I’m excited to announce the launch of Startups Give Back Chattanooga!
The Chattanooga chapter will enable us to further our mission of making philanthropy a top priority for companies around the world.
Why Chattanooga? Read on to find out.
A Growing Startup Ecosystem
If you look beyond Silicon Valley, New York, and the other well-known startup hubs, there are a number of locations that are quickly becoming hotbeds for new upstarts, Chattanooga’s one of them.
Here are a few fun startup facts about the Tennessee city:
- It has created $1.8 billion in startup exits in under five years
- It’s the first municipality to debut a city-wide gigabit network with speeds 200 times faster than the national average
- The mayor has taken a proactive approach to building the city’s tech community by enlisting help from civic leaders and venture capitalists.
All that upfront work has paid off. Chattanooga is regularly in the same conversation as the likes of Austin, Boulder, and Philadelphia.
There’s a lot of opportunity in Chattanooga to bring local companies together for a common goal: to make a difference in the community.
Meet the Chapter Leader
The Chattanooga chapter will be ran by Sarah Vaks.
Sarah is a graphic designer and integrated media specialist who got her start with a California based e-commerce startup, eBranding, INC. While there, she had the opportunity to brand products from the ground up, as well as market across multiple platforms.
Now, with all the experience she has amassed over the years, She continues to provide small businesses and startups with affordable quality work.
I’m pumped to support Sarah as she rallies the local startup scene in Chattanooga to make a difference. This will be a fantastic opportunity for local professionals to not only give back to their community but also network with each other in a much more meaningful way.
Final Thoughts
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: Startups Give Back’s mission is to make philanthropy a top priority for all companies around the world rather than an afterthought. In order to achieve this, it’s going to take passionate, driven individuals – like Sarah – leading the way.
Interested in starting a chapter of Startups Give Back in your community? Fill out the chapter application to get started!
