Local groups that aid entrepreneurship:
* Foundations and a group of leaders who organized angel investment * Entrepreneurial support organizations that provide space, resources and expertise to startups * Public entities – including the mayor’s office, an Enterprise Center and EPB – that think strategically about how governmental infrastructure can facilitate entrepreneurial growth * The Innovation District, a public-private enterprise that created a specific space for entrepreneurial development City strategies to promote buisness startups: * Be a cheerleader. Discuss the importance of entrepreneurship and recognize successful local entrepreneurs. * Identify major local entrepreneurs and cultivate relationships with them. * Establish a committee or task force on entrepreneurship to set the vision of the city. * Convene and broker entrepreneurship supporters, such as nonprofit organizations, local anchor companies and local universities. Source: Kauffman Foundation
The title of the study is as good a place to start as any: “Little Town, Layered Ecosystem: A Case Study of Chattanooga.”
The recent report from the Kauffman Foundation looks at why Gig City has been a good place for entrepreneurship. It also touches on Chattanooga’s shortcomings when it comes to startups.
To sum it up succinctly, this is what’s been key: collaboration and a sense of ownership.
“Chattanooga is a smaller town that is its own sort of area and relies on itself,” said Chris Jackson, a Kauffman research assistant who worked on the report. “One thing I heard from everyone we interviewed was about ‘the Chattanooga way.’ It made people really aware of their deep connection to everyone in the city, that they’re working toward similar goals.”