Memphis Entrepreneurship
in the News

Epicenter president and CEO Jessica Taveau was about to leave for a vacation when she was informed that the organization was a finalist for a major federal grant.

The news that Epicenter was one of 43 grant winners prompted Taveau to have a mid-vacation departure — quickly hopping on a plane to Washington, D.C.

Read More via Memphis Inno

Being an entrepreneur and a small business owner can be stressful. Having someone walk alongside to alleviate some of the stress is where Epicenter comes in.

Read more via WREG

The Next Big Thing, an annual pitch competition, has come to its conclusion. And, as Pearson Crutcher, executive director of the Society of Entrepreneurs (SOE), reflects on this year’s event, she thinks not just of its success but the potential of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Read More via Memphis Business Journal

Launched a decade ago, the ZeroTo510 Medical Device Accelerator has witnessed an evolution of devices presented by participating startups. The bulk of the 2022 cohort’s products, for example, contained software and AI components.

Read More via Memphis Business Journal

Business ownership is one key to wealth, and a center in Memphis is helping entrepreneurs unlock what it takes to make it on their own.

Read More via WREG

The #BlackTechFutures Research Institute recently launched in Memphis, Nashville, Houston and Birmingham, Alabama, with a goal of building a thriving, sustainable technology ecosystem for Black people in the four cities.

Read More via Daily Memphian

From the jewelry industry to branding and web consultancy, Black innovators are changing the face of entrepreneurship one idea at a time in Memphis. Meet the established innovators who are setting a foundation by inspiring start-up founders to be bold and brave in making their dreams come true.

Read More via Afrotech.com

Hip hop, social justice, soul music, soul food – the city of Memphis is a cultural mecca of the South with good reason. But, it wouldn’t be known for what it is today without the people who reside there.

Read More via Afrotech.com

On Oct. 6, Google for Startups announced the 76 recipients of its $5 million Black Founders Fund, which provides promising Black founders with non-dilutive cash awards to boost their businesses. Both Plybeah and Hayes each received awards of $50,000 for their startups.

Read via Memphis Business Journal

A local entrepreneur joins marquee business founders on the Inc. Female Founders 100 list.

Kayla Rodriguez Graff, cofounder and CEO of SweetBio, is the only business founder on the list from Tennessee.

More via Memphis Business Journal

For countless years, Black women have had to justify their need for support and respect in seemingly every area of their lives, including their business endeavors.

Read More via Afrotech.com

Memphis is laying the foundation for how other cities across the country should support Black entrepreneurs and businesses. The pathway to entrepreneurship in the city is paved with an ecosystem of opportunity, resources, and programs, unlike any other in the nation.

Read More via AfroTech

The Frayser community is getting a $1.3 million grant from the MassMutual Foundation to support small businesses, help Frayser families save money, improve communication among residents and carry out ideas of a soon-to-form community advisory board.

View Full Article via The Daily Memphian

Two Memphis organizations recently won economic development grants and will receive funds to help their missions of assisting startups.

Read via Memphis Business Journal →

On Thursday, June 6, the University of Memphis and regional entrepreneurial organization Epicenter announced a postdoctoral fellowship program called Patents2Products.

Read via Memphis Business Journal →

Three Memphis companies are among the eight startups participating in the 2019 “Summer of Acceleration” business incubator in Memphis that got underway this month.

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Three Memphis startups are among eight emerging companies that will collaborate with business mentors for an intensive summer of learning on how to market products and grow their businesses.

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In his $1.3 billion proposed operating budget, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris would like to invest $1.25 million in technology startups that, if successful, could potentially replace some of the thousands of jobs Shelby County could lose to automation.

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Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland once again said Memphis’ biggest issue is population loss.

On Tuesday, April 23, Strickland cited violent crime and a lack of educational achievement within the city limits as two of the primary reasons for Memphis' continuing loss of population.

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