By Lacie C. Blankenship
At Vanderbilt University, entrepreneurship isn’t just a buzzword; through strategic investments and thoughtful community engagement, Vanderbilt is building a distinctive path in innovation and shaping a legacy as a launchpad for impactful ventures.
The university’s focus is clear: to build one of the strongest, most dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystems in higher education, involving students, investors, seasoned entrepreneurs, and activated alumni. Supported at the highest levels of leadership, this vision has a strong foundation at Owen.
“Vanderbilt has a strong history of entrepreneurship, including 10 unicorn founders—and we’re actively building momentum,” said Thomas Steenburgh, Ralph Owen Dean and Professor of Marketing.
“Students are developing new ideas, cross-campus collaborations are accelerating, and more students are pursuing entrepreneurial paths. Our alumni are increasingly engaged—through philanthropy, mentorship, and support—to help the next generation build what’s next. It’s an exciting time, and we’re proud to foster an environment where innovation can thrive,” said Dean Steenburgh.
A Watershed Moment: The Inaugural Convoy Conference
The three-day event, held in March 2025, united more than 750 entrepreneurs, investors, and other startup ecosystem players from the global student and alumni base to celebrate and strengthen Vanderbilt’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Hosted primarily on campus, the Convoy Conference was designed to convene the university community’s most accomplished and aspiring entrepreneurs, spotlight the power of the Vanderbilt network, and create new connections across generations.
The Vanderbilt Venture Gala Dinner and Awards event at Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 2025 Convoy Conference at
“It was incredible to see the Convoy Conference come to life after months of planning,” says Baxter Webb (MBA’13), Director of the Owen Center for Entrepreneurship, who spearheaded the conference. “The passion of our alumni was truly evident, and the event provided an amazing platform for networking, education, and collaboration.”
The conference agenda featured keynotes, panels, startup showcases, pitch competitions, and networking opportunities. Keynote speakers included “shark” Mark Cuban, a renowned entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and businessman; Jeff Rothschild (BA’77, MS’79), Founding Engineer and former VP Infrastructure at Facebook, and current angel investor in Frontier Technologies; and Doug French, former CEO of Ascension and current Managing Partner at Santé Ventures, a health and med tech venture capital fund with $1B in assets under management.
Other notable speakers included Michael Berolzheimer (BS’00), Founder and Managing Director of Bee Partners; Bruce Evans (BE’81), Former Managing Partner of Summit Partners; Carl Liebert (MBA’95), former CEO of several PE-backed companies and now Managing Director at American Securities; Oliver Luckett (BA’96), a serial entrepreneur who created the first mechanisms for monetizing content; Adam Spector (BS’04), serial entrepreneur, noted angel investor, and host of the Entrepreneurial Excellence podcast; Brendan Synnott (BS’00), serial entrepreneur behind Bear Naked Granola, Revely, and Pact; and Emily White (BA’00), former COO of Snapchat and now Managing Director at Anthos Capital.
Participants explored topics like artificial intelligence, product-market fit, scaling culture, and capital strategy. Seven Vanderbilt alumni unicorn founders spoke, reinforcing the university’s emerging reputation as a birthplace of high-impact ventures. University leaders also took part, including Cybele Raver, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Thomas Steenburgh, Ralph Owen Dean, Padma Raghavan, Vice Provost for Research and Innovation and Chief Research Officer, and Anders Hall, Vice Chancellor for Investments and CIO.
The Convoy Conference was a catalyst; more than 150 founders and 80 investors connected, launched ideas, and formed partnerships. Several attendees even secured investors and job offers on the spot.
“Our goal is to make Vanderbilt a top-five university for entrepreneurship by 2030,” says Webb. “The momentum from Convoy and the organization it will help us build around the ecosystem is crucial to hitting this goal. I’m excited for what the conference will become for Vanderbilt.”
Infrastructure for Innovation: Center for Entrepreneurship
While Convoy was a landmark event, it was made possible by a foundation decades in the making, much of which now drives the Center for Entrepreneurship (C4E), housed within Owen. The center’s roots date back to before 2000, when the late Professor Germain Böer, a fierce advocate for student-innovation, led a transformative push for an entrepreneurship center. In 2016, a generous gift from Jack and Caroline Long (both MBA’83) allowed the C4E to expand into a university-wide resource supporting Vanderbilt founders at every stage. The center fosters a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem with structured programs, financial support (grants and scholarships), and networking. Led by Webb and Michael Burcham, Faculty Director of the C4E, the Center continues to evolve with new initiatives like the Vanderbilt Venture Scout program, an advisor and mentor network, Founders Confidential, and the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition program.
Vanderbilt Venture Scout Program
The Vanderbilt Venture Scout program will give students hands-on experience in venture capital by working directly with founders to conduct interviews, perform market research, and write investment memos shared with alumni venture capitalists. In addition to building skills and career pathways in venture capital and private equity, the program creates valuable capital access for founders and deal flow for investors.
Advisor & Mentor Network
While mentorship and networking are longstanding C4E pillars, the center is working on a strategic advisor and mentor network to connect those seeking mentor/mentee relationships. This network will foster ongoing knowledge-sharing that advances the next generation of ventures and will leverage the thousands of Vanderbilt alumni in the startup and venture capital space.
Founders Confidential
A local component of the refined advisor and mentor network, the Founders Confidential initiative will launch in fall 2025 as a monthly meetup for Nashville alumni in startups to gather as a community.
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Program
On the academic front, Owen is evaluating and refreshing its entrepreneurship curriculum. One highlight is the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) program, which will launch in early 2026 for students and alumni (via Vanderbilt Executive Education). The program will train on acquiring and growing existing small businesses through hands-on learning and mentorship from all-star alumni instructors.
The Nashville Advantage
Innovation has always thrived in Nashville, but recently, the city’s entrepreneurial energy has surged thanks to an expanding network of support organizations, capital access, and trans-sector collaboration. The city has quickly become a dynamic startup hub, particularly in healthcare, tech, and, of course, music and entertainment.
At the heart of this movement is a city-wide commitment to innovation, supported by institutions like the mayor’s office, Launch Tennessee, (a public-private partnership focused on statewide startup support), and the Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC), founded by Burcham in 2010. Other local resources include the Greater Nashville Venture Capital Association (GNVCA), seed-funded partially by Vanderbilt, and the Nashville
Innovation Alliance, a coalition of civic, academic, and business leaders working to elevate the region as a national innovation hub. Nashville is known as a city where people say “yes” to meetings and want each other to win; some might say that’s where Southern hospitality meets business.
As entrepreneurship at Vanderbilt grows, so does its impact on the region. University-affiliated companies attract funding, hire locally, and give back to the community. What’s good for Vanderbilt entrepreneurs is good for Nashville, and vice versa.
Giving Back to the Next Generation
“Community is at the heart of the momentum we’re having here in the Vanderbilt entrepreneurship community,” says Webb. “Time and time again, we see alumni and peers stepping up to mentor and invest in student ventures.”
Alumni can contribute by participating in or judging pitch competitions, mentoring, speaking in workshops, attending events like the Convoy Conference, or joining the growing network of investors backing student-led ventures.
Vanderbilt’s Vision: A Top-Five School by 2030
With continued investment across campus, Vanderbilt is looking ahead with ambition. The goal of becoming a top entrepreneurship school by 2030 is achievable with the right strategy and an engaged network.
“The notion that entrepreneurship is a mindset about solving problems, creating value, and leading with purpose is what’s driving us,” says Webb. “Vanderbilt is equipping students across campus with that mindset and the tools to act on it, and removing limitations.”
From classroom to capital, from Nashville to New York, Vanderbilt’s community is anchored by a shared commitment to innovation.
Owen Unicorn Founders
A unicorn is a privately held startup valued at $1 billion or more, a rare achievement. Several Vanderbilt Business alumni have reached this exclusive status, redefining industries worldwide. Owen alumni unicorn founders include:
- Joe Cashia (MBA’95), Renal Care Group
- Cotter Cunningham (MBA’91), RetailMeNot
- Kay Ferrell (MBA’95), IASIS Healthcare
- Rajiv Gupta (MBA’04), Innovative Renal Care
- Max Lytvyn (MBA’95), Grammarly
- Edwin Miller (MBA’06), Aledade
- Chuck Smith (MBA’86), BellRock Brands
- Jim Sohr (BE’86/MBA’90), Correct Care Solutions (now Wellpath)
- Scott Sohr (MBA’90), Correct Care Solutions (now Wellpath) & Built
- Justin Walker (MBA’00), Wheels Up
