Tennessee's startup ecosystem shows considerable breadth, with strong entries in healthcare, financial technology, and logistics. The state's capital, Nashville, serves as the primary center for this activity, attracting significant venture funding.
Companies like FinTech firm Rain, with $557.6 million in funding, and oncology care manager Thyme Care highlight the scale of investment in the area. The group of top startups also includes a variety of other businesses, from whiskey distiller Uncle Nearest to fusion power developer Type One Energy.
Below is our list of 20 Tennessee startups worth keeping an eye on.
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Get the Sheet for $50Rain offers a financial wellness benefit that gives employees on-demand access to their earned wages. The platform helps workers improve their financial stability by bridging the gap between paychecks.
| Year Founded | 2019 |
| Founders | Alex Bradford, Jennifer Terrell |
| Funding Amount | $557.6M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | Tribe Capital, QED Investors, Sound Point Capital Management, WndrCo, VentureSouq |
Thyme Care provides tech-enabled navigation and support for cancer patients, guiding them from diagnosis through treatment. They partner with health plans and oncologists to deliver a value-based care model that improves the patient experience and health outcomes.
| Year Founded | 2020 |
| Founders | Bobby Green, Robin Shah |
| Funding Amount | $274M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series D |
| Top Investors | Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, Town Hall Ventures, Foresite Capital, AlleyCorp |
Imagine Pediatrics built a virtual care service that gives 24/7 medical support to children with complex health conditions. The platform connects families with pediatric specialists to help manage care from home and reduce unnecessary hospital visits.
| Year Founded | 2022 |
| Founders | Alison Curfman, Meghan Haycraft, Taylor Beery, Zeena Johar |
| Funding Amount | $104.6M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | Oak HC/FT, Optum Ventures, Autism Impact Fund, Rubicon Founders |
GoodShip builds a freight orchestration platform that gives shippers the tools to manage and optimize their transportation networks. Their software helps companies streamline everything from contracts to carrier performance analytics, reducing overall complexity in their logistics operations.
| Year Founded | 2022 |
| Founders | David Tsai, Ryan Soskin |
| Funding Amount | $40.4M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | Bessemer Venture Partners, Greenfield Partners, Flexport, Innovation Endeavors, FUSE |
Elysian offers an AI-native Third-Party Administrator for handling commercial insurance claims and overseeing portfolios. Their platform uses generative AI to automate and bring deeper insight into complex insurance cases.
| Year Founded | 2024 |
| Founders | Dinyar Mistry, Grace Hanson, Kashif Razzaqui |
| Funding Amount | $9M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Seed |
| Top Investors | Portage Ventures, American Family Ventures, TenOneTen Ventures |
Uncle Nearest crafts premium Tennessee whiskey, reviving the legacy of the first known African-American master distiller, Nearest Green. Their spirits have earned numerous accolades, making the company one of the most awarded and fastest growing American whiskey brands.
| Year Founded | 2016 |
| Founders | Fawn Weaver |
| Funding Amount | $225M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Strand Equity Partners, Fisher Capital Investments, Still Capital Partners, Craig Leipold, Steve Mosko |
Phosphorus Cybersecurity builds a unified security management platform for discovering and securing all of an organization's connected devices, from IoT sensors to medical equipment. This allows security teams to automate the discovery, risk assessment, and remediation for every device, significantly reducing the attack surface of previously unmanaged assets.
| Year Founded | 2017 |
| Founders | Chris Rouland, Earle Ady, Rebecca I. Rouland |
| Funding Amount | $70M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Neva SGR, MassMutual Ventures, SYN Ventures, Evolution Equity Partners, Atypical Ventures |
Cloud Range provides live-fire cyber attack simulations to help security professionals sharpen their defensive skills. They offer both onsite and virtual training on hosted cyber range platforms, preparing teams for complex security incidents.
| Year Founded | 2018 |
| Founders | Debbie Gordon, Glenn Ewing |
| Funding Amount | $6.2M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Undisclosed |
| Top Investors | Circadian Ventures, Tech Square Ventures |
Type One Energy is commercializing stellarator technology to build practical fusion power plants. Their work is focused on creating a reliable and affordable source of clean energy to power the world.
| Year Founded | 2019 |
| Founders | Brian Matthews, Chris Hegna, David Anderson, John Canik, Randall Volberg |
| Funding Amount | $82.5M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Seed |
| Top Investors | TDK Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, WeaveGrid, Terabase Energy, US Department of Energy |
Marigold offers a portfolio of marketing technology solutions focused on building long-term customer relationships. Their platform brings together established tools like Campaign Monitor and Sailthru to help marketers create personalized experiences.
| Year Founded | 2017 |
| Founders | — |
| Funding Amount | $410M |
| Startup Size | Major Organization (1,001-5,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Private Equity |
| Top Investors | — |
10 Additional Tennessee Startups Worth Following
Our top ten picks offer a small window into the work happening across Tennessee. Founders are tackling big problems in everything from healthcare to energy, raising billions of dollars along the way.
Many other companies are also making a significant impact, from recent launches to more established names. Here is a look at the other startups shaping Tennessee's growing tech scene.
