Charlie BrockCharlie Brock, the 48-year-old entrepreneur and investor who helped lead FourBridges Capital Advisors, the CoLab and the Chattanooga Renaissance Fund, is heading to Nashville at the end of the month to lead Tennessee’s biggest public-private partnership to boost startup businesses.
Brock was chosen Tuesday as CEO of LaunchTN, the nonprofit agency created last year by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Commmunity Development and the former Tennessee Technology Development Corp.
“Gov. [Bill] Haslam has done a great job trying to kickstart business in our state, and I really believe LaunchTN can play a vital role in helping recruit and nurture new business,” Brock said. “Just like entrepreneurs, accelerators and venture capital funds need early-stage capital and the state has helped provide that to get LaunchTN started.”
By fiscal 2014, directors of LaunchTN have signaled that they want to raise at least $1 million of private funds to sustain and boost the initial state funding.
LaunchTN helps fund accelerators like Chattanooga’s CoLab that mentor and assist entrepreneurs. LaunchTN also operates the $30 million INCITE co-investment fund, which offers public money for Tennessee startups, in conjunction with private investments around the state.