It took a few months of “time out” and a lot of soul searching, but Tasia Malakasis has once again found her people.
“Bravery. Uber confidence. Crazy ingenuity. Risk,” says the new CEO of Chattanooga nonprofit, The Company Lab (CO.LAB). “These are the kinds of qualities it takes to be an entrepreneur — and they’re the qualities I love. I light up when I hear about someone starting a business.”
Malakasis is the startup accelerator’s second female CEO, and brings to the role a variety of entrepreneurial experience — from working in early tech startups to owning, scaling and selling a goat cheese company. That experience, she says, has prepared her to help guide CO.LAB to the next level.
After meeting with hundreds of players in the community and entrepreneurial ecosystem in the first three months of her tenure, Malakasis and CO.LAB produced their annual pitch competition, Will This Float?, in October.
And now, after spending time strategizing, Malakasis and her team are enthusiastic about the rich landscape of innovators here that includes dynamic startups and landmark corporations, like EPB and TVA, for potential collaborations as CO.LAB builds out future programs.