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Tech Topics In This Article: rural startups, Johnson City startups, bootcamps
Last fall, Hypepotamus traveled to Johnson City, Tennessee to check out what was going on in Eastern Tennessee’s startup scene during the Startup Mountain Summit. And simply put, there was a lot to explore.
While Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, and Raleigh have a large concentration of technology-focused startups, Johnson City (population just shy of 75,000) has been attracting and growing local talent, ultimately creating its own brand of entrepreneurship and an ecosystem that boasts over 90 high-growth startups.
Behind that growth is organizations like FoundersForge, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Appalachian entrepreneurs.
Now, FoundersForge wants to help founders from any city get access to the business essentials they need to grow and scale their ideas.
The FoundersForge team just launched Avante, a six-week business bootcamp designed to equip founders with the skills, resources, and network they need to turn ideas into successful businesses. Throughout the weeks, founders will dive into what it takes to validate a concept, understand customers, create a business plan, prepare a pitch, and ultimately the essentials of finance and marketing.
As a “community-driven accelerator,” Avante is specifically looking to work with founders in emerging, rural areas and ultimately “to strengthen rural ecosystems through entrepreneurship and help founders build successful businesses right in their communities,” said Executive Director David Nelson. The program is designed to “not just be another Slack channel,” Nelson told Hypepotamus, but rather a hands-on, immersive experience that connects founders with real-world expertise and a supportive network to help them grow.
That is particularly important as more people than ever are looking to start their own businesses in 2025. Yet rural founders often lack the funding, mentorship, and resources available in big cities. Avante is changing that by giving entrepreneurs the tools to build and scale right in their own communities.
Avante is also rolling out an AI Marketing Tool to help its founders grow their visibility without the need for a full marketing team.
The first Avante Bootcamp will launch on April 21st in partnership with the Johnson City Chamber. Applications are open now. Other cities across the country interested in partnering with Avante to bring bootcamps to their communities can learn more here.
