Fueling Innovation for a Thriving Nashville
About us
Established by Mayor Freddie O’Connell and Vanderbilt University, the Nashville Innovation Alliance seeks to bring together public, private, civic and education institutions to enhance the region’s innovation ecosystem.
Dedicated to making Nashville one of America’s centers of innovation, the Alliance is developing and implementing a city-wide strategy for inclusive innovative growth, and pilot and deploy solutions to address our city’s challenges. Together, we can build an inclusive economy that creates the next generation of homegrown talent and businesses, attracting investment in our communities to support all of Nashville.
Daniel Diermeier, Vanderbilt University Chancellor and Freddie O’Connell, Mayor, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (Harrison McClary/Vanderbilt University)
Mission
The aim of the Alliance is to grow Nashville’s innovation capacity to create economic expansion and inclusive prosperity in a way that is uniquely Nashville. Inspired by the iconic guitar strings that are woven into the fabric of the Nashville community, we strive to amplify harmonious collaboration between talent, investment and research—the essential components that empower innovation to disrupt and transform.
Our Partners
Health
A healthcare industry powerhouse, coupled with the region’s extensive clinical and genomics data, Nashville is prime to elevate innovation in patient care. The healthcare services capital of the US, with three of the nation’s five largest investor-owned hospital companies headquartered in Nashville and over 500 companies and 170,000 jobs, the region has industrial strength to grow. Combined with VUMC’s BioVU, the largest collection of genetic information and medical records of any single academic institution worldwide, gives our city an immense advantage in their work producing results that garner national attention.
Mobility
Middle Tennessee is geographically and economically positioned to become a global leader in automotive innovation, with an extensive automotive industry presence and strong talent base. A prime example is the I-24 MOTION, a collaboration between Vanderbilt and the Tennessee Department of Transportation. I-24 MOTION uses AI and ultra-high-definition cameras on a four-mile stretch of road to test automated vehicle technologies in real freeway traffic to reduce congestion and improve safety, air quality and fuel efficiency.
Music & Entertainment
The Music City, Nashville brings distinct creativity, known throughout the world as the birthplace of country music. That creativity is brought to everything Nashville does, including innovation. And, as technology and innovation change music, film, and television production and live events, Nashville will be the center for that change. Investments like the new Rock Nashville, a 55-acre music rehearsal and production campus, will be a state-of-the-art studio and large-scale tour rehearsal space acting as a centralized home for artists and productions teams to plan, build, and rehearse and produce shows.
Financial Technology
Nashville has a strong banking sector, and over the past decade has consistently been a choice for the financial industry given its strong business climate. In addition, Nashville’s music publishing and healthcare industries were early adopters of blockchain technology and other technologies critical to fintech. As technologies such as AI and digital assets revolutionize the financial sector, Nashville is well positioned with both its established financial entities and thriving sectors that are driven by fintech to be a lead innovator in this area.
Innovation Ecosystem Development
Leading centers of innovation around the world are known for having an abundance of talent, a strong network of investors, easy access to research and dedicated space and programs for innovation. While Nashville’s economy is thriving, more needs to be done in these areas to ensure new ideas and technologies can translate into societal impact and commercial success.
Members of the Nashville Innovation Alliance are collaborating to set priorities and advance initiatives to address these challenges and forge a more robust innovation ecosystem.
Areas of Focus
The Nashville Innovation Alliance brings together partners to drive initiatives in a broad range of areas:
Together we are working in pursuit of the following goals:
- Make Nashville a more attractive location for innovation-focused entrepreneurs and companies to grow and succeed.
- Grow our innovation capacity for economic expansion and inclusive prosperity.
- Solve real-world challenges through innovation.
- Develop, retain and attract skilled talent.
- Increase our global reputation and connectivity to attract investment.
