technology Council Annual Membership Meeting. Thank you for joining us as we reflect on the accomplishments of last year and, more importantly, look forward to meeting the challenges of 2013. We continue to focus on growth and sustainability, but we also continue to add new and improved programs and events. Our strategic priorities for 2013 remain focused on our efforts to address tech workforce development challenges. We will continue our leadership role in this area, including forming a new 501(c)(3) organization to further our efforts, and continuing our collaboration with other interested organizations, such as the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Williamson County Chamber of Commerce. We are also focused on efforts to increase member engagement in order to support and sustain the growth we have experienced in recent years. The level of member engagement in the Council directly relates to the value received from it. Finally, we are continuing to study how the Nashville Technology Council’s success can be replicated in other parts of Tennessee without diluting what we provide here in the Nashville area. As always, our success is a direct result of the engagement of members like you, and to our dedicated staff. I look forward to working with you all, and I look forward to seeing what the many faces of Middle Tennessee’s tech community accomplish in 2013. Chris Sloan, Board Chair
CATALYST 2013 • EDITORIAL STAFF
Nashville Technology Council • 105 Broadway, Suite 200 Nashville, TN • 37201 • 615.873.1284 • www.technologycouncil.com
Editor: Jessica Hill • Publisher: Liza Massey • Writers: Liza Massey, Jessica McDougal, Katherine Page, Jessica Hill • Proofreading: Jessica McDougal • Graphic Design: Jessica Hill • Contributors: Michael Burcham, Kendra Cooke, Matt George, Jessica Hill, Liza Massey, Sam Miller, Janet Miller, Eric Stephens, Adam Taylor, John Wark • Administration: Jessica McDougal • Ad Sales: Katherine Page Copyright 2013. All rights reserved by the Nashville Technology Council.
RE INVENTING
EDUCATION Adam Taylor, MNPS @2footgiraffe
As a public school teacher I have seen a new movement in education and that is student engagement! Of course, many teachers have taught using “engaging” activities for years, but many of us have not. Today’s students require more than an entertaining teacher who can sing and dance while sharing a PowerPoint lecture. Many of us remember sitting in class and listening to the teacher lecture about world history, biology, or literature prose. The range of lessons varied from energetic to boring lectures with reading and worksheets intermixed throughout. For students in a science class there might be a couple of lab activities with a specific outcome to achieve. If you are like me, you loved those labs because they were engaging even if the outcome was formulaic.
Each year of my teaching career (only 10), I have worked to reinvent student - learning experiences in my classroom. I was the first teacher in my school to have a classroom multimedia projector, which was used to torture students with PowerPoint presentations. The next year, I was the first to obtain a classroom set of “clickers.” The plan was to use the clickers intermittently throughout the PowerPoint to “engage” or force students to pay attention to my lecture. My heart was in the right place but the methods were off. Not long after that, our school acquired a COW Computers On Wheels (COW). This acquisition was extremely exciting, because it meant virtual online lessons could be prepared for students.
A particular lesson involved students watching a lecture I had developed on the Internet. Each student had a laptop on their desk with headphones to inject the day’s learning into their brain. I thought it was a great lesson because all the students were quiet and “learning.” The problem was I had not really changed anything
for the students. I had only changed the medium of content delivery. The students were not learning more. They were not engaged. They were only going through the motions the educator had set into action.
Not long ago, a large majority of teachers would have been thrilled to see 30 students sitting at desks quietly learning by themselves. At the time, I was very pleased and dreamed I would help other teachers achieve this nervonic - learning atmosphere. Fortunately for my students, the preparation time was long and opportunity for glitches was high. It took me awhile to realize that technology, in and of itself, is not the answer to the educational needs of students. Student learning is achieved through engagement. One of the ways I have discovered, to engage students in learning, is through social media. At first I used Twitter to remind students about homework, tests, and extra credit opportunities. Later we started using Twitter as a backchannel in the classroom. (A backchannel is a side discussion for the audience in a given environment using a particular Twitter hash tag.)
In my science classes my students use the following three hashtags #taybio, #tayverts, or #scistuchat. Feel free to search any of the three and see what we are doing in class. While class is running, students are encouraged to tweet the progress of their work to the class backchannel hashtag, which is displayed on the screen in the front of the room. Students also share links to sites they find or ask questions on the backchannel. Many of the shy students in class have found the backchannel a great place to share their ideas without speaking out loud, thus giving them a voice in the class. In fact these same shy students have turned out to be a class genius or funny guy. Some of these efforts made the news a while back http://bit.ly/OHStwitter.
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During the summer of 2011 while reading Nature magazine, I discovered there were scientists on Twitter. Many of the scientists were sharing science findings in their lab or out in the field. Immediately, I thought of my students and wanted to get them connected with real scientists.
Some districts are using money they would normally spend on textbooks to purchase mobile devices for students. As fast as the information in textbooks changes, using funds to acquire online access to textbooks or helping students build their own digital database of vital class information is becoming the
In September of that year, I had my students do a Google search for “scientists” on Twitter. Once they found the scientists they were assigned to follow five scientists and “tweet” them. Several students actually received a response from some of the scientists. At this point, the students and I had already had a few evening online twitter chats about animal’s rights and a few other topics with each other. So I decided to invite the responding scientists to join one of our discussions.
new standard. Printing companies can update ebooks faster than printed textbooks. Students develop research skills when they search for valid educational content.
“The solution is to train students and help them learn digital safety while building a positive digital footprint. Daily examples of good and bad digital citizenship need to be shared with students.”
In January of 2012, we had our first #SciStuChat, a Twitter chat between scientists and high school students. It was awesome! Questions were flying everywhere and scientists did their best to keep up. A week later @rebeccataylor21, a teacher from Indiana contacted me and asked if she and her students could join in during the next discussion. Together we decided to host the chats once a month on the 2nd Thursday. I made a site to archive and help spread the word about the chats. Here is the site www.sg.sg/scistuchat1. At last count,we had five different schools in five different states participating in #SciStuChat.
Using Twitter in school is still rare in large part because it is banned in most districts. @metroschoools and my principal @PrincipalPelham have been very supportive of the efforts I am making to engage students in new and different ways. Currently, a discussion among district leaders regarding how to make social media more accessible to teachers and students is occuring. One of the obstacles we face is student access to technology and student digital safety/citizenship. Providing students with devices and access to the Internet is expensive and difficult to manage. Public school systems like Metro Nashville Public Schools are working hard to find solutions that will help all 70,000+ students. Some schools have written and won grants. These grants have been used to purchase iPads, iPods, netbooks, or laptops for students to use in class or even take home. MNPS has been able to use the funds to help spread mini laptops to different classrooms in different schools, which helps increase productivity and creativity of students. My classroom has benefitted from the minis. I no longer need to worry about scheduling the computer lab or reserving a COW to use in the classroom.
Giving students access to the Internet and mobile devices immediately raises concerns about safety of the student and liability for the district. The easy solution is to lock and block everything. Horrible stories abound regarding students who get entangled with shady characters as a result of Internet access. On the other hand, countless opportunities for student learning on many of the blocked sites like YouTube exist. The solution is to train students and help them learn digital safety while building a positive digital footprint. Daily examples of good and bad digital citizenship need to be shared with students. Many students misbehave on the Internet because they do not know how to behave. I try to have weekly discussions with my students about different aspects of digital life. One thing I share with students is the importance of being smart. 1. Steal from your boss (not smart). 2. Video record the theft (not smart). 3. Post the video on Facebook (not smart). If you are smart from step one - you’ll never have any problems. In summary, students and teachers need to understand digital responsibility/citizenship. We need to engage students, and technology is one way to do it. Students need more access to technology and the Internet, and social media can be a powerful learning tool. As a public school teacher, I realize we will always have challenges when attempting to help students learn. The key is to engage students in meaningful ways whenever possible. Adam Taylor, High School Science Teacher Overton High School • Nashville TN. @2footgiraffe • 2footgiraffe.wordpress.com
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RECOGNITION:
TECHNOLOGY AWARDS
2012 NTC Technology Awards October 23 • Schermerhorn Symphony
The Nashville Technology Council’s annual Technology Awards Gala honors Middle Tennessee’s tech community – its companies, leaders and innovators. This year, with the help of LMG Design Studio, the Technology Awards Gala featured a digital wall on the red carpet entrance, and a screen that took up the entire stage inside. We also introduced a “Technology Hall of Fame.” Congratulations to the winners of the 2012 Tech Awards.
Social Media Strategist of the Year: Kate O’Neill • [meta]marketer “As this is an award for “social media strategist,” it seems pertinent to acknowledge the mindfulness of the approach to social media usage: strategy always begins with insight.”
Volunteer of the Year: Kent Fourman • Permanent General “My community activities benefit me as much as they benefit those in the community. They provide a necessary work/life balance, the opportunity to build relationships with a wide variety of people in the community and most importantly an avenue to make a difference.”
Sustainable Community Award: Peak 10 Peak 10 knows how to build the most cost efficient and environmentally friendly facilities. “We’ve been focused on continued improvements for 11 years and never stop looking for better ways to do things to make our facilities more efficent.”
Technology Student of the Year: Scott Andrus • Vanderbilt University “I have genuine interest in bettering Nashville’s communities, as well as the smaller sub-communities that I’m associated with through my leadership experience and expertise in mobile development. I want students everywhere to realize the potential of mobile applications, and for Vanderbilt and Nashville to be an extreme center for technological and entrepreneurial spirit in that domain.”
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Technology Educator of the Year: Kristin McGraner • STEM Prep Academy “The advancements in technology education and innovative Collaborations targeting 21st Century skills and workforce development are incredibly exciting. I’ve learned a great deal from the NTC and their partners who do this good work. To work in the company of these leaders and practioners is the greatest opportunity.”
Software Developer/Architect of the Year: Kevin Ross • Representing the Metova Development Team Metova, Inc.’s development team of roughly 20 developers offers world-class mobile application development services, targeting the Android, iOS, Blackberry and Windows Phone platforms. Metova’s development team seeks to build simple, yet elegant solutions that meet it’s customers goals.
Chief Information Security Officer of the Year: Kyle Duke • HealthSpring “I would measure what my team has accomplished at HealthSpring over the past three years against any security program. Additionally, my involvement in IT Security professional organizations demonstrates my commitment not only to HealthSpring, but the broader technology community.”
Chief Information Officer of the Year: Mark Davison • Delek US Holdings “An award such as this, even though it is an individual award, is an award recognizing the entire Delek IT organization as they were participants that made the change a reality. The business now understands and embraces the IT group as strategically important to the health and growth of the business and is reaping the benefits of our work.”
Chief Technology Officer of the Year: Marcus Whitney • Moontoast “I have worked diligently as a CTO to be the best CTO in the country, not just Nashville. I am committed to both leading Nashville to a brighter tech future through my own initiatives, as well as helping to develop my peers and the next generation of technologists in our great city.”
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TECHNOLOGY AWARDS
2012 NTC Technology Awards • October 23 • Schermerhorn Symphony
Innovator of the Year: Dataium “We are transforming a 100+ year old industry through the collection of data never before available and providing insight never before seen. In one year, we have gone from supporting a database of 2 million consumers to over 200 million.”
Early Stage Company of the Year: Stratasan “At Stratasan, we value people first and foremost. When we say people we mean, our team, our clients, and our community. We have sponsored events that are designed to bring talent to Nashville and this benefitted Stratasan and other companies with new hires.”
Company of the Year: Passport Health Communications In the midst of one of the most demanding healthcare environments, Passport has assembled a powerful set of innovative products designed to protect payer reimbursements while increasing patient collections and enhancing hospital staff efficiency. Passport’s event driven software platform, Passport eCare NEXT, positions Passport at the convergence of the most significant revenue cycle forces of our time, pre-service clearance, results-based payment, patient logistics and the shift to ACOs.
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HALL OF FAME
This designation recognizes executives and senior level professionals who have significantly contributed to Middle Tennessee’s technology community through their body of work.
2012 • J. Tod Fetherling • Stratasan J. Tod Fetherling, Chairman and Founder, Stratasan, was inducted into the Technology Hall of Fame. Tod, a well-known leader in the tech and healthcare communities, was recognized for significant contributions to the region’s tech community. Mr. Fetherling currently serves as Chairman and Founder of Stratasan. Formerly, Fetherling served as President/CEO of the Nashville Technology Council. He led the Technology Council through a growth phase that includes a rebranding of the 10 year old organization. In addition, he helped launch the Nashville Entrepreneur Center in partnership with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.
2011 • Beth Chase • C3 Consulting With 25 years of experience in consulting and information technology, Beth Chase has strong leadership expertise and insight to business development, consulting, employee relations and client relationship management. As a principal consultant, Beth specializes in helping companies redesign and streamline critical business processes that increase value and reduce costs. She manages strategic initiatives, facilitates planning sessions for complex decision-making and system/process definition and helps businesses assess software needs. Beth has worked with Fortune 100 clients in the healthcare, insurance, distribution, manufacturing, publishing and financial services industries.
2010 • Tom Stephenson • Amplion Clinical Communications, Inc Tom Stephenson currently serves as President and COO at Amplion Clinical Communications. Amplion is changing the way nursing care is delivered and managed in the hospital. Their new communication system is improving patient satisfaction, employee satisfaction and quality of care. Previously, Tom served as COO, then CEO of HMS.
2009 • David Condra • Dalcon Communications A graduate of Vanderbilt University with a degree in electrical engineering, David Condra founded Dalcon in 1979 and has been CEO as the company grew to national prominence and diversified into a number of different companies and divisions. In addition to his business contributions, Mr. Condra has been very active in the Nashville community. He was the first President of the Nashville Technology Council, which spawned the Nashville Capital Network, providing education and connections for entrepreneurs.
CATALYST 2013 PAGE 10
REBIRTH
OF MUSIC Eric Stephens, Strategic data analyst and researcher • SESAC
The music industry has been undergoing a significant rebirth over the past several years, driven in no small part by the technological community—and with technology comes data. Some technological innovations are built upon input data, but inherent in any technology is the data that its use generates (output data). As a result, the music industry, like many other industries, is now awash with data, officially making it a part of the “Big Data” revolution. Technology (and the associated input and output data) is impacting the music industry in three primary areas, as categorized by the annual Midemlab music technology competition held at the annual MIDEM music industry conference in January. In each of these areas, the use of data and the application of advanced data analysis techniques is helping music creators and those who support them accomplish some very interesting (and useful!) things.
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The first is music discovery, where analytics is enabling people to more easily find new music they like in a world where the options for doing so are more numerous than ever. This typically involves analysis of reams of musical attribute data that forms the basis of a “musical intelligence” system used to generate recommendations to a listener. Pandora was one of the first to incorporate this concept into a usable platform, but theirs relies heavily on interaction from humans, including both a music analyst (who encodes the attributes of a song into a musical “genome”) and the user (who “teaches” a recommendation algorithm by giving a thumbs up or thumbs down). In a different approach, The Echo Nest employs highly sophisticated text and acoustic analysis algorithms that automatically analyze millions of songs in much greater detail. Its already seeing success: earlier this year, Spotify announced that it was incorporating data from The Echo Nest into its Radio utility in order to improve the listener experience.
“The music industry, like many other industries, is now awash with data, officially making it a part of the “Big Data” revolution.
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single data record, which can be merged with millions of other such records to create a single (yet massive!) dataset. The primary role of analytics in this area is to aggregate all of this unstructured data and, where possible, combine it with data from other sources (such as sales information, radio airplay, torrent downloads, and television appearances) in order to identify trends, reveal correlations, and measure impact. Two of the current leaders in this space include Next Big Sound and Musicmetric, both of whom provide interactive analysis platforms that allow their clients and end users to monitor all of this activity, thereby obtaining a virtual picture of their success. Further, incorporating a time dimension into the data allows for the application of predictive analytics that can be used to support sales forecasts, airplay forecasts, changes in fan sentiment analysis, and many other metrics.
Second is marketing and social engagement, which has become much more important as the impact and reach of social media continue to grow. Every mention of a particular artist or song anywhere onlineand all of the geographic and demographic information associated with that mention—can be thought of as a
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In my opinion, the third MIDEM category is comprised of two separate yet related concerns, so I will address each one individually. Direct to consumer sales and distribution has undergone significant changes in recent years: digital sales have surpassed physical sales, iTunes and Amazon have supplanted traditional brick-and-mortar retailers, and DIY artists now have their choice of several outlets to help them get their music and merchandise into the hands of their fans (including TuneCore, Topspin, ReverbNation, and others). Sales data has always been important to the record companies, but now individual artists have access to the same kinds of information, and thus are able to manage their online sales more effectively. What’s more, most sales companies (such as Topspin) not only provide sales data, but combine it with demographic and geographic data that can be used to direct marketing efforts, tour schedules, and other activities.
Content monetization, which is the other part of the third Midemlab category, has more to do with the
underlying copyrights (and all related royalties) than with simply the sale and distribution of product units— hence the reason for considering it separately. These copyrights are the most fundamental assets a creator can possess; as a result, the ability of the holders of these copyrights (i.e., songwriters, publishers, record labels, etc.) to successfully manage and exploit these assets is of utmost importance. To accomplish this requires two things: first, a great deal of information regarding each work and its related rights holders must be accurately maintained and consistently Sign up for the DailyUpdate and Morning Call emails to know the latest business news. updated. Second, the data management Vist our website: www.nashvillebusinessjournal.com system must be able to identify any use of the work whenever and wherever it occurs, as well as allow users of the work to easily obtain the necessary licenses. Meeting these DailyUpdate DailyUpdate two requirements relies not only upon a Every weekday at 3:00 pm significant amount of data, but also the ability Get the day’s top stories and know what is happening with clients, Nashville’s to connect all of the disparate data sources companies and the local economy. so that they work together seamlessly. Don’t be left out! While this kind of data is typically used to monetize uses of content that have already Sign up at occurred or contractually will occur in the near nashvillebusinessjournal.com/dailyupdate future, it has the potential to become the basis for the application of predictive analytics that can help content owners focus their current music placement strategies, identify new placement opportunities, and further develop their catalog. MORNING CALL
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endeavor with strong emotional and social elements, and something
innovative application of analytics within the music industry is helping reinvent how musicians engage and retain their current fans, reach new fans, and capitalize on the creative content they produce.
Don’t spend time or money chasing information when you can sign up, sit back and relax while the news comes to you!
CATALYST 2013 PAGE 12 nashvillebusinessjournal.com
BEST OF TECH
Here are the results of our first “Best of Tech” Survey!
BEST DRESSED • JACQUES WOODCOCK 2. LEAH MACKEY 3. JOHN KEPLEY
BEST TECH NEWS SOURCE • NASHVILLE BUSINESS JOURNAL 2. SOUTHERN ALPHA 3. DAVE MADE THAT
BEST LOCAL TECH VENDOR • RCG 2. PEAK 10 3. BELMONT SOFTWARE SERVICES
BEST PLACE TO COLLABORATE • C3 CONSULTING 2. E SPACES 3. ENTREPRENEUR CENTER
BEST GEEK GATHERING • MURMURATION, ISM 2. FIREFLY LOGIC GEEK SOCIAL 3. CENTRESOURCE MIXER
BEST LOCAL TECH SALES REP • MARK SMITH, ISM 2. CHIP CATHEY, BELMONT SOFTWARE SERVICES 3. MELINDA CURRAN, RCG
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BEST TECH USER GROUP • NASHVILLE PHP
BEST TECH DEVICE • iPHONE
2. PYNASH 3. SQL SERVER
2. iPAD 3. DROID RAZR
BEST MOBILE APP • WANNADO 2. STREAMWEAVER 3. EVERNOTE
BEST TECHIE COFFEE SHOP • FIDO 2. CREMA 3. FROTHY MONKEY
BEST WIFI • PANERA 2. STARBUCKS 3. FIDO
BEST PLACE TO WORK OFFSITE • E SPACES 2. PANERA 3. HOME
YOU SAID NASHVILLE SHOULD ALSO KNOW ABOUT: Develop with Purpose • CoderFaire • Tech Law Firm: Aaron|Sanders PLLC • David Klements • Eric Satz at TNCV • Nashville Software School • Populr.me • TxtNation TV • Social Media Club Nashville • Stratasan’s analytics • ForITPros.com website • CoreCommerce • Best community support team: Nashville Technology Council (Aww, thanks!) CATALYST 2013 PAGE 14
REPRESENT THE AMERICAN DREAM ENTREPRENEUR CENTER GETS MOVING Michael Burcham • President & CEO, Entrepreneur Center
Nashville is a city founded by entrepreneurs. If you look at the history of this city over the past 200 years, you’ll find that behind every great historic milestone, every public offering, every significant piece of legislation, social or civil rights movements, or a chart-busting song, has been an entrepreneurial leader that made it happen. The creative spirit of these early business pioneers created the first insurance firms, the first radio stations, the birth of country music, and the most advanced hospital systems in the world.
From Music Row to Commerce Street, an entrepreneurial sprit permeates the air of Nashville. We have one of the most creative environments in the world – a fusion of the creators of music, art, healthcare, technology, energy, consumer products and digital media.
On any given day, almost 500 startup companies are attempting to form – but many need essential resources to successfully launch.
“The Entrepreneur Center is the best place to start a new business that I can imagine.” Jack Waddey, Co-Founder, Waddey & Patterson, P.C
The result of these combined takeaways, was reduced entrepreneurial activity, an active base of entrepreneurial talent that was working disparately and often unconnected to either the people in the community who want to help them succeed or the investors that would want to fund them. To meet this problem, the center was founded to “Connect Entrepreneurs with the Critical Resources they need to launch companies.” The Critical Resources are the investors, mentors and business partners that want to help entrepreneurs succeed. With a mission and a problem, the Chamber hired Joe Kustelski, a Nashville Digital Media entrepreneur, to build a virtual presence for the entrepreneurial community. The first iteration of entrepreneurcenter.com was born and Nashville had a virtual destination for its entrepreneurial community. The goal for the project was to see if there was enough traffic and perceived need to support a physical location.
Our Origin
The Entrepreneur Center (EC) started out of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Partnership for 2010 Initiative. Beginning in 2006, the Nashville Area Chamber and many of Nashville’s business leaders evaluated the state of entrepreneurial activity and funded deal flow for local Venture Capital organizations funding startups. Through research analysis, Partnership 2010 found three key takeaways. In the Nashville investment community, deal flow was comparatively low to other major cities and investors in many cases were withholding investment funding while looking for better quality companies (many from outside of Nashville). Second, Nashville has one of the densest “Creative Class” communities in the world. The “Creative Class” is the demographic of individuals that launch companies. They include individuals with backgrounds in science, engineering, education, computer programming, research, arts, design, and media. Third, there wasn’t any central resource to connect Nashville entrepreneurs or people interested in starting businesses. In the late fall of 2009, The Entrepreneur Center was estabiished as an independent 501(c)(3) and the inaugural Board of Directors convened its first meeting in January, 2010. In May 2010, I transitioned from the Board to become the first CEO of The Entrepreneur Center. Our charge: to create a physical presence for the center. In partnership with the City of Nashville, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, area businesses and universities, the Entrepreneur Center – formed as a public-private partnership - opened its doors in the late summer of 2010 in the heart of downtown Nashville (immediately following the 2010 flood) to help startup entrepreneurs turn their ideas into real companies.
CATALYST 2013
Today, the EC provides entrepreneurs and early stage companies with access to expertise through credible, engaged mentors, training workshops, seed capital and investors, networking events, startup workspace, and meeting facilities.
Over the past 24 months, the center has welcomed over 5,000 visitors, screened over 1,000 business ideas from entrepreneurs throughout Tennessee, provided courses and instruction in business modeling and launching a business to over 500 participants, is actively working with over 100 startups firms, “graduated” our first 50 firms, helping them raise nearly $15 million in startup capital.
Our Permanent Home on Rolling Mill Hill
In the late spring of this year, the EC will finally be moving to the Historic Trolley Barns, part of the Rolling Mill Hill development that is being dubbed “Downtown’s new Center for Creativity and Innovation.” The center will be housed in Trolley Barn #1, occupying more than 20,000 square feet. The Entrepreneur Center will open a new, best-in-class “front door” of Nashville for entrepreneurs visiting our city from all over the country - helping Nashville’s next generation of entrepreneurs successfully navigate the pathway between idea and an investable story.
Areas of Focus
With this significant expansion – made possible through public, private and non-profit contribution (as well as a lot of creative energy) – the Center will become a regional hub of entrepreneurial activity for the entire Southeast. Through resources, networking, mentoring, collaboration and introductions to sources of capital, the Entrepreneur Center helps startups:
• Develop – learn from other successful entrepreneurs • Connect – to other entrepreneurs, investors, first customers, partners • Launch – their new business successfully • Build – an investable story and a real business – creating jobs Within the new EC, startup entrepreneurs work collaboratively with existing industry, sharing best practices and ideas. Our business partners and support community provides concentrated expertise with legal issues, accounting questions, marketing plans, technical expertise and operating models.
The EC is effectively making what Nashville does best even better. The EC has defined four pillars of growth which c omprise the highest targeted opportunities for Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
Healthcare. Nashville is a national hub for healthcare services. The focus of this area for the EC is designed to foster new innovation and entrepreneurship in areas such as: technology enabled services, devices, new payer and provider delivery models, and senior care. The healthcare industry is Nashville’s largest and fastest growing economic sector.
Technology. Nashville is emerging as a technology center. Technological investment has fueled economic growth over the last several decades. The EC supports technology entrepreneurs who understand the potential of new technologies and are looking to build new business models and companies. Digital Medial and Entertainment. There is a convergence of the written word, music, video, and communication tools. All these digital media and entertainment assets are being transformed into new platforms, business models and companies.
Social Enterprise. There is an opportunity to further build this area of our economy, especially after the devastating 100-year flood of 2010. The EC supports entrepreneurs looking to balance people, planet and profit – known informally as the triple bottom line of corporate social responsibility – to build our economy and our community infrastructure.
What the Entrepreneur Center represents most of all is the American Dream. A place where members of our community can come to have their business ideas heard, get critical feedback, and connect to resources. For many of them, this process will help them turn their dream into a reality – a real business providing real jobs for real people. Today’s global, wired economy is calling us to invest in Nashville’s next generation of great entrepreneurs – our children and grandchildren. Together, we can change lives, our city, and this country…forever.
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Healthcare Solutions From The Healthcare Capital
Nashville is home to many of the innovators and leaders in healthcare and their IT partners. Healthcare Management Systems, Inc. (HMS) and our more than 400 Nashville-based employees are proud to be a part of that success story. For almost 30 years we’ve provided essential technology solutions and services to many of Nashville’s leading hospital companies as well as to more than 700 community and specialty hospitals nationwide. HMS is part of the HealthTech Holdings Inc. family of companies, which includes MEDHOST, Acuitec, and HMS Direct.
Contact us for powerful IT solutions that can help your growing organization succeed. www.hmstn.com CATALYST 2013 PAGE 18 1-800-383-3317
RE BRAND NASHVILLE WORKING TO ATTRACT TECH TALENT
By Janet Miller, Nashville Chamber of Commerce
One of the best cities for tech startups; No. 3 boomtown in America; best music scene in America - these are all titles that have been awarded to the Nashville region over the past 12 months, confirming the quiet news that many of us have known for years.
Nashville is an astoundingly creative, vibrant, rewarding place to call home. Yet the national – and international – problem of availability of an abundant tech-talent workforce has crept into Nashville and is impacting some companies’ ability to scale their tech talent rosters as quickly as they would like. And make no mistake about it: This is a war for
talent that is raging across America and the world,
and there will be communities that are winners and communities that are unsuccessful in this battle for the tech-savvy brain.
Leadership at the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Nashville Technology Council, our city and our state have set the bar high in 2012, proclaiming that we will tackle this issue and we will be in the winning column in the battle for the best and brightest in America. That’s why, in February 2013, the Chamber will be launching an all-out national campaign to promote this amazing, creative place specifically for technology talent relocation from across the country.
Recruitment strategies are not new to this city. We have worked, with a great deal of success, to recruit corporate operations to the region for more than 20 years, with companies such as Nissan, Bridgestone, LP, Oreck, and Bank of New York Mellon now calling Middle Tennessee home.
Nashville is an astoundingly creative, vibrant, rewarding place to call home
So it is only natural that we recalibrate the messaging and target a population that is typically picking the city they work in before they pick the job they will take. People fuel companies and keeping an appropriate balance between the right workforce and the right jobs being created has become a renewed economic development mantra for the Chamber.
The tech talent topic is a multi-faceted, complex issue with a huge number of organizations – led by the Nashville Technology Council – targeting the longterm pipeline issues. Fundamentally, America must turn out more high school and college graduates with a desire and an aptitude for the tech industry. But in the short term, positioning this region for the highly mobile army of technologists who move around the country every year seems smart.
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We will be launching a suite of tools this February from printed collateral that every employer in Nashville can use as their “pitch deck” for Nashville,
to online meeting places for the technology discussion in Nashville, to a robust social media and marketing campaign that will seek to harness the networks of the huge roster of fans of Nashville who live and work here already in order to spread the message in a massive, grassroots way.
If you’re one of those tech-savvy Nashville fanatics, we need your help, we need your voice, we need your message as we share with the tech world the essence of this creative melting pot known as Nashville. Visit http://bit.ly/ITWorkers, enter your contact information and join our tech-talent recruiting sales force for Nashville.
Nashville-Area Rankings Nashville Ranked a Top 10 Budget Destination for 2013 - Fox News • November 27, 2012 Nashville Ranked #3 Among “Cities Where Startups Thrive” - CNN.com • November 27, 2012 Nashville Ranked #8 of Nation’s “Top 10 Culture Cities” - Homes.com • November 26, 2012 Nashville Ranked #3 Overall in America’s Best Cities • November 09, 2012 Tennessee Ranked #8 Best State for Business Climate • November 01, 2012 Tennessee Ranked #7 in Top 10 States for Doing Business • October 18, 2012 Nashville #13 in “America’s 50 Best Cities” September 28, 2012 Nashville Ranked One of the Best River Towns in America • September 06, 2012 Nashville ranked #3 Largest Electric Vehicle Charging Network System • August 29, 2012
From NY Times Article: “Nashville’s Rising Stars: The Kitchen Is Their Studio”
Top Startup Paradises • August 29, 2012 Why Nashville Companies Are Targeting Tweens For High-Tech Jobs • Fast Company, July 9, 2012
CATALYST 2013 PAGE 20
RENEW COMMUNITY WHY COMMUNITY MATTERS FOR NASHVILLE DEVELOPERS Matt George • Vice President Engineering at Stratasan @binarydud As a wise man once said, “strange things are afoot at the Circle K”. If you haven’t noticed, things are starting to move pretty fast in Nashville. This past year we had 5 community run events/conferences, a user group holiday party, and many other smaller events including user group meetups and hack nights. Some would call it a banner year for Nashville’s developers. However, as awesome as the past year was, there are still some pretty big questions floating around.
How do we find developers to fill the positions that are available in Nashville?
How do we keep the developers we have from leaving?
How do we compete with other regions in such a competitive market?
Basically, how do we as a community, as employers, as a city encourage and retain developers here in Nashville?
The simple answer is community/culture. We have to continue building our community and culture into something the developers want to be a part of. So how do we do that? What are some of the steps we can take? I’ve outlined a few ideas I’ve had that I think will help us continue the growth that we are seeing now.
We need to encourage the continued growth of the developer community. Developers want to be around other developers. It doesn’t matter how many “cool” places to hang out are created in Nashville, if we don’t have a strong and vibrant community, we won’t attract the people that we want and need.
“
We have to continue building our community and culture into something the developers want to be a part of.
”
We have a growing culture around the user groups within Nashville that is encouraging cross platform and cross language collaboration. The user groups offer education, comradery, and connections that allow developers to flourish. We as a larger community should get behind the user groups and help support them. They are on the ground level in helping attract and keep developers in Nashville. The more successful they are, the more successful our city will become. We can also focus on developing a culture of acceptance, use, and contributing to open source software. Open source is big and is only getting bigger. In Nashville alone, there are 603 people who are contributing code in some form or another on Github.com, a code sharing and collaboration website with a focus on open source software. There are 400 people who have at least 1 or more public repositories. Open source is both a boon to developers and to companies alike. It allows both to showcase interesting ideas they are working on, as well as use the greater community to build something that resource wise would be unattainable in a closed source project. As I said above, we are at a crossroads. The need for developers is at an all time high and only growing. Our best bet is to continue to encourage the growth at the grassroots level, to showcase our town through the developers that already live here. Let’s continue to grow the culture and community and see where we can go.
CATALYST 2013 PAGE 21
resources for developers in nashville Nashville Cisco Users Group (NCUG) www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=144615 Nashville 2600 Nashville 2600 Organization is a group of technology minded enthusiasts who gather on a regular basis for impromptu discussions and social networking. www.nashville2600.org Nashville Linux Users Group We meet on the second tuesday every month on the Vanderbilt University Campus. www.NLUG.org
VandyMobile The Vanderbilt Mobile Applications Team (VandyMobile, VMAT) is a group of talented Vanderbilt students dedicated to bringing you useful apps for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone! www.code.google.com/p/vanderbilt-mobile-apps-team/
HackNashville By coders for coders. Build awesome stuff over 48 uninterupted hours. Booze, beer, and bandwidth is covered. www.hacknashville.com
Nashville .NET The Nashville .NET User Group is the educational and social hub for the Nashville .NET community. We meet twice a month. www.nashdotnet.org NashFP In the Nashville-area? Interested in functional programming (e.g. Clojure, Erlang, F# Haskell, Lisp)? All skill-levels, platforms, backgrounds & languages welcome. www.groups.google.com/group/nashfp Interactive Developers of Nashville The Interactive Developers of Nashville is a collective of UX and UI developers. Some languages that we will cover would be HTML5, Actionscript3, Flex, Objective-C, C++, Haxe, Lua, and many more. www.idofnashville.com Nashville Cocoaheads Welcome to Nashville CocoaHeads. This is a very informal group to allow Nashville-area Cocoa developers to get together to share ideas, code, or even help each other debug. www.cocoaheads.org/us/NashvilleTennessee/index.html Nashville WordPress Nashville WordPress meetup group. www.meetup.com/NashvilleWordpress NJUG Nashville Java Users Group www.meetup.com/nashvillejug Nashville PHP Nashville PHP user group meets monthly to discuss topics related to the PHP programming language and other related technologies. www.nashvillephp.org
Nashville Ruby on Rails Monthly Rails meetup. Free www.meetup.com/nashvillerails AWS Users Group Amazon Web Services Meetup Group www.meetup.com/nawsug PyNash Nashville Python Users group. www.groups.google.com/group/pynash
CATALYST 2013 PAGE 22
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RECRUIT TALENT Winning the War for Tech Talent Liza Lowery Massey, President/ CEO • Nashville Technology Council Finding skilled technology employees remains a challenge for local organizations. Our need for more tech talent is not unique though, as communities across the country and around the world are struggling to fill tech related jobs. While the issue seems daunting with the number of tech related positions being advertised averaging over 800 to as high as 1,200 for the last several years, the number of openings in Middle Tennessee is in-line with the U.S. average per capita based on findings in the third quarter of 2012.
With that said, if left unaddressed, Middle Tennessee could become a “victim of its own success” at encouraging companies to relocate and expand here and increasing the number of new startup companies. A large pool of skilled tech workers is necessary to meet these needs and grow the region’s economy. This issue will not be resolved quickly or easily. In fact, experts predict it will become more profound as baby boomers leave the work force in large numbers and tech related job growth outpaces all other job growth by a factor predicted to be four to one. Despite the
strength of the tech industry and availability of well-paying jobs, the number of students graduating with degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is decreasing. For example, one recent study found that the number of U.S. students graduating with engineering degrees is less than five percent of the total number despite increasing demand.
With those numbers as a back drop, attracting and retaining skilled tech employees becomes an even greater challenge. The NTC and its member organizations are working to address this issue before it becomes critical. As such, employer education is one of the five pillars of Nashville’s collaborative plan to help the region’s leaders better understand how they can win the war for tech talent. An important factor in addressing the issue is to understand what motivates employees in general and technology professionals specifically. Recently, Payscale.com conducted surveys to examine the impact stress, meaningful work, and flexibility have on workplace satisfaction at 20 large/well known tech companies. Employees in the five companies with the highest
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level of workplace satisfaction reported equal or more stress than employees in the bottom five. Although tech workers state that flexibility is important, employees in the companies with the lowest workplace satisfaction reported that they had more flexibility than employees with the most satisfaction. The differentiating factor was meaningful work, i.e. the belief that one’s job makes the world a better place.
A differentiating factor often mentioned by tech employees is the work environment. While your organization may not install a slide like the one at Google, working in a sea of cubicles is not conducive to innovation and satisfaction. Neither is ignoring employees’ peak performance hours by forcing everyone to work 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Other workplace norms like dress codes, measuring time at the desk instead of accomplishments, inflexible vacation policies, hiring and promoting employees based on years of experience instead of their capabilities, ignoring work/life integration, and operating on a need to know basis put employers at a disadvantage. Also, hiring only employees who followed the traditional path of high school, college, then work, shrinks the pool of potential tech employees. So what are innovative companies in Middle Tennessee doing to attract and retain tech professionals? At a recent c-suite roundtable, executives from three companies discussed their strategies. The founder of CentreSource described how adoption of a results only work environment (ROWE) approach makes their organization more
attractive to tech employees and reaps benefits including increased productivity and creativity, as well as, employee loyalty. ROWE is a management strategy developed by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson where “employees are evaluated on performance, not presence.”
An executive from Cigna described their success with growing their own tech talent by hiring new college graduates and using a formal program to on-board and train them. NTC members Asurion and Jackson National Life Insurance Company also successfully use this approach to meet their needs. Another member, Community Health Systems, implemented a college internship program that is yielding good results by allowing them to get work done, vet potential employees, and hire those who are a good fit. HealthSpring sponsors college students attendance at NTC events to build relationships.
Finally, an executive from Emdeon discussed how he manages a geographically diverse workforce out of necessity. Some tech employees are here in Middle Tennessee, while others are in other U.S. states, and others are in another country. While he stated that managing this type of workforce is not always easy, it is meeting their needs. These strategies may seem farfetched and you might be thinking, not at my company. You may even be right for now, but, when the pain of not having the tech talent your organization needs outweighs the discomfort of changing your organization’s workplace environment, these strategies may be just what you need to win the war for tech talent.
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CATALYST 2013 PAGE 24
RETHINK
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Your Intellectual Property Is A Source Of Capital and New Business Opportunities Sam Miller • Intellectual Property and Technology Attorney • Baker Donelson The recent recession has forced business to take a hard look at alternatives to traditional financial models and the way their assets are utilized. Often businesses view identifying and protecting their intellectual property as simply “yet another lawyer expense.” Lawyers have traditionally played into this thinking by offering their clients the expense of filing applications for protection and then offering even more expenses to enforce their rights. As a result, businesses frequently miss or are unaware of the opportunities to obtain additional capital without diluting equity through re-thinking of intellectual property as repurposable assets instead of merely a notation to “intangible assets” on their annual financial reports. Leveraging intellectual property assets - known as “monetization” - is an alternative to the traditional financial models.
Monetization begins by identifying the intellectual property that you currently own. Have you developed software code, taken a picture, or developed original content? Have you created a new process or device that was not previously known and obvious to others? Does your company have a unique name that it applies to its products or services? The answers to each of these questions can help you identify potential intellectual property assets. Identifying intellectual property also leads to establishing means to “capture” intellectual property that would otherwise go abandoned through lack of recognition in its value. Are there non-core processes or business ideas that were discarded during brainstorming sessions? Are there technologies previously used by your business that are no longer with your long term plans? The answers may lead your business to discovery assets that would have otherwise gone un-utilized. Once the assets have been identified, the question becomes, “What is the best use for the assets?” Prior
to monetization, the well-accepted purpose of the assets was simply to wall off competitors regardless of cost or business strategy. Monetization, however, is a sophisticated approach looks at how the assets come be utilized in other ways.
IP assets can be used to generate capital through direct sales of the assets in whole or in part. When an owner wants to continue to use the asset, a license back to the owner to continue to use the asset - even though title has be divested - is an option. Purchasers of the IP asset may include a competing company that wants to use the asset or buttress its IP asset portfolio; a non-practicing entity (“NPE”) that wants to use the asset for licensing, protection, or re-sale purposes; or a spin-off company that wants to use the asset in a new or different manner or market.
Capital also can be generated from the sale of all or a portion of existing royalty streams. A royalty stream is stream of revenue tied to the use of a particular asset. The most common type of royalty is created by the owner of an asset licensing the right to use the asset to another company. That company, the licensee, pays a percentage of sales revenue, a flat fee, or other arrangement to the owner, the licensor. If royalty streams do not exist, IP assets can be used to create such streams. Royalty streams are created in three primary ways.
1
First, the owner of the asset engages in a direct licensing program in which it approaches infringers of the IP asset and requests (or demands) an ongoing or one-time royalty payment. The can be done quietly through direct contact or licensing agent or through a more adversarial approach involving filing a lawsuit and then contacting the alleged infringers.
CATALYST 2013 PAGE 25
2
Second, the owner may contract with a NPE to engage in the licensing program. Under this scenario, the NPE takes a portion of the royalties collected and manages contact with infringers and any litigation. If litigation occurs, the NPE will either fund the litigation (i.e. pay the lawyers hourly) or enter into an arrangement where the litigation attorney takes the case on a “success fee basis� - in other words a contingency. NPE in this context are often referred to as “patent trolls� or “copyright trolls� in mainstream media and accused of being bad or outside mainstream businesses. This negative term is not always correct or warranted. In truth, many large companies either sell or license their IP assets to NPEs or invest in NPEs. From a small inventor or copyright owner standpoint, licensing in this manner also is beneficial because it provides a means for them to utilize their assets in markets that they otherwise could not compete due to the size of their competitors or inability to stop such competitors from infringement. This is not to say that all “trolling� schemes are good for businesses generally; instead, it only means that all “trolling� schemes are not bad.
3
Third, owners may obtain royalty payments from spin-off companies. Such companies take advantage of markets that otherwise could not be captured by the owner due to business strategies or lack of means. The spin-offs give the owner the ability to maximize the revenue potential for the asset while remaining true to their core business.
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Capital can be generated through using IP assets as an alternative to traditional debt financing on fixtures, equipment, or real estate. The IP assets can serve as collateral for a loan. Royalty streams generated from the IP assets also can serve as collateral. Both the asset and the royalty streams could be used to create a synthetic royalty for an investor who purchases all or a portion of the revenue from the sale of a particular product or service and secures such payments using the IP asset or the royalty streams related to the underlying the product. In so doing, the owner is able to avoid using other assets or the revenue from other products as collateral. The foregoing are just a few examples of how re-thinking the way you utilize your intellectual property assets can lead to new and creative financial arrangements. An attorney well-versed in monetization alternatives can help you determine such alternatives are good options for your business.
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CATALYST 2013 PAGE 26
RE LOCATE
Welcome to Technology City, USA! Kendra Cooke • Cooke Realty Partners
Welcome to Technology City USA! While we are known as Music City USA, which is accurate, we are also one of the fastest growing technology regions in America! The Nashville MSA, which is made up of Nashville, Davidson County and twelve surrounding counties is home to more than 1.5 million people. If you already live here you might be neighbors to Jack White, Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton, or one of the members of Kings of Leon or the Black Keys. These individuals were either lucky enough to be r aised in the Music City or the music is what brought them here. Others of the 1.5 million may have come to the Middle Tennessee area to work for Amazon, Nissan, HCA, Asurion, Peak 10, AirStrip Technologies, Passport Health Communications or Rural Rhythm, just to name a few. Having a deep, rich history in music, a plethora of higher education opportunities, a successful business climate and a high quality of life makes it easy to see why so many individuals and businesses chose the Nashville area as their home. If you are already here, let us remind you why Nashville is a great place to live, work and play. If you are thinking about making a move to the area, let us help you build your list of reasons to make the move. If your company is hiring or transferring employees from outside of Middle Tennessee we hope this information will help you build your case for getting them here. Living in Nashville you are within a day’s drive of 70% of the population. You are well located for travelling for work and pleasure without having to ever get too far from home. If you prefer flying to driving the Nashville International Airport offers 165 daily flights and can get you to over 140 destinations all over the world. Being a “Nashvillian” you also reap the benefits of a low cost of living, 10% below the national average, no personal income tax, and value through home ownership. CATALYST 2013 PAGE 27
Last year the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors reported more than 22,000 home closings at a median price of $175,000 for a single family home. You can live in a high rise downtown or own a farm in neighboring Franklin, the choice is yours. Nashville sits at the crossroads of three interstate highways, I-40, I-24 and I-65, making living in any of the suburbs easy. Nashville is never short of rankings and 2012 was no exception. CNN.com ranked Nashville #3 Among “Cities Where Start-Ups Thrive.” Travel + Leisure’s recent “America’s Best Cities” Rankings placed Nashville #3 overall with a #2 for music scene and #1 for friendliness. It wasn’t long ago, 2011 to be exact, that Rolling Stone Magazine touted Nashville, TN as the Best Music Scene. So, believe GQ magazine when they say that Nashville is “Now-ville” and come enjoy the high quality shopping, the best music at the historical Ryman Auditorium where there is no bad seat in the house, NFL football with the Tennessee Titans, NHL hockey with the Nashville Predators or just enjoy the many greenways and parks the city has to offer.
Whether you come to Nashville for a job, an education, a new quality of life or just a visit we will welcome you and be glad you’re here. Kendra Cooke, www.cookerealtypartners.com, served as Greater Nashville Association of Realtors president in 2012 and has been listed as the GNAR Realtor of the Year. Her team is consistently recognized for Top Sales and Top Listings with Bob Parks Realty. Kendra@kendracooke.com
CATALYST 2013 PAGE 28
RETRAIN
re:INVENT
John Wark • Nashville Software School
What do an architect, a sports writer, a guitar player, a chemist, a college dropout, a bass player and three May 2012 college graduates have in common?
A few things, as it turns out. Back in June, they all shared a love of Nashville and a realization that the careers they had trained for, and in many cases worked in, didn’t provide an opportunity for satisfying employment, weren’t meeting their financial goals and/or just didn’t engage the passion and commitment.
Now they all share one more thing. They have all reinvented themselves professionally. They graduated on November 30 from the first Web Developer Bootcamp program at Nashville Software School. They all immersed themselves for six months in the principles and tools of web development and software programming. By so doing, they are now qualified for entry-level software developer positions at local tech startups, web development agencies and local IT shops.
They have been the beneficiaries of an innovative attempt to address one of Nashville’s long-standing tech workforce challenges - a shortage of trained software professionals. The tech talent that we do have in Nashville is quite good. The author is a 40-year veteran of the software industry and the best software developers here match anyone that I worked with in tech hubs like Boston and California. But, as the NTC demonstrates every quarter with their workforce survey, Nashville simply does not have enough trained professionals to meet the needs of our existing technology employers much less to satisfy the demand for software professionals from our rapidly growing entrepreneurial sector.
Nashville Software School is a local solution to a local problem. It’s a way to home-grow more tech talent by developing the latent aptitude for software development in the Nashville area. The program is a collective, community-based effort on the part of a group of Nashville software professionals with support from the broader local technology community, tech entrepreneurship community, tech investors and tech employers. It represents a commitment on the part of local software professionals to help increase the size of the local tech talent pool.
Nashville Software School’s curriculum reflects the founders’ beliefs that software development is a craft that is best learned through full-time immersion. It is best learned by working full-time to apply software to solving problems and building solutions with guidance from more experienced industry professionals. It is best learned through students being mentored by more experienced journeyman and master software professionals. It is best learned by delivering working solutions to increasingly complex individual and team projects.
CATALYST 2013 PAGE 29
“It’s a Nashville-style solution to a Nashville problem.”
Our curriculum also reflects the belief that our students are best-served if what they are taught not only embodies the basic principles and practices of computer science and software engineering but also reflects the needs of local employers. We developed the content for the first Bootcamp by working closely with a number of local companies and focusing on the specific technologies, practices, tools and methodologies that would qualify our students for junior developer positions with those and similar local companies. We plan to adjust the curriculum for each subsequent Bootcamp to reflect both changing local technology needs as well as the requirements of different sectors of the local employer market. Nashville Software School is also representative of a broader, national trend. Nashville’s tech workforce problem is not unique. No major city in the country has enough local tech talent. That’s just as true of technology centers like Boston and San Francisco as it is of Nashville. In the past 12 to 18 months there has been a response in the launch of so-called Hacker Academies. All share a commitment to intensive, vocationally-focused training on modern software development technologies. All have three to six month full-time programs. Nashville’s is the only one we know of that is a non-profit that is as strongly focused on local community engagement and local community development. It’s a Nashville-style solution to a Nashville problem.
As this is being written, it is two weeks since our first 14 students graduated and one week since we held a job fair for our students. It’s a bit too early to report on how many are working as software developers or in other tech positions but early indications are positive. More than a dozen local employers interviewed our students for junior developer positions. Several of those employers have more than one position they are attempting to fill. We believe that all of our students will be active members of the local technology workforce in 2013 . We have just enlarged the local talent pool with 14 new, enthusiastic, highly motivated and employed software developers. That’s 14 people who six or seven months ago were unemployed or underemployed. That’s 14 people who are now available to local employers looking for software development professionals. That’s 14 people who have reinvented themselves and launched into a new career in technology that represents almost unlimited opportunity for personal and professional growth.
What about the future? We’ll expand the program by launching our second Web Developer Bootcamp in 2013. We are expanding the program by admitting 25 to 28 students. We already have three web designers, an investment advisor, two audio engineers, several musicians (hey, it’s Nashville), a freelance voice actor, two refugees, several under-employed recent college graduates, and half a dozen career changers. We are adding more mentors for our students. We are updating the curriculum to reflect our experience with our first class as well as to reflect input from our employer partners. And most exciting, we’re getting ready to help another group of students reinvent themselves and start their new careers as software developers.
Nashville Business Incubation Center (NBIC) 315 Tenth Avenue North • Nashville, TN www.nashvillesoftwareschool.com CATALYST 2013 PAGE 30
RETWEET THIS
SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS WITH “socialITes” Jessica Hill • Nashville Technology Council
We have a full schedule here at the Nashville Technology Council. Just look at our 2013 calendar of events!
We also have a team of four people who make all these events happen. We rely on volunteers and community involvement to make these events a success.
That’s why we decided to start the “social-ITes”, a team of local social media rock stars who could attend events and manage social media.
By now, you may have seen the NTC “social-ITes” at our events. We know you must have seen their tweets, blog posts, pictures, and Facebook updates. These ladies are true pros of social media, and we could not be happier to have them volunteer for the NTC. The social-ITes include:
• Leah Mackey Schultz (Social Media Finalist,
Director of Social Media Operations, ACS Advertising)
• Lisa French (Marketing Assistant & Move-In Coordinator at The Heritage)
• Ashley Nicholson (Creative Maven | New Age Digital & Marketing Consultant)
• Krista Ashton (Powell Creative, LLC)
• Katie Adkins (Social Media Account Manager, ACS Advertising)
• Georgia Cross (Digital Marketing | Social Media
Brand Strategist, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, Independent Marketing Consultant)
CATALYST 2013 PAGE 31
The first event worked by the new “social-ITes� was Techville. Techville is NTC’s annual flagship event focusing on the state of technology in our region which highlights technology innovation and talent. Techville is a day long event with multiple speakers and tracks. We knew the NTC staff could not run the event and effectively manage social media for the day’s events. Since then, the social-ITes have become regulars at our events, helping to keep the engery and excitment going though social media outlets.
With the help of our “social-ITes� at Techville, we not only managed all the social media, but we trended to the top of Twitter! Sorry, Jack White.
Leah Mackey Shultz was also a finalist for an NTC Tech Award in the “Social Media Strategist of the Year� category.
Working with the social-ITes has not only helped us at the actual events, but after the events as well. They are able to generate data from the event that we can share with attendees and sponsors.
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TECH SPONSORS
Our programming is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors:
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PAGE 33 CATALYST 2013
TECH TITANS
TECH UNDERWRITERS
TECH PATRONS
PAGE 34 CATALYST 2013
NTC MEMBER DIRECTORY 11 Social 2nd Look Studio 3n1media Aaron & Sanders PLLC Absolute Software Absolute Wireless Acadia Healthcare Accuvant Adara Networks Adecco Technical Advanced Network Solutions AdvizeX Technologies Advocat Inc Advocate Marketing & Print Aegis Health Group, Inc. Aegis Sciences Corporation Agile Ticketing Solutions Airnet Group Inc./Smartech AirStrip Technologies Allstates Technical Services Alltech, Inc. Ambulatory Services of America, Inc. American General Life & Accident Insurance Company Amicus Online Inc. AmMed Direct Amplion Clinical Communications, Inc. AmSurg Anthony-Denmark Communications Apex Systems, Inc. Applied Information Management Institute Aptera Ardent Health Services Associated Packaging Inc. Asurion AT&T
Atiba Software LLC Austin Peay State University Avaya Avenue Bank Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz P.C Barge Waggoner Sumner and Cannon, Inc. Barracuda Networks Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC Belmont Software Services Belmont University Benefit Communications Inc. Black Box Network Services Blue Coat Systems BOHAN Bondware Inc. Bone McAllester Norton PLLC Books-A-Million BorderJump Boson Software, LLC Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Brandon Technology Consulting, Inc. Bridgemore Solutions LLC Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) Brocade Communication Systems Inc. Brooksource Business Survival Partners, llc. Butler Snow C3 Consulting, LLC C7 Technologies CA Technologies Cadre Information Security CBTS CDW Cellular Sales Verizon Center for Information Technology Education of TN (CITE)
CentreSource Inc. CenturyLink (formerly Qwest Business) Charter Business Churchill Mortgage Corporation Ciber Inc. Cicayda Cisco Systems, Inc. Citrix Clear Payments, Inc. ClearTrack Information Network Clearwater Compliance, LLC Cogent HMG Coligos Consulting Columbia State Community College Comcast Business Communications, LLC. Comdata Communications Supply Corporation Community Health Systems (CHS) CommVault Systems, Inc. Compass Executives, LLC CompNation Computer Professionals, Inc. Compuware Corporation Concept Technology, Inc. Conexess Connected Tennessee Consensus Point Cook Systems International Cooke Realty Partners Core Business Technology Solutions Correct Care Solutions Country Music Association (CMA) CPR Creekmore Consulting Crosslin Technologies CTS
CATALYST 2013 PAGE 35
NTC MEMBER DIRECTORY Cumberland Consulting Group, LLC Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Cybera Inc. Data Intelligence Group Dave Ramsey’s Lampo Group Davie Law Group PLC Decision Source, Inc. Delek US Deloitte DePalma Studios DevDigital, LLC Dex Imaging and Mailing Digital Nashville Direct Administration Inc. Dollar General DotNetDude Development Dream Systems Dreamline DSi, Document Solutions, Inc. Dynamic Edge EarthLink Business edo Interactive, Inc. Education Networks of America EHD Tech, LLC. Eliza Brock Software EMC Corporation Emdeon eMids Technologies Emma, Inc. EnfoPoint, LLC Entrada Entrepreneur Center Environmental Science Corporation E|SPACES Ettain Group ExactTarget Experis (Formerly Comsys) Express Specialized Recruiting
Group F5 Networks FDH Consulting Fident Consulting, LLC Firefly Logic Flat Earth Networking, Inc. FLO Thinkery Focus Technology Group Forensic Medical Management Services, PLC Fortis Institute Franklin American Mortgage Franklin Road Academy Fresenius Medical Care Information Systems Group Fujitsu America, Inc. G Squared Wireless GBT Realty Corporation GISbiz Global Technology Advisory Group Good Technology Goodwill Industries of Middle TN Green Cloud Technologies Griffin Technology Group Data Services Gubbins Light & Power Company, LLC Hammock, Inc. Hancock Advertising Co. Haytko & Associates HCA (Hospital Corporation of America) Healthbox Technologies Healthcare Management Systems, Inc (HMS) Healthcare Productivity Automation Healthron Consulting HealthSpring HealthStream, Inc.
Healthways Herring Telecom Highline Communications, LLC HIMSS - Tennessee Chapter Hippo Solutions Hiscall, Inc. Holland Square Group HP Enterprise Services The Human Capital Group, Inc. IANS IASIS Healthcare IBM ICG Link, Inc. iCitizen ICV Solutions, Inc. iDesign, Inc. ImageQuest imageQUIK Imation Mobile Security Industrial Strength Marketing, Inc. The Infinity Resource Group Infoblox Informatics Corporation of America Information Builders/iWay Software InfoSec Alliance : eNtegrity Solutions InfoSystems, Inc. InfoWorks, Inc. Ingenuity Associates, LLC Ingram Content Group Insight Global, Inc Insperity InStream Intel Corporation Interactive Solutions, Inc. Interior Design Services, Inc. Ion IT Group, Inc. iPractice Group Iron Solutions
CATALYST 2013 PAGE 36
NTC MEMBER DIRECTORY ITAC Solutions ITT Technical Institute Jackson National Life Insurance Company Jackson Thornton Technologies Johnson Business Technology Solutions Johnston Technologies JourneyTEAM –Micro Tech Kelly IT Resources The Kelso Group Keystone Business Solutions, LLC KPMG LLP Kraft Analytics, LLC Kraft Enterprise Systems Kraft Technology Group, Inc. Kyzen Corporation LanLink Communications Latitude Thirty Six (Formerly TechRP) Lattimore, Black, Morgan & Cain, P.C. (LBMC) LeanKit Lellyett & Rogers, Co. LetterLogic, Inc. Level 3 Communications Life Science Tennessee Lipscomb University LMG, Inc. Loews Hotels & Resorts LPS Integration Inc. Macquarie Equipment Finance Magazines.com, LLC Mainline Information Systems Manchester Tank Market Street Solutions MCPc, Inc. Mediaserve LLC Medical Management Professionals MedQB
Mercury Intermedia Meridian Surgical Partners [meta] marketer Metro Govt of Nashville/ Davidson Cty IT Services Metro Nashville Public Schools Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority Microsoft Corporation Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) Mike Collins & Associates MindLinx, LLC Modis Monarch Information Networks MoonToast Murray State University MusicCityNetworks Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Nashville Business Journal Nashville Career Advancement Center Nashville Electric Service Nashville Health Care Council Nashville State Community College NetApp Network Services Group, Inc. Network Solutions Group, LLC New Salem Consulting The Nexus Group (formerly ISDN-Net Inc.) NFIB NIC, Inc. Nissan North America, Inc. North Highland Company Notify MD Novacopy NOVAS Technology Group
NWN (Formerly ComFrame Software Corporation) Oates and Company O’Charleys OneBeacon Technology Insurance Onora Group Optimum Solutions, Inc. OtterBase Parental Health, LLC Passport Health Communications, Inc PathGroup Inc. Peak 10 Penguin Marketing, Inc. PHG Technologies PhishMe, Inc. Pinnacle Financial Partners Plugged In, Inc. PointClear Solutions Pomeroy Premiere Global Services (PGI, Inc.) The Presentation Coach Prince Market Research, Inc. Prism Technologies, LLC Proaccura Professional Archives Programming Resources, Inc. Prosys Providea Conferencing PureSafety QSource Qualifacts Systems Inc. Quasius Investments, GCA Quest Software R.J. Young Radware RCG ReadyPoint Systems Rehab Documentation Company, Inc.
CATALYST 2013 PAGE 37
NTC MEMBER DIRECTORY Rezult Richards & Richards Office Records Management, Inc. Robert Half Technology Rockhouse Partners Rogers Group, Inc. RSA Security Rural Jobs, LLC Rutherford County Government Ryan Search & Consulting Safe Network Solutions Salesforce.com Sandler Training Santa Rosa Consulting Sayers40, LLC SBR, Inc Scarlett Leadership Institute Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle TN SEI Servpro Industries, Inc. SESAC Shackleford, Zumwalt & Hayes, LLP Shareable Ink SHI, Inc Simplex Healthcare Simplify 4 Sims Recycling Solutions Sirius Computer Solutions SiteHawk Sitemason Inc. SkyDogCon Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. SMS Holdings Corp. Snapshot Interactive Social Flights Softchoice SoftwareONE
Solidus Staffing Technologies, LLC STEM Preparatory Academy Stratasan Streamweaver Stringfellow Technology Group, Inc. StudioNashVegas Sublime Computer Services Symantec Corporation Synergy Systems, LLC SYS-LOGIC Technology Solutions Systems Maintenance Services Systems Solutions Technologies, LLC (2st.net) Table Group Consulting Take Care Health Systems Technical Innovation Technology Access Center teknetex, inc. TEKsystems Inc. TelForce Group Tennessee State University (TSU) Tennessee Technological University The General Insurance The Outset Group (Nashville) The Tennessean theKit Thomas Nelson Inc. Tractor Supply Company Trail Software, Inc. Trend Micro Trevecca Nazarene University Tribridge Trinisys, LLC Tripwire, Inc. TriStar Digital Connections, LLC Tristar Technology Ventures TrueBridge Resources TruStar Marketing Trusteer
TSA, Inc. Tuned In Broadcasting TVV Capital tw telecom United Data Technologies United Methodist Communications UST Global Vaco LLC Vanderbilt University - Mgmt of Technology Vanderbilt University - Owen Graduate School of Mgmt Vanderbilt University Office of Technology Transfer & Commercialization Vanderbilt University School of Engineering Vanguard Health Systems Verisys, Inc. Verizon Wireless Video Gaming Technologies, Inc. Virsys12, LLC Volunteer State Community College W Squared Waddey & Patterson, P.C. Walick-Kemp & Associates Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis Whole I.T. Solutions Williamson County Chamber of Commerce Williamson County Economic Development Council Williamson Medical Center Willis Windstream Communications Wipro Gallagher Solutions, Inc. Women in Technology of TN Wood Personnel WPC Services Xerox Corporation
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NTC MEMBER DIRECTORY XMi Holdings XO Communications, Inc. Yurrow.com Zayo Group
JOIN THE NTC
Our mission is to make the technology community in Middle Tennessee Successful.
www. technologycouncil.com
Interested in becoming a member of the Nashville Technologly Council? Member Benefits Include: • Full Year Membership in NTC • Exceptional Networking Opportunities • Discounts on monthly meetings, networking events, & special seminars • Customer Referrals and Access to Online Membership Directory Listing on the Online Membership Directory, which includes company description, contacts, & link to your website • Opportunity to post your press releases to NTC’s Media Section • Opportunity to participate on NTC Development Committees • Opportunities to present at events, Opportunities to promote your own events on the NTC website and calendar • E-mail notifications on all NTC events Subscription to NTC eNewsletter • Free unlimited job postings on NTC Job Board • Opportunity to participate in the T3 Workforce Initiative • Participation in Members Only Events such as the Annual Membership Meeting • Membership with NTC is tax deductible • Company Name included on the Techville Map
CATALYST 2013 PAGE 39
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Members – As you read through this edition of the NTC’s Catalyst magazine, I hope you share our excitement and enthusiasm over what has been done, what is being done, and what we have yet to do in Middle Tennessee’s tech community. A big thank you to everyone who contributed. Our guest writers provided interesting and informative articles, and NTC staffers Katherine Page and Jessica McDougal contributed in many ways including writing and getting others to write articles, proofreading, and securing sponsors and advertisers. A very special thank you and congratulations to Jessica Hill, our Editor in Chief again this year! She is the creative force behind the layout, graphics, and final production. The contents this year focus on the theme of revolution, including articles about re-invention, re-branding, recognition, and even relocation. People say technology changes constantly, we believe technology changes the world constantly. While others see relics, tech professionals see the basis for revolution and then make it happen – over and over again. I encourage you to check out the NTC calendar of events and join us as often as possible. We listened to your feedback, so we’ve added several new exciting events and programs. As we like to say, “The NTC works, when you work it,” so get the most out of your membership by using it. Thank you for your support and membership in the Nashville Technology Council. You, our members, make it possible for us to deliver on our mission – helping to make Middle Tennessee’s tech community succeed. Best Regards, Liza Lowery Massey
CATALYST 2013
UPCOMING EVENTS
UP USER GRO IP LEADERSH E INITIATIV
U.G.L.I.
CATALYST 2013
Join other business leaders to learn more about what is happening in the world of technology. This series of panel discussions is designed to help you stay on top of IT all and better understand the impact on your business. (February, July and November) In partnership with the Nashville Business Journal.
NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION: New to the Technology Council? Come visit us and learn about our mission and how you can plug in as a member! (February, May, August and November) Sponsored by Bradley Arant Boult Cummings.
QUARTERLY
TECH LEADERSHIP PANELS:
QUARTERLY
USER GROUP LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE (UGLI): This quarterly summit brings together leadership from Middle Tennessee’s many user groups to discuss common interests, needs, and ways the NTC can support them. (February, May, August and November) This quarterly summitbrings together leadership from Middle Tennessee’s many tech related professional organizations to discuss common interests, needs, and ways the NTC can support professional development. (March, June, September and December)
APRIL
Join the Nashville Technology Council as we bring together experts who are innovating the customer experience at The CX Innovation Summit. This forward leaning event, sponsored by The North Highland Company, is being held on Tuesday, February 12, 2013.
PLATFORM WARS:
This exclusive, members only event is held annually as an opportunity for members to learn more about the direction NTC is takingin the coming year, to network with other members, and to hear from world class speakers. We also release our annual publication Catalyst. Presenting sponsor -Comcast Business Class.
FALL SCAVENGER HUNT: Join other members and friends of the NTC for a tech based scavenger hunt. This half day event focuses on team building, networking, and of course, fun.
Music and media are two of the top industries in Middle Tennessee. Technology drives them both. Join us for an invitation only event to celebrate and discuss how these three areas intersect creative culture.
At the Tech Council, we think just one holiday party is not enough. Celebrate with us again at this annual networking event.
MANUFACTURING AND LOGISTICS TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE: Technology continues to change the face of manufacturing, supply chain management, and the movement of goods around the globe. Join the NTC and industry experts as we explore the tools and technologies that create, transport, and track everything from appliances to vehicles.
OCTOBER
This year marks the fourth year of FirstCamp and our second year hosting two full-day conferences for high school students to educate them regarding potential technology related careers. Presented as a part of NTC’s on-going orkforce development and education initiative.
M2T: MUSIC, MARKETING AND TECH
SUMMER HOLIDAY PARTY:
AUGUST
JULY
FIRSTCAMP METRO NASHVILLE & WILLIAMSON COUNTY SCHOOLS:
NOVEMBER
1/29 • ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING:
TechVille is NTC’s annual flagship event, highlighting the state of technology in our region and showcasing emerging technologies. This event has something for every level and addresses a variety of industries. The event attracts approximately 400 participants with a non-traditional format to meet the needs and wants of our diverse technology community. We’ll also release TechVille.us 2013 – a map of all NTC members.
GOLFING WITH THE BOARD: This exclusive outing is designed for members only and provides a great opportunity for our members to golf and network with the NTC Board of Directors. The event’s goal is to ensure members meet new people.
What to ensure your organization gets the most out of its premium membership? Join the NTC for a tech sponsors only event to network with other premium members and learn more about upcoming events and how your organization can get the maximum ROI from its sponsorship. (January, April, July & October)
TECHVILLE 2013:
JUNE
Open source or closed? Android, iOS or Windows RT? Mobile app or web based? These are the questions facing us today. And market share is a poor indicator of what platform is the best choice. Join the NTC, developers, and other industry experts to discuss and debate platform choices for apps and end user access.
MAY
MARCH SEPTEMBER
2/12 • CX INNOVATION SUMMIT:
JANUARY
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION LEADERSHIP ROUNDTABLE:
TECH SPONSOR MIXERS:
TECHNOLOGY AWARDS GALA: The annual awards gala honors Middle Tennessee’s technology companies, leaders and innovators. Attracting more than 500 attendees, the Gala is a night of networking, food, and entertainment. The Gala features a “red carpet” entrance, VIP reception, dinner, after party and the presentation of more than a dozen prestigious awards.
TECH EXEC AUCTION The NTC is auctioning off time with local tech executives with the proceeds benefiting Turning the Tide of the Technology (T3) Workforce initiative. Area technology professionals or companies who would benefit from interaction with a local tech executives are encouraged to attend the event.
DECEMBER
SERIES
Join your peers for members only meetings related to specific topics and tech-related roles and responsibilities. NTC Peer Networks include Sales and Business Development; Executive Administrators; and Analytics. More will be added in 2013.
FEBRUARY
QUARTERLY
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
2013
MONTHLY
PEER NETWORK MEETINGS:
WINTER HOLIDAY PARTY: Celebrate the holidays at this annual networking event. Don’t miss the opportunity to mingle with over 200 members of Nashville’s technology community in a relaxed setting.
CATALYST 2013 PAGE 38
NOTES
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CATALYST 2013