Launch Tennessee Welcomes Marcus Whitney to Board of Directors

A renowned leader in the startup community, Whitney expands his massive imprint on the entrepreneurial and venture capital ecosystem with LaunchTN

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Launch Tennessee (LaunchTN), a public-private partnership guided by a vision of making Tennessee the most startup-friendly state in the nation, today announced the appointment of Marcus Whitney to its Board of Directors.

Whitney is founding partner of Jumpstart Health Investors, the most active healthcare venture capital firm in America and has a portfolio of over 100 innovative companies. Whitney is also a co-founder and minority owner of Major League Soccer team, Nashville Soccer Club, which he helped navigate through the process of building an investor group and successfully being granted a franchise.

“Marcus is a case study in how entrepreneurs can find great success in Tennessee,” said Van Tucker, CEO, LaunchTN. “As a serial founder and funder, he’s done amazing things for Nashville and the surrounding areas. His journey, expertise and commitment to the growth of Tennessee business and community make him a perfect addition to the team shaping the direction of LaunchTN. Marcus has been an active supporter in LaunchTN’s efforts, including his participation in 2020’s 36|86 Festival as a distinguished speaker. We’re thrilled to welcome him to the organization in a more formal capacity as a member of the Board of Directors.”

Whitney is an author, speaker, martial artist and is a member of the board of the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation, Instruction Partners and OZ Arts. Last June he released his first book “Create and Orchestrate,” which is a number one Amazon Best Seller and was named the number one Book to Overcome Your Entrepreneurial Fears by Entrepreneur Magazine.

“LaunchTN is a fantastic organization that’s helping our state be the same land of opportunity I enjoyed when I moved to Tennessee in 2000,” said Whitney. “I moved to Nashville as a college dropout, knowing no one, and two decades later, I’ve started businesses, followed dreams and been able to participate in Tennessee’s business ecosystem in meaningful ways. Tennessee’s close-knit startup community has helped me reach where I am today. As more people move to Tennessee with dreams like mine, I look forward to paying it forward and helping uplift other entrepreneurs alongside the LaunchTN team.”

About LaunchTN

LaunchTN is a public-private partnership with a vision to make Tennessee the most startup-friendly state in the nation. Our mission is to empower a high-functioning network of resources focused on core priorities that support Tennessee’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Through our network of Entrepreneur Centers and partner organizations across the state, LaunchTN fosters collaboration among entrepreneurs, the private sector, capital sources, institutions, and government to offer entrepreneurs what they need to succeed and stay in Tennessee to build companies and create jobs.