Coach to Unlock Growth for Founders & Executives | 3x Author | Forbes, Inc. & Entrepreneur Featured | Power 100 | Innovator of the Year | Investor
Memphis, TN
Joined May 2008
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I am proud to serve on the SXSW Pitch Advisory Board. SXSW Pitch is accepting startup applications for 2027. The deadline is November 13. cart.sxsw.com/products/accel…
I'm excited to be speaking at the Futura Innovation Conference, taking place October 19-21 in Limerick, Ireland! Join an inspiring community of innovators, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders and me for three days of thought-provoking conversations, new ideas, and meaningful connections.
Learn more and register at futuraevent.com.
#Futura2026 #FuturaInnovationConference #Innovation #Limerick
Most economic development talks about communities. This one listens to them.
On October 6, Start Co. hosts The Suggestion Box at The Dame downtown. Cocktails, conversation, and community suggestions. It's our next Catalyst30 mixer.
The idea is simple. Get business owners, placemakers, and residents in one room. Ask five questions:
1. What in the region helps you innovate?
2. What hinders you from innovating?
3. What outside the region helps you innovate?
4. What is missing in the region that could help you innovate?
5. Where could you specifically use help?
Come with your thoughts or work them out there. You can submit suggestions from your phone while we talk.
I think the best ideas for Memphis are already in Memphis. We need to hear them.
Tuesday, October 6 | 5:00-7:00 PM
The Dame, 69 E. Pontotoc Ave, Memphis
Register: jazpqjuxujz.typeform.com/to/…
Could your #startup lead the next big breakthrough? Apply by the first deadline on Sunday, September 13 for a discounted application fee of $105. sxsw.com/pitch/
“A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.”
— Douglas Adams
LAST CALL FOR START-UPS
Don’t miss your chance to apply for the @FuturaEvent Start-Up Pitch Competition, taking place on 21 October 2026 during the Futura Innovation Conference in Limerick, Ireland.
Applications are free and open to eligible start-ups from anywhere in the world. Selected finalists will pitch in front of investors and innovation leaders, receive professional pitch coaching, two complimentary conference badges, and promotion through Futura’s official channels.
Late applications are open through Sunday, 6 September at 23:59 Irish Standard Time.
Learn more and apply here:
f6s.com/futura-pitch-competi…
For questions about the opportunity, please contact Philip Cogley, Futura Start-Up Pitch Event Manager, at [email protected].
What will it take for #Memphis to turn more entrepreneurial activity into scalable companies, stronger firms, and real job creation?
@Start_Co President Andre Fowlkes is taking that question to the stage at DelTech 2026.
Drawing from the Urban Institute’s recent report on entrepreneurship in Shelby County, Andre will break down three areas where Memphis businesses and economic development organizations can improve our competitiveness nationally:
• Incorporation and the innovation continuum
• Helping firms reach greater operational scale and commercialization
• Open-logic corporate innovation for greater job creation and business expansion
The data points to real gaps we need to address. Tennessee ranks last nationally in the incorporated share of firms, and improving our economic performance requires more than simply starting more businesses. We need an economic value-delivery system that puts innovation, scalability, capital formation, and competitiveness first.
We’re proud to have Andre representing Start Co. at DelTech 2026 and advancing this important conversation about the future of the Memphis economy.
#DelTech2026 #Memphis #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #EconomicDevelopment
“If I am smart in business, it’s just that I’m smart about who I am. I know what I can, can’t, will and won’t do.”
— Dolly Parton
Downtown Memphis has always been built by people willing to adapt, reinvent, and keep moving.
Join us on September 8 from 5:00–7:00 PM at Barware for a Catalyst30 fireside chat with Deni Reilly of The Majestic Grille and Cocozza.
Deni will share what it took to navigate COVID, why new ideas and reinvention became essential, and what other entrepreneurs and business leaders can learn from that experience.
We’ll also bring together downtown businesses, aspiring talent, and partners across Memphis’ innovation ecosystem for an evening of conversation and connection.
This is what Catalyst30 is about: creating a downtown environment where entrepreneurs can start, grow, experiment, and help shape the future of our urban core.
If you are building a business, leading one, or care about the future of Downtown Memphis, join us.
Link in the comments to register.
#Memphis #MemphisBusiness #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #DowntownMemphis
Too many businesses spend time talking about problems without creating a disciplined path to solve them.
On August 29, we’re hosting a Problem Solution Design Sprint at Epicenter in Memphis for business leaders, entrepreneurs, and teams who have a real challenge or opportunity they want to move forward.
This is not a three-hour lecture.
It is a working session designed to help you:
-Define the problem or opportunity that actually matters
-Bring your experience and vision into the solution
-Evaluate the potential market opportunity
-Identify assumptions that need to be tested
-Turn ideas into clear, actionable next steps
You can bring a challenge inside an existing business, a new growth opportunity, or an entirely new business idea. The goal is the same: leave with greater clarity about what to do next and how to start executing.
Problem Solution Design Sprint
August 29 | 9:00 AM–12:00 PM
Epicenter | 150 Peabody Place, Memphis
If your business has a problem worth solving or an opportunity worth pursuing, bring it into the room.
Businesses and business leaders: sign up and put three focused hours against something that could materially move your organization forward.
Link in the comments to register.
“Critical thinking without hope is cynicism, but hope without critical thinking is naïveté.”
— Maria Popova
I'm proud to serve on the SXSW Pitch Advisory Board and help discover the next generation of innovative startups!
If you're building something transformative and ready to showcase your company on one of the world's biggest innovation stages, I'd love to encourage you to apply for SXSW Pitch 2027.
📷 Applications are now open.
📷 Deadline to Apply: November 13, 2026
Know an incredible startup? Tag them below or share this opportunity with your network!
Apply and learn more here sxsw.com/pitch/
#SXSW #SXSWPitch #Startups #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Founder #Tech #StartupCommunity
Eric Mathews retweeted
What will Downtown #Memphis look like in 2030?
We believe entrepreneurs and small businesses should help answer that question.
Read more about Catalyst30 below.
neverstop.co/post/catalyst30…
Eric Mathews retweeted
Six members of the Futura steering committee on why this event matters right now, and what happens when you get out of your own lane.
19–21 October 2026, Limerick.
futuraevent.com
“Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”
— Helen Keller
Could your #startup lead the next big breakthrough? Apply by the first deadline on Sunday, September 13 for a discounted application fee of $105. sxsw.com/pitch/
