Tennessee native Lindsey Cox has been named Chief Executive Officer of The Company Lab, a nonprofit organization supporting entrepreneurs and startups across southeast Tennessee. Cox is a veteran entrepreneurial ecosystem builder who brings robust development experience from both the state and federal levels. She will assume the role on April 12.
Cox will lead CO.LAB and its programs that provide training, mentoring and networking opportunities for the area’s entrepreneurs and scaling businesses. Prior, she served in the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and as Director of Operations and Government Relations at Launch Tennessee.
“Lindsey’s work as an advocate for entrepreneurs in Tennessee and across the U.S. makes her the preeminent person to lead CO.LAB. Lindsey knows the resources available to our community, and she understands how capital and talent can impact our region’s innovation economy,” said George Brown, CO.LAB Chairman and founder of Aegle Gear.
Cox will lead the organization through a post-COVID environment that has transformed opportunities for entrepreneurs across the globe, increasing reliance on new technologies and online platforms across all business sectors. Chattanooga, or “Gig City” as it is nicknamed, has been at the cutting edge of this type of innovation for more than a decade, as the city has been marketing EPB's ultra-fast broadband network that makes available gigabit-per-second speed to local businesses and residents.
“I’m eager to get started expanding the CO.LAB team and meeting with community stakeholders, funders and entrepreneurs. Chattanooga has a wealth of resources for startups, and we want to ensure we are serving the area’s entrepreneurs who are eager to grow their businesses. We’ll help them take their ideas to the next level,” said Cox.
Shortly after her arrival, Cox will lead CO.LAB through a focused strategic planning process to foster more dynamic support for startups and to maximize opportunities for diversity and inclusion with their partners in the region.
About The Company Lab (CO.LAB)
The Company Lab (CO.LAB) is a nonprofit organization that supports entrepreneurial growth in southeast Tennessee. Established as the region’s front door for entrepreneurs, CO.LAB works to increase the capability and viability of startups and strengthen the ecosystem of support behind them. In doing so, the organization helps entrepreneurs refine their business models, test their ideas with customers, pursue capital and partnerships, and connect with a community of mentors, peers and business experts. Additionally, CO.LAB works to create environments that inspire entrepreneurial activity, open doors within the business community and promote job creation. The companies CO.LAB supports range from Main Street businesses to tech startups scaling into major markets. To learn more, visit colab.co.
Like this story? Click here to subscribe to more like this delivered weekly to your inbox!