Life Science Tennessee launches mentorship network modeled after San Diego

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Nathan Morgan | Nashville Busine

Launch Tennessee CEO Charlie Brock

Eleanor Kennedy

Staff Reporter- Nashville Business Journal

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Life Science Tennessee and Launch Tennessee are launching a new statewide mentorship program, designed to answer the highly specialized questions of life science entrepreneurs and help build the industry in the state.

The program is modeled after San Diego' Connect Springboard, a model that's also in use in life sciences hot spot Massachusetts. Ten companies — five per year — will be selected to participate in the program, which will initially run for a two-year period. The program will be funded with $100,000 of support ($50,000 a year) from Launch Tennessee, and $2,000 total from Life Science Tennessee.

Speaking at the annual Life Science Tennessee Conference and Venture Forum in Nashville Tuesday afternoon, Launch Tennessee CEO Charlie Brock said while Tennessee has a strong network of accelerators and involved mentors, the intricacies of the life sciences industry require a higher-level support system to help companies grow.

Although Memphis boasts its share of medical device companies, life sciences remains a small part of the overall health care industry in Tennessee, especially hospital services-focused Nashville. Also Tuesday afternoon, Life Science Tennessee released the results of its study on access to capital— an area Nashville life science entrepreneur Eric Dahlhauser recently told me remains the biggest challenge to growing the industry locally.

Overall, the report — which you can peruse in full here— calls for greater government involvement in matching grant and venture funding in the life sciences industry, which the group sees as especially necessary since the compete distribution of TNInvestco funds is likely to leave a gap, as well as a continued focus on collaboration and raising awareness regarding life sciences opportunities.

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Eleanor Kennedy covers Nashville's health care and technology industries.