By Lacie Blankenship
After 30 years serving as a driving force for entrepreneurship in Middle Tennessee, Michael R. Burcham, Faculty Director for the Center for Entrepreneurship (C4E) and Professor of the Practice of Management at Vanderbilt Business, has rightfully earned his spot in the Nashville Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame.
“I can’t imagine trying to put a measure on the impact that Michael has had on this community,” said Jason Moore, Founder of Stratasan. “You can look across the landscape of entrepreneurship in Nashville and see Michael’s fingerprints.”
Michael Burcham, a Hall of Famer
On October 21, Burcham was inducted into the Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC) Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame at the 2024 NEXT Awards at Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
Burcham is an executive coach, entrepreneur, investor, and strategist with nearly 3 decades of experience. Throughout his career, Burcham has led 3 private equity-backed (PE-backed) firms to successful exits and invested in multiple companies via angel, venture, and private equity investments. He has helped launch numerous startups, supported 500+ entrepreneurs, and serves on several boards in healthcare and education. Among the many hats he wears, Burcham serves as a professor at Vanderbilt Business, the Faculty Director of Vanderbilt’s Center for Entrepreneurship (C4E), and the Founding President and CEO of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center.
Burcham Chaired the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship for former President Obama (2013-2016); he was named Nashvillian of the Year in 2014 and Tennessean of the Year in 2015 and is now a proud member of the Nashville Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame.
“This induction into the Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame was my ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ moment. I started the EC from scratch and funded it out of my own pocket for the first several years. Now, 15 years later, to be recognized by a room full of people who have benefited from my work with the center was amazing. Standing in a symphony hall with over 700 people on their feet honoring my accomplishments—that’s an image that will stay with me for the rest of my life,” said Burcham.
“No one has touched as many entrepreneurs in a positive way than Michael, and no one deserves this award more than Michael Burcham,” says Sherry Deutschmann, Founder and CEO of BrainTrust.
While his list of accomplishments is impressive, and the Hall of Fame induction will hold a special place in Burcham’s heart, anyone who has ever interacted with him can see that he doesn’t do what he does for the awards and recognition; Burcham is a genuine and steadfast champion for all things innovation, and he has a tremendous soft spot for the entrepreneurs opening doors, pushing boundaries, and challenging status quos.
Looking Ahead and Honoring Legacy
Nashville, a City for Entrepreneurs
Michael Burcham at the 2024 NEXT Awards
“The future of entrepreneurship in Nashville is incredibly strong; this is a city built by and embraced by entrepreneurs of all kinds and the creative class,” said Burcham.
Burcham gave a nod to some of the earliest founders in Music City; he noted that life insurance and the concept of private, for-profit health systems were invented in Nashville. He also mentioned the birth of the largest AM radio tower, which became the signal for the online radio show that blossomed into the Grand Ole Opry, making space for the largest collection of songwriters in the world to convene in Nashville, TN.
In his personal entrepreneurial journey, Burcham found what was missing from Nashville’s innovative resources. The development of the EC was Burcham’s attempt to provide future entrepreneurs with the resources he wished he had when he was just starting out.
“When I started, there was no place like the EC. You would drive around and try to meet one-on-one with people, and you would try to figure out who the investors in town are,” he said. “Let’s just say it was incredibly disorganized, and there was no real way to find the front door of opportunity.”
Finding Community in Failure
In addition to creating a hub that serves as a “front door to opportunity” for entrepreneurs to find resources, investors, and mentorship, Burcham is creating a dynamic community where peers celebrate accomplishments of all sizes and learn from each other’s mistakes.
“You learn more from mistakes than from success, and if you have a culture where it’s okay to talk about mistakes and failure, you don’t just get to hear yours, you get to hear everyone else’s,” said Burcham. “If I get to hear 20 people’s mistakes and their failures, and I pay attention, I can avoid making those 20 mistakes, and I can go make some new ones.”
Vanderbilt and Entrepreneurship
Vanderbilt University has a longstanding relationship with the EC. Burcham noted that throughout his time at the EC, each dean—Dean Bradford, Dean Johnson, and Dean Steenburgh—has played a critical part in bridging the school with the center.
“It has been a very collaborative relationship with Owen, and I’m extremely grateful that it never had to be either/or; it is always, ‘do both,’” said Burcham. “That spirit of collaboration and partnership has really helped me create better experiences for my students at Vanderbilt, especially at Owen.”
About the Nashville Entrepreneurship Center
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC), founded in 2010, is “Nashville’s home for entrepreneurs.” A 501(c)3 nonprofit, the EC is committed to making Nashville the ultimate destination for startups by nurturing a thriving ecosystem that supports entrepreneurs at every step.
“The Nashville Entrepreneur Center is for everyone in the community, and I think that’s what makes it really special,” said Burcham. “It’s a great place where many different kinds of entrepreneurs come together, many of them are well into their forties and fifties, and many of them were never part of a university either,” said Burcham.
About the Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame
The Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame, established in 2011, honors Nashville’s most iconic entrepreneurs. The new members are inducted each year at the NEXT Awards, an annual celebration Burcham helped create to recognize entrepreneurs in the city and serve as a signature fundraising event for the EC.
In good company, Burcham was inducted into the Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame at the 2024 NEXT Awards at Schermerhorn Symphony Center alongside Pat Emery, Dr. Turner Nashe, Dr. Pamela Pfeffer, and Dr. Philip Pfeffer.
