TheCO

What TheCO does

TheCO is a regional innovation hub founded in 2014 and headquartered at 541 Wiley Parker Road in Jackson, Tennessee. It organizes its work around three pillars — Entrepreneur Support, Community Development, and Emerging Technology — and functions as West Tennessee's anchor node in Launch Tennessee's statewide network of entrepreneur centers. The organization serves aspiring and existing entrepreneurs, food and beverage startups, Black-owned businesses, and K-12 students, with named programs including CO.STARTERS (a nine-week lean-startup curriculum), ScaleUp Kitchen (a food entrepreneur accelerator powered by Ford Philanthropy), Soul Collective (Black business incubator), Dev Catalyst (student coding competition program), and CO:bots (a VEX Robotics club that has produced multiple World Championship qualifiers).

The physical platform consists of open coworking space, private phone booths, meeting booths, conference rooms, a media room with backdrops and studio lighting, and a makerspace equipped with 90-watt and 45-watt laser cutters/etchers, a 4x8 CNC router, a Carvey tabletop CNC router, FlashForge Creator Pro 3D printers, soldering tools, and an oscilloscope. Adjacent facilities include Jaxon Station in Jackson's historic train depot (home to Soul Collective tenants) and theLOCAL, a micro-retail incubator in Downtown Jackson managed with the Jackson Downtown Development Corp. Operational outposts also span Brownsville, Selmer, Parsons, and Bolivar for ScaleUp Kitchen workshops.

Revenue mechanics combine CO:membership subscriptions for workspace access, hourly conference room rentals ($25-$50/hour for The Murray and The Roger), daily event space rental ($350-$500 for 2,000 sq ft), and program fees. A large share of high-visibility programming — including ScaleUp Kitchen, Spark, Make It Happen Monday, and most workshops — is delivered free to participants, indicating the underlying economics rely materially on philanthropic, state, and corporate grant funding (Ford Philanthropy, Jackson Energy Authority, Launch Tennessee) rather than fee-for-service alone. CEO Lisa Garner leads a 51-100-person organization.

Name

TheCO

Legal name

theCO

Website

https://attheco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

TheCO is a Jackson, Tennessee-based regional innovation hub founded in 2014 that delivers coworking, makerspace access, and entrepreneur support programs — including CO.STARTERS, ScaleUp Kitchen, Dev Catalyst, and Soul Collective — to founders, food startups, Black-owned businesses, and K-12 students across West Tennessee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneur Support and Coworking Services

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

Keywords

• Coworking space
• Entrepreneurship programs
• Makerspace fabrication
• Small business support
• Youth technology education

Headquarters

HQ city

Jackson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. CO:Membership: Monthly membership plans providing access to open coworking space, private phone booths, meeting booths, conference rooms, media room, makerspace access, and community amenities including bottomless coffee.
2. Meeting Room Rental: Hourly rental of conference rooms (The Roger $50/hour seats 12, The Murray $25/hour seats 6) with whiteboard walls and AV equipment.
3. Event Space Rental: 2000 sq ft event space available for professional gatherings. Rate is $500 for a full day or $350 for a half day event.
4. Program Fees: Various entrepreneurship programs including CO.STARTERS, ScaleUp Kitchen (free to participants), and workshops generate revenue through participant fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TheCO is a regional innovation hub in Jackson, Tennessee that provides coworking space, a makerspace with prototyping tools, structured entrepreneur education programs (including a 9-week CO.STARTERS curriculum), a food-entrepreneur accelerator (ScaleUp Kitchen), youth coding and robotics education, and community networking events. It also operates ancillary retail and event-space rentals as well as sub-brand programs such as Soul Collective and theLOCAL micro-retail incubator.

Product overview

TheCO is a regional innovation hub in Jackson, TN offering a portfolio of entrepreneur support, community development, and emerging technology programs. The core offerings center on physical coworking space (CO:working/CO:membership) with access to meeting rooms, a makerspace, and community amenities. Business development programs include CO.STARTERS (9-week entrepreneurship program), ScaleUp Kitchen (food entrepreneur accelerator powered by Ford Philanthropy), and Soul Collective (Black business incubator). The organization also runs youth technology education through Dev Catalyst (web coding and robotics for high schoolers) and CO:bots (VEX Robotics club). Community-facing programs include Spark (quarterly networking events), Make It Happen Monday, Work Here Wednesday, Pitch Night, Capital Conversations, and theLOCAL micro-retail space. Meeting and event spaces are available for rent, and the makerspace provides access to laser cutters, CNC routers, 3D printers, and other fabrication tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Soul Collective: A program of theCO focused on elevating Black businesses through unity in commerce, education, and social entertainment.
• CO.STARTERS
• ScaleUp Kitchen
• Dev Catalyst
• CO:bots
• Our Jackson Home
• theLOCAL
• Spark

Products and services

• CO:membership (Coworking Membership) Monthly membership providing access to open coworking space, private phone booths, meeting booths, conference rooms, media room, makerspace, bottomless coffee, patios, and community of entrepreneurs. Includes 4 free hours of meeting space monthly. Targeted at entrepreneurs, remote workers, and small business operators.
• Meeting and Event Space Rental Hourly and per-event rental of conference rooms (The Roger seats 10-12 at $50/hour, The Murray seats 6 at $25/hour) and a 2,000 sq ft event space ($350 half day / $500 full day). Available to both members and non-members.
• CO.STARTERS A nine-week program that equips aspiring entrepreneurs with the insights, relationships, and tools needed to turn business ideas into action using lean business model methods, culminating in Pitch Night.
• ScaleUp Kitchen Business development program supporting food entrepreneurs across Fayette, Hardeman, Haywood, Madison, and Tipton counties. Includes 3-day accelerator, consulting, showcase, and pitch competition with prizes. Free to participants and powered by Ford Philanthropy.
• Soul Collective A program of theCO focused on elevating Black businesses through unity in commerce, education, and social entertainment. Housed at Jaxon Station, Jackson's historic train depot.
• Makerspace Access Workshop space providing access to fabrication and prototyping tools including 90-watt and 45-watt laser cutters/etchers, a CNC router (4'x8' bed), Carvey tabletop CNC router, FlashForge Creator Pro 3D printers, table saw, miter saw, power tools, band saw, soldering tools, and oscilloscope.
• Dev Catalyst Student program teaching web coding, robotics, and technology skills to high school students across West Tennessee. Includes competition categories in web development and data development; winners receive an annual tech tour of San Francisco. Nearly 800 students have participated across multiple categories.
• CO:bots VEX Robotics club meetup for middle and high school students, meeting weekly on Thursdays. Has produced multiple world championship qualifiers and was crowned World Robotics Champions in 2024.
• theLOCAL Micro-Retail Incubator Low-risk, low-overhead micro-retail space in Downtown Jackson incubating retail and restaurant concepts for early-stage entrepreneurs. Managed by Jackson Downtown Development Corporation (JDDC).

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EpicentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2024Epicenter co-hosts ScaleUp Kitchen program with theCO, serving food entrepreneurs across multiple counties in West Tennessee.
• Launch TennesseecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnertheCO is part of Launch Tennessee's statewide network of entrepreneur centers, providing connection to statewide resources and programming for entrepreneurs in West Tennessee.
• Soul CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoul Collective is a program of theCO focused on elevating Black businesses through unity in commerce, education, and social entertainment. Located at Jaxon Station.
• Our Jackson HomeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOur Jackson Home is a community publication and program that celebrates people and stories of Jackson. theCO staffs Jackson Downtown Development and partners on public art programs.
• Jackson Energy Authority (JEA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJEA provides free internet at theCO facility, enabling entrepreneurs to work with fast and reliable wifi. JEA also sponsors Hub City Innovation Cup hackathon competition.
• CSforAll ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDev Catalyst program of theCO became a member of CSforAll Consortium alongside big tech companies like Google, Dell, Facebook, and Teach For America to promote computer science accessibility.
• VEX RoboticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCO:bots robotics club is hosted in partnership with VEX Robotics, providing competitive robotics opportunities for middle and high school students.
• Jackson Downtown Development (JDDC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnertheCO staffs Jackson Downtown Development and helps further their mission to enhance quality of life and economic prospects in downtown Jackson. JDDC manages theLOCAL micro-retail space.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Galvanize: National operator of coworking and tech education campuses blending community-led programming, coding bootcamps, and entrepreneur support. Highly comparable to theCO's combination of physical workspace and structured learning, though at far greater scale and in major metros.
• Industrious: National premium flexible workspace provider offering coworking, private offices, and meeting/event space rentals. Comparable on workspace monetization (rooms, event space, memberships) though it does not run entrepreneur education programs.
• WeWork: Largest global coworking and flexible office operator offering memberships, meeting rooms, and event space. Comparable on the workspace and event-rental product set, though at far larger scale and without the nonprofit/community programming overlay.
• Techstars: Global accelerator network running structured programs, mentorship, and investor connections for early-stage founders. Comparable on accelerator programming and founder pipeline, though Techstars is investor-backed and equity-taking versus theCO's grant-supported model.

Direct peers

• 1871: Chicago-based nonprofit technology hub providing coworking, mentorship, programming, and community events to entrepreneurs and startups. Closest analog to theCO's mission-driven hub model, with multi-program intake funnels and event-driven engagement.
• Knoxville Entrepreneur Center (KEC): Tennessee-based Launch Tennessee network member providing entrepreneur programming, workspace, and mentorship. Directly comparable to theCO as a peer in the same statewide entrepreneur center ecosystem.
• Company Lab (CO.LAB): Chattanooga-based entrepreneur support organization and Launch Tennessee network member offering accelerator programs, coworking, and community events. Direct peer within the same statewide hub network serving Tennessee founders.
• The Venture Center: Little Rock, AR-based innovation hub running accelerators, coworking, and corporate-startup programs. Comparable regional model blending structured entrepreneur programming with workspace and event space.

Emerging players

• TechPlace: Northeast Louisiana innovation hub providing coworking, makerspace access, and entrepreneur programming. Comparable as a smaller-market rural/secondary-city innovation hub with similar space-plus-programming model.
• CO.STARTERS: Headquartered organization behind the 9-week lean startup curriculum that theCO runs locally. Directly comparable as the curriculum licensor; a partner and programmatic affiliate of theCO's offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/attheCO
• Facebookfacebook.com/AtTheCO

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 TheCO