Nashville Business Incubation Center

What Nashville Business Incubation Center does

Nashville Business Incubation Center (NBIC), legally Growth Enterprises Nashville, Inc., is a private nonprofit business incubation organization founded in 1986 and headquartered at 110 Glancy Street, Suite 107, Goodlettsville, Tennessee. The organization provides management and technical assistance to small businesses and entrepreneurs, structured as a portfolio of educational and mentorship programs spanning a four-stage growth arc: Foundations (a free 12-week virtual starter program delivered in partnership with Operation Hope), Groundwork (a six-month virtual business acceleration program with one-to-one coaching), Mighty Oak (the hallmark five-year incubation program requiring a minimum three-year commitment and geared to companies with at least $150,000 in revenue), and E-Myth. Specialty tracks include R.I.S.E.UP for female entrepreneurs (launched March 2023, targeting $1M-plus scale), MNAA Emerging Contractors and Mentor-Protégé programs (delivered in partnership with the Metro Nashville Airport Authority), and Framework. Programs are coordinated by Programs Coordinator Anne-Marie Tanner and supported by an Operations, Compliance & Technology Manager (Octavia Wilson-Simmons), Outreach Coordinator (Sierra Henley Ashburn), and a small 1-10 person staff under CEO Angela Crane-Jones.

NBIC does not sell a unified software product; the "technology" layer is human mentorship and coaching augmented by conventional SaaS (Zendesk, Looker, Salesforce). Its business model is nonprofit-funded: revenue is not disclosed, but inputs include a single disclosed $1,250,000 grant from the Truist Foundation (July 2022), corporate sponsorship tiers (Bronze/Silver/Gold/Platinum), individual donations via nbiconline.kindful.com, and partner-funded programs through Operation Hope and MNAA. The Biz Quiz online assessment is used as a free lead-generation tool that routes prospective founders to the appropriate program.

The organization is governed by a 2025 Board of Directors drawing representatives from United Capital Funding (Board Chair), Republic Bank (Vice Chairman/Treasurer), Truist, UBS, Schneider Electric, Lyft, Layton Construction, Atiba, Veritiv, Martin Group, Appalachian Management Systems, and View Park, with CEO Angela Crane-Jones serving as Board Secretary. NBIC states intent to "close the wealth gap across the country" through virtual program delivery, suggesting a national rather than purely Nashville-focused addressable market.

Name

Nashville Business Incubation Center

Legal name

Growth Enterprises Nashville, Inc.

Website

https://nbiconline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Nashville Business Incubation Center (NBIC), founded in 1986 and legally Growth Enterprises Nashville, Inc., is a Tennessee-based nonprofit that delivers business incubation programs, mentorship, and coaching to small-business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs across Foundations, Groundwork, Mighty Oak, R.I.S.E.UP, MNAA, E-Myth, and Framework tracks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Incubation Services

NAICS

Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Business incubation services
• Entrepreneur mentorship programs
• Small business development
• Business acceleration programs
• Small business education

Headquarters

HQ city

Goodlettsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Core offering

Nashville Business Incubation Center (NBIC), operating under Growth Enterprises Nashville, Inc., delivers a staged curriculum of business incubation programs for aspiring entrepreneurs and existing small business owners. Offerings include the Foundations (12-week program for aspiring owners), Groundwork, Mighty Oak (for businesses 2+ years old), E-Myth, R.I.S.E.UP (female entrepreneur cohort), MNAA (government contract-readiness), and Framework programs. Services are delivered via cohort-based learning with structured mentorship and coaching.

Product overview

NBIC is a nonprofit business incubation organization (operating since 1986 as Growth Enterprises Nashville, Inc.) that delivers a portfolio of educational programs and mentorship services rather than a single unified software product. Its core offering consists of four-stage incubation programs — Foundations (12-week starter program with Operation Hope), Groundwork (6-month virtual business acceleration), Mighty Oak (its hallmark 5-year incubation program), and E-Myth — together with specialty tracks such as the female-entrepreneur-focused R.I.S.E. UP, the MNAA Emerging Contractors and Mentor Protégé programs, and the Framework program, all coordinated by Programs Coordinator Anne-Marie Tanner. Layered on top is a continuous mentorship and one-to-one coaching service that supports entrepreneurs across each program, plus the Biz Quiz, an online assessment tool that routes prospective founders to the appropriate program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Foundations: Virtual 12-week program offered in partnership with Operation Hope, designed to expose new and aspiring entrepreneurs to basic business principles and develop a business plan.
• Groundwork
• Mighty Oak
• R.I.S.E. UP
• MNAA
• E-Myth
• Framework

Products and services

• Foundations Program
• Groundwork Program
• Mighty Oak Program
• E-Myth Program
• R.I.S.E.UP Program
• MNAA Programs
• NBIC Mentorship & Coaching

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SCORE: National nonprofit that pairs volunteer mentors with small-business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs, offering free mentoring and educational programs. Directly comparable to NBIC in mission, delivery model (mentorship + cohort-style workshops), and nonprofit funding structure.
• Operation HOPE: National nonprofit providing financial literacy, business coaching, and entrepreneurship programs to underserved communities. NBIC is already a delivery partner with Operation Hope for the Foundations program, indicating direct operational alignment and overlapping beneficiary populations.
• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses: Cohort-based business education and acceleration program for small-business owners, often delivered through partner community colleges. Directly comparable to NBIC's Groundwork and Mighty Oak programs in cohort structure, curriculum focus (operations, finance, marketing), and target audience of growth-stage entrepreneurs.
• EforAll (Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation affiliate network): Nonprofit running free business accelerator programs and pitch contests for local entrepreneurs, with strong mentorship and community components. Directly comparable to NBIC's Foundations and Groundwork programs in target audience (aspiring and early-stage founders), cohort structure, and free/accessible delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) - SBDC Program: Federally funded Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) provide free counseling, training, and incubation-like support nationwide. Comparable as a public-sector incumbent offering subsidized small-business advisory services that competes with NBIC's programs in the same beneficiary markets.
• Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Centers: Federal network of business centers providing technical assistance, contracting support, and capital access to minority-owned businesses. Comparable to NBIC's minority-, women-, and veteran-focused programs (R.I.S.E. UP, MNAA Emerging Contractors) in mission and target population.
• Techstars: Global accelerator and incubator network running cohort-based programs for startups and small businesses, with mentor-driven models. Comparable to NBIC's Mighty Oak incubation arc and Groundwork acceleration program in cohort mentorship structure, though focused on higher-growth ventures.
• Ashoka: Global nonprofit supporting social entrepreneurs through fellowships, programs, and ecosystem partnerships. Comparable to NBIC in nonprofit incubation model, mission-driven program design, and reliance on a network of mentors and corporate partners.

Emerging players

• Bunker Labs: Nonprofit supporting veteran and military-spouse entrepreneurs through education, networking, and access to capital. Comparable to NBIC's veteran-focused community and capacity-building work and to specialty programs such as R.I.S.E. UP in serving under-represented founders.
• Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) - Women's Business Enterprise National Council: Advocacy and education organizations supporting women-owned businesses through policy, training, and certification. Comparable to NBIC's R.I.S.E. UP program in its focus on scaling female entrepreneurs toward $1M+ revenue.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NBIConline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nashville-business-incubation-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/nbicgrowthhub
• Xx.com/mynbic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nashville Business Incubation Center