Monday, April 20, 2026

Apr 20
Renaissance Nashville Hotel 611 Commerce St Nashville, TN 37203-3742
Welcome To Day 1
Presentations

Regional VC Panel Session: How Regional Funds are Rewriting the Southeast Startup Story

April 20, 2026 8:10–9:00 AM
Broadway 1-2
Session Type
Regional VC Panel Session
Holland & Knight

Join leading venture capitalists as they discuss the evolving startup landscape in the Southeast. Learn how regional funds are driving innovation, supporting emerging companies, and reshaping the path to growth for local startups.

Showcase: Ecoatex

April 20, 2026 9:05–9:23 AM
SoBro

Ecoatex transforms agricultural and marine byproducts—such as nutshells, crop residues, and seaweed—into advanced cellulose-based materials using a patent-pending green-chemistry process.

The platform produces engineered cellulose materials, coating formulations, and specialty cellulose intermediates for packaging, coated materials, nonwovens, and other industrial applications.

By converting waste biomass into fully biodegradable, renewable materials that eliminate toxic chemicals and reduce water, energy, and carbon footprints, Ecoatex enables scalable, circular manufacturing using existing manufacturing equipment, helping manufacturers lower material costs, reduce reliance on fossil-based inputs, and adopt lower-impact alternatives without major process changes.

Showcase: Annoviant, Inc.

April 20, 2026 9:25–9:43 AM
Broadway 3
Sectors
Session Type

Annoviant is advancing patient outcomes in heart disease by delivering innovative, regenerative cardiovascular devices built on its proprietary TxGuard™ soft-tissue technology.

The platform enables durable, off-the-shelf solutions that address critical unmet needs in heart valve disease and coronary artery bypass grafting—helping patients live healthier lives while reducing long-term healthcare costs.

Showcase: Avast Therapeutics

April 20, 2026 9:45–10:03 AM
Broadway 3
Sectors
Session Type

Avast Therapeutics is developing first-in-class, non-invasive peptide therapeutics that safely cross the blood-brain barrier to restore mitochondrial function and protect neurons.

This breakthrough approach targets neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s at their earliest stages, with the potential to halt disease progression and transform brain medicine.

Showcase: Clarus Labs

April 20, 2026 9:45–10:03 AM
SoBro

Clarus Labs builds a portable kinetic-fluorogenic platform that delivers on-site, lab-grade oxidation (rancidity) testing for meat and pet food in under 10 minutes.

This enables manufacturers to verify freshness, optimize antioxidant dosing, and reduce waste—while creating a scalable platform for future tests in food, environmental, and diagnostic applications.

Showcase: Coulomb Technology

April 20, 2026 10:05–10:23 AM
SoBro

Coulomb Technology is pioneering next-generation sodium-ion batteries that are fire-safe, durable, and environmentally sustainable.

By moving beyond lithium, we reduce dependence on critical foreign minerals and promote domestic manufacturing to strengthen U.S. energy security.

Our innovative battery technology delivers reliable, cost-effective, and eco-friendly power solutions for renewable energy integration, electric mobility, and defense—supporting a cleaner, safer, and more self-reliant energy future.

Showcase: Nhu Energy

April 20, 2026 11:30–11:48 AM
SoBro

Nhu Energy provides innovative digital operating technology that transforms distributed energy resources into resilient energy storage microgrids.

These microgrids deliver year-round ROI, clean energy, and reliable uninterrupted power for mission-critical commercial-industrial, utility, and defense facilities.

Solutions are de-risked upfront with state-of-the-art hardware-in-the-loop simulation testing and supported over the asset’s life through trademarked Operating Technology as a Service (OTaaS®).

Keynote Presentation: From Startup to Success - The IonQ Story ft. Christopher Monroe, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor, IonQ

April 20, 2026 12:30–1:45 PM
Session Type
Keynote Presentation: From Startup to Success

Join Christopher Monroe, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor of IonQ, as he shares the journey of building one of the world’s leading quantum computing companies.

Showcase: TNT Eco Materials Company

April 20, 2026 1:45–2:03 PM
SoBro

TNT Eco Materials has developed Fiber Grow™, a patented calcium-carbonate mineralization process that transforms renewable hemp, seaweed, and polymer fibers into high-performance, sustainable materials.

Fiber Grow™ strengthens and enhances the thermal efficiency of concrete while providing lightweight, fire-resistant alternatives for drywall, insulation, and composite panels.

Showcase: Neurodiverse Technologies Inc.

April 20, 2026 2:05–2:23 PM
Broadway 3
Sectors
Session Type

Neurodiverse Technologies develops adaptive, research-driven simulation platforms that empower neurodivergent individuals to build real-world readiness and confidence.

Our products—including SANDI for driver readiness and NAVIS for interview and employment preparation—combine neuroscience, virtual reality, and machine learning to create accessible, data-informed training environments.

As a Vanderbilt University spin-off, we bridge academic innovation and real-world impact, helping individuals gain independence while enabling institutions to deliver evidence-based readiness programs at scale.

Showcase: InTailor Bariatrics, LLC

April 20, 2026 2:45–3:03 PM
SoBro
Sectors
Session Type

InTailor Bariatrics has developed a non-surgical, non-pharmacological weight-loss technology that reduces stomach volume using an easy-to-operate endoscopic device.

The automated endoscopic gastroplasty delivers consistent, reproducible results in a 15-minute procedure, enabling durable weight loss through caloric restriction without anatomic disruption.

 

Showcase: Plaid Semiconductors

April 20, 2026 3:05–3:23 PM
Broadway 3

Plaid Semiconductors is building a next-generation hardware platform that fits the computing power of an entire data center rack onto a single substrate.

This breakthrough delivers unprecedented performance in compute density, bandwidth, and energy efficiency—far beyond today’s semiconductor technologies.