What The Biz Foundry does

The Biz Foundry is a nonprofit entrepreneur center and coworking hub headquartered in Cookeville, Tennessee, serving the Upper Cumberland region. Founded in 2013 with state and regional development support, it operates physical coworking and programming locations in Cookeville, McMinnville, and Sparta, targeting early-stage local entrepreneurs and small business owners. Its core offerings include free one-on-one business coaching, a "Start Up: Business Bootcamp" delivered in both a 4-week in-person/hybrid format and a 10-week online format, recurring community events such as the annual Made Here Market and the SBE Conference, and a women-focused community called Powered By Her. The organization also co-produces the "Cashin' The Check" podcast with the Tennessee Small Business Development Center and maintains a blog for ongoing small business content.

The business model is hybrid: coworking memberships and event venue rentals generate recurring facility revenue, the online bootcamp is sold at a $249 one-time price point, and a meaningful share of operating support comes from grants and corporate sponsorships (e.g., Eye Centers of Tennessee, Stonecom/LiteRock 95.9). The organization is small (1–10 employees) and heavily reliant on community partnerships and public/nonprofit funding channels rather than fee-for-service revenue. There is no proprietary technology platform; the value proposition is grounded in physical space, in-person coaching, community programming, and local brand presence.

Name

The Biz Foundry

Legal name

The Biz Foundry

Website

https://thebizfoundry.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Biz Foundry is a nonprofit entrepreneur center and coworking hub serving the Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee. It provides free business coaching, bootcamps, coworking space across three locations, and community events for early-stage local entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cookeville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Coworking Space Rentals: The Biz Foundry operates a physical coworking space offering hot desks, dedicated desks, private offices, conference rooms, and event space for rent. Revenue is generated through flexible membership tiers and hourly/daily meeting room rentals. The space includes fast Wi-Fi, quiet rooms, and communal areas with coffee.
2. Start Up: Business Bootcamp Programs: The organization offers a structured 4-week in-person/hybrid business bootcamp and a 10-week online version. The in-person/hybrid program appears to be free or low-cost as a nonprofit resource; the online self-paced version is priced at $249 per enrollment with limited seats, making it a one-time transaction revenue stream.
3. Non-Profit Funding & Grants: As a nonprofit organization established in 2013 with state support, The Biz Foundry's primary funding comes from grants, sponsorships, and donations. The organization was created by the state of Tennessee to support rural entrepreneurship in the Upper Cumberland region. Revenue supports free business coaching and subsidized programs for local entrepreneurs.
4. Event Venue Rental: The facility's event space is rented out for community events, meetings, and workshops. The Made Here Market event also generates vendor booth fees and attracts foot traffic that may convert to coworking memberships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Biz Foundry is a nonprofit entrepreneur center that delivers free business coaching, structured educational programs (notably the 4-week in-person and 10-week online Start Up: Business Bootcamp), and flexible coworking space across three Tennessee locations. It supports early-stage and existing small business owners in the Upper Cumberland region through workshops, networking events (Powered By Her, Founders Friday), and the annual Made Here Market vendor showcase.

Product overview

The Biz Foundry is a non-profit entrepreneur center and coworking space offering a portfolio of services to help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses in the Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee. The core offerings include free business coaching, the Start Up: Business Bootcamp program (available in-person and hybrid formats), flexible coworking spaces across three locations, workshops and programs, and community events like the annual Made Here Market and SBE Conference. Supporting resources include an educational blog and the Cashin' The Check podcast. All services are designed to provide accessible, affordable support to entrepreneurs at all stages of business development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Made Here Market: An annual artisan and maker market event celebrating Upper Cumberland creators and small businesses.
• Powered By Her

Products and services

• Business Coaching Free, ongoing one-on-one business coaching provided by experienced coaches offering expert advice on marketing, money, and business fundamentals for entrepreneurs at all stages. Accessed via a free Start HERE consultation.
• Start Up: Business Bootcamp A flexible 4-week in-person or hybrid program and a 10-week self-paced online version designed to help aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into sustainable businesses. Includes a 100+ page workbook, expert guest speakers (accounting, legal, insurance), one-on-one facilitator access, and a free coworking membership during the program. The online version is $249 per enrollment.
• Coworking Space Flexible coworking memberships offering hot desks, dedicated desks, private offices, conference rooms, event space, high-speed Wi-Fi, quiet rooms, and communal amenities with coffee across three Tennessee locations (Cookeville, McMinnville, Sparta).
• Premium Workshops and Programs Premium structured workshops and programs including the Start Here Pitch Competition and Eagleworks, providing networking opportunities and educational programming for entrepreneurs.
• Made Here Market Annual marketplace event celebrating Upper Cumberland makers, featuring 50+ local vendors across food, jewelry, home decor, art, photography, candles, ceramics, leather goods, and youth vendors. Includes food trucks and music artists.
• SBE Small Business & Entrepreneurial Conference Annual flagship conference bringing together entrepreneurs for learning and networking. Featuring notable entrepreneurship speakers (e.g., Liz Bohannon for 2026). Ticketed through iTickets.
• Event Venue Rental Rental of the event space at The Biz Foundry's Cookeville location for community events, meetings, and workshops organized by external organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple graduates have launched successful businesses (e.g., Illuminated Grain, Meg's Bread, Jamie's Eats & Sweets, Sobarity, Bloom Wellness) with ongoing support from The Biz Foundry coaching and alumni network.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Eye Centers of TennesseeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Sponsor of the 7th Annual Made Here Market event in 2026. Provides financial support for the event in exchange for brand visibility and community goodwill. Listed as a generous sponsor alongside Upper Cumberland Development District and Stonecom.
• Upper Cumberland Development DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Regional development organization that partners with The Biz Foundry to support economic development across the Upper Cumberland. Sponsors Made Here Market. Aligned with The Biz Foundry's mission to foster rural entrepreneurship in the region.
• Stonecom (LiteRock 95.9)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Local radio station (LiteRock 95.9) sponsoring the Made Here Market event. Provides marketing and promotional support for the annual event in exchange for brand association and community engagement.
• Powered By Her CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA women-focused networking initiative founded and led by Tiffany Anton, VP of The Biz Foundry. Monthly one-hour lunch-and-learn events bring together female founders and entrepreneurs in the Upper Cumberland region for peer support, connection, and education. Operated as a branded community program under The Biz Foundry's umbrella.
• Tennessee Small Business Development Center (SBDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer of the 'Cashin' The Check' podcast alongside The Biz Foundry. SBDC advisors participate as guest experts in Start Up: Business Bootcamp sessions covering accounting, legal, and insurance topics. The partnership provides credible expert content for entrepreneurs.
• Made Here Market Vendors (50+ local makers)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor50+ Upper Cumberland artisans, crafters, food producers, photographers, and makers rent vendor booths at the annual Made Here Market. The event provides market access and retail channels for local makers who otherwise lack physical storefronts. Categories include jewelry, home decor, food, candles, art, ceramics, leather goods, and youth vendors.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SCORE: The largest US nonprofit small-business mentoring network, offering free business coaching, mentoring, and educational resources nationwide — directly comparable to The Biz Foundry's model, but with substantially greater scale, brand recognition, and federal partnership backing.
• America's SBDC (Small Business Development Centers): National network of SBDCs providing free business consulting, training, and resources to entrepreneurs — The Biz Foundry's named partner TSBDC is part of this network, and the broader SBDC system is the most direct institutional peer in mission and delivery model.
• Bunker Labs: Nonprofit supporting veteran and military-spouse entrepreneurs through local chapter programs, workshops, and community events — comparable nonprofit mission, program delivery, and volunteer-led chapter model serving specific entrepreneur segments.
• EforAll: Nonprofit running entrepreneurship programs, pitch competitions, and accelerator cohorts in underserved small cities across the US — closely comparable hyperlocal entrepreneur development model with similar rural/community focus.
• Impact Hub: Global network of impact-focused entrepreneur hubs providing coworking, programming, and community to entrepreneurs — directly comparable as a mission-driven, multi-location entrepreneur center network, though with international scale.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global startup accelerator offering cohort-based programs, mentorship, and investor networks — broadly comparable as a structured accelerator program with mentorship and curriculum, though targeting higher-growth venture-track startups rather than rural main-street entrepreneurs.
• Industrious: Premium flexible workspace operator offering coworking, private offices, and meeting rooms to enterprise clients — broader incumbent in the coworking category that is comparable on the workspace offering but operates at vastly larger scale.
• WeWork: The dominant global coworking operator providing flexible office space, meeting rooms, and community — broad incumbent in the coworking half of The Biz Foundry's offering, though focused on dense urban markets rather than rural Tennessee.

Emerging players

• gener8tor: National startup accelerator and venture fund that has expanded into rural and mid-market geographies with programs like 'gBETA' — partial overlap with The Biz Foundry's bootcamp model but with a stronger investment/equity orientation.

Regional players

• The Venture Center: Northwest Arkansas-based entrepreneurship hub and accelerator offering similar business support, coworking, and accelerator programming — comparable model but operating in a different region with a stronger VC/tech orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BizFoundry
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/ThebizfoundryOrg
• Facebookfacebook.com/BizFoundry
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3031394
• Instagraminstagram.com/bizfoundry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 The Biz Foundry