This document outlines Sheldon Grizzle's experience starting businesses and helping to build the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Chattanooga, Tennessee between 2008-2014. It discusses how he co-founded CreateHere in 2008 to attract, retain, and help creative entrepreneurs grow their businesses. This led to programs that sparked creative enterprise, funded and co-located high-growth startups, and lowered barriers to entry. It also highlights the growth of investment in Chattanooga from less than $3 million annually in early stage funding in 2010 to over $15 million in 2014. Lessons learned include starting with creative entrepreneurs, prioritizing programs over space, investing in people not ideas, and growing a diverse entrepreneurial community.

1. Call it a comeback
Spartan
Ventures
@sheldongrizzle

2. Welcome to CHA

3. 2010
2014

4. SHELDON GRIZZLE*

5. SHELDON GRIZZLE*
• Born and raised in South Florida
• Father was an entrepreneur
• Studied psychology at Covenant College
• Started my first business at 25 in CHA

6. SHELDON GRIZZLE*

7. SHELDON GRIZZLE*
*Failure

8. Fundraising in CHA in 2008
• “What’s a startup?”
• “Why are you doing this online?”
• “Good for you!”
• “This will be a great experience.”

9. I like to (help) start things:
2009 2011
2010
Spartan
Ventures
2013 2013
TM
2009
2012

10. Who are you?
?

11. The city

13. Entrepreneurial Roots

15. “Dirtiest city in America.”
– Walter Cronkite, 1969

17. Visioning + public/private partnerships

18. First signs of life

19. Waterfront

21. 2008

22. CreateHere's mission was to engage
Chattanoogans to express their ideas,
organize around common purposes, and take
action in order to make Chattanooga
the most dynamic, creative and
entrepreneurial city in the world.

23. CreateHere had three initial programs
focused on building the sustainability
of the creative community:
Attract Retain Grow

24. I began to focus on helping creative
entrepreneurs grow their craft into a
real business that could sustain their
livelihood.
Grow

26. Spark creative
enterprise
This program is what created the initial
momentum that allowed us to begin
building the entrepreneurial ecosystem in
Chattanooga because now we a
community of entrepreneurs.

27. 2009
Inbound requests from aspiring high-growth
founders to help connect them to mentorship
and capital.

28. Spark creative
enterprise
Fund and
colocate high-growth
startups

29. Lease subsidies
Up to $150,000 in forgivable
loans
Diverse Advisory Board brought
together by one goal

30. Spark creative
enterprise
Fund and
colocate
growth startups
Lower barriers to
entry for the high
potential and the
curious

33. 2010
“We are innovating, now what?”

34. “Let’s start something!”
– Me and Enoch Elwell, 2010

37. 2011

38. 2011

39. We have fiber, now what?

40. 2012

42. 2013

43. 2013

44. What does all this mean?

45. 2010
2014

46. 2010
Less than $3MM per year
in angel/VC investments
2014
More than $15MM per year

47. Talent

48. Street Cred

49. Confidence

50. New talent
+
New capital
+
New ideas
=
New, More & Better
Opportunities

51. Lessons Learned

52. 1
Have a big vision
They may laugh at you, but
demonstrate you’re serious through
action

53. 2
Identify a champion
It may not be who you think :)

54. 3
Start with creative
entrepreneurs
They are the lifeblood of communities

55. 4
Programs over space
It’s always about people first.

56. 5
Invest in people, not in ideas
Build relationships.

57. 6
Collaboration is key
It wouldn’t have worked if we
cared who got credit for what

58. 7
Leverage your unique assets
Every city is has something

59. 8
Identify financial partners
who love your city
…and can stomach the risk of failure

60. 9
Grow a forest, not just a tree
Sow a lot of seeds, have a sense of
urgency, but also balance with
patience

61. Sheldon Grizzle
sheldon@spartanventures.co
@sheldongrizzle