The Company Lab’s new CEO is on a mission to make the Chattanooga nonprofit the best in the nation at what it does, and with that will come a fresh and more influential version of Startup Week CHA.
“We are in the process of building a bigger and better CO.LAB, which means we will be building a bigger and better Startup Week,” CO.LAB CEO Tasia Malakasis said. “We will be announcing plans for 2023 soon.”
Although Startup Week CHA won’t happen in its traditional form this year, two main events from Startup Week — Double Cola’s Will This Float? And TVFCU’s Idea Leap — will now take on stand-alone formats this October. Breaking these two events out individually is a result of their success and prestige.
Double Cola will present Will This Float? as part of its 100-year celebration.
The company is celebrating their centennial and has a rich history, but it also continues to be on the cutting edge of innovation — making it the ideal partner for The Company Lab.
TVFCU is celebrating the fifth year of its Idea Leap Grant initiative with grants totaling $100,000 for five local entrepreneurs. The grants will be awarded at TVFCU’s annual Idea Leap Grant Pitch Competition on October 18th.
Malakasis and her team are currently knee-deep in work to elevate The Company Lab’s impact and refine its focus — all with the goal of providing the most meaningful, significant services to Chattanooga founders.
“CO.LAB has a rich history and legacy, and it's our intention to capitalize on the momentum of the recent spotlight Chattanooga has as a significant entrepreneurial player,” Malakasis said.
For example, Forbes recently listed Chattanooga as a rising tech and VC hub.