cityCURRENT

What cityCURRENT does

cityCURRENT is a community engagement organization that connects businesses with their local communities through events, media, and philanthropy programs. Founded in 2005 and operating as the charitable arm of Higginbotham Insurance and Financial Services, the organization is anchored in Memphis (Mid-South) since 2005, expanded into Nashville (Middle Tennessee) in 2018, and added Fort Worth, Texas in 2023. A small core team of approximately five to seven people produces more than 300 events annually, including a Signature Speaker Series, workshops, executive lunches, social mixers, and nonprofit tours, alongside a multi-platform media operation spanning television, radio, podcast, newsletter, and published books.

The product surface is organized into three integrated lines: cityCURRENT Events (300+ annual events), cityCURRENT Media (The SPARK TV show on PBS and MeTV, ChangeMakers Podcast, beCURRENT newsletter with 30,000+ subscribers, radio across 9 Cumulus Media stations reaching 600,000+ listeners, and published books), and cityCURRENT Philanthropy (turnkey volunteer initiatives, financial support for nonprofits, and community service programs). GROWTHcurrent is a complementary eLearning platform offering 150+ learning modules at $8 per month or $96 per year, designed to extend the organization's reach globally beyond its regional markets. AI tooling (ChatGPT and Claude) is used for content drafting, research, and multi-platform distribution.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: exclusive corporate partnership dues structured by industry and geography, individual subscriptions to GROWTHcurrent, and select event-based fees. Named corporate partners include FedEx, AutoZone, International Paper, Smith+Nephew, Baptist Memorial Health Care, Delta Dental of Tennessee, and Cumulus Media. As a privately funded community catalyst with no disclosed external institutional investors or venture backing, cityCURRENT operates as a purpose-driven organization whose financial profile is not transparent in public materials.

Name

cityCURRENT

Legal name

cityCURRENT

Website

https://citycurrent.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

cityCURRENT is a privately funded community engagement organization that connects businesses with community through 300+ annual events, multi-platform media (TV, radio, podcast, newsletter), and philanthropy programs across Memphis, Nashville, and Fort Worth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Partnership Dues: Corporate partners pay annual dues that fund events and philanthropic efforts. Each corporate partner is exclusive to their industry and geographic market.
2. GROWTHcurrent Subscriptions: Individual subscribers access virtual events, speaker archives, learning modules, and more for $8/month or $96/year
3. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from signature speaker series and other events, with some events complimentary to attend while others may have registration fees

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

cityCURRENT is a privately funded business community organization that produces multi-format business media (a TV show, radio program, podcast, and newsletter) and operates the GROWTHcurrent eLearning video education platform (priced at $8 per month or $96 per year). It also convenes more than 300 live business events per year across its markets, serving corporate partners and local business audiences in Memphis, Nashville, and Fort Worth.

Product overview

cityCURRENT is a community engagement platform operating as a single unified offering that combines events, media production, and philanthropy services to connect businesses with community. The core portfolio includes annual event programming (Signature Speaker Series, workshops, executive lunches, social mixers), media properties (TV shows, radio shows, podcasts, newsletters, books), and volunteer/philanthropy initiatives. GROWTHcurrent serves as a supplementary eLearning platform for subscriber-based professional development. The products work together to deliver cityCURRENT's mission of 'powering the GOOD' through purpose-driven community relationships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GROWTHcurrent: An eLearning platform for personal and professional growth offering virtual events, speaker archives, and learning modules.
• The SPARK
• The SPARK Awards
• ChangeMakers Podcast
• beCURRENT

Products and services

• GROWTHcurrent eLearning Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ events hosted annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Higginbotham Insurance and Financial ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company that powers cityCURRENT as its charitable arm and privately funded community catalyst. Provides corporate sponsorship and operational support. Headquarters powering cityCURRENT's operations.
• FedEx CorporationflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerWorld's largest express transportation company serving as corporate partner in Memphis market. Supports cityCURRENT events and initiatives.
• AutoZoneflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerAuto parts retailer serving as corporate partner in Memphis market. Exclusive industry partnership.
• International PaperflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerGlobal paper and packaging company serving as corporate partner. Supports community initiatives.
• Smith+NephewflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerGlobal medical technology company serving as corporate partner. Exclusive industry partnership.
• Cumulus MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRadio broadcasting partner with 9 stations airing cityCURRENT shows, reaching 600,000+ listeners. Major media distribution channel.
• WKNO-TV / PBScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic broadcasting partner airing The SPARK TV show and other cityCURRENT programming.
• Delta Dental of TennesseeflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerDental insurance provider and Signature Speaker Series sponsor. Hosts events like Signature Breakfast featuring Scott Hamilton.
• Baptist Memorial Health CarecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor healthcare system serving as corporate partner supporting community health initiatives.
• MeTVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBroadcast partner for cityCURRENT Show on MeTV network.
• Titans Radio / Cumulus MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTennessee Titans radio broadcast partner for Nashville events including Lunch & Learn Tours.
• GROWTHcurrentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnereLearning platform under cityCURRENT umbrella offering professional development modules. Individual subscription model extending cityCURRENT's reach globally.
• The SPARK AwardsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual awards program recognizing community impact. Nominations open for SPARK Awards 2026.
• FedEx St. Jude ChampionshipcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPGA Tour event partnership connecting cityCURRENT with sports and charity audience.
• Volunteer OdysseycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer organization partner for nonprofit tours and community engagement events in Memphis.
• Arts in the AirportflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual visual arts competition and exhibition at Memphis International Airport featuring high school student artwork celebrating the city.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• VolunteerMatch: Online platform connecting volunteers with nonprofit opportunities, offering corporate volunteer programs and impact reporting. Comparable to cityCURRENT's nonprofit tour, volunteer day, and board placement offerings that funnel corporate partner employees into community service.
• BoardSource: National nonprofit focused on nonprofit governance and board leadership development, including board placement services. Comparable to cityCURRENT's board placement and nonprofit capacity-building offerings for corporate partner employees and community leaders.
• Points of Light: Global nonprofit focused on volunteer engagement and civic mobilization, working with corporations, nonprofits, and individuals. Closely comparable to cityCURRENT's model of pairing corporate partnerships with turnkey volunteer and community engagement programming across multiple US markets.

Emerging players

• Givebutter: Modern fundraising platform for nonprofits with events, auctions, donations, and ticketing functionality. Comparable as a tech-enabled nonprofit/community fundraising adjacent player, though more transactional and less community-led than cityCURRENT.
• Network for Good: Software and fundraising platform serving nonprofits and donors with donation processing, CRM, and corporate giving tools. Comparable to cityCURRENT's philanthropic enablement arm that supports nonprofits with funding, visibility, and donor/corporate connections.

Broad incumbents

• TED: Global media and events organization that combines a flagship speaker conference with podcasts, video distribution, and educational content. Comparable to cityCURRENT's Signature Speaker Series model paired with podcast/TV distribution, though at much larger global scale.
• Eventbrite: Large-scale self-serve event ticketing and management platform. Comparable only as an adjacent events infrastructure provider; cityCURRENT runs its own events but operates in the same broader events/community engagement category.
• Aspen Institute: Nonprofit that convenes leaders through events, fellowships, and policy programs to drive community and societal impact. Comparable to cityCURRENT's leadership convening function across business, nonprofit, education, government, and faith communities, but at national/global scope.

Regional players

• Greater Memphis Chamber: Regional business membership and networking organization serving Memphis-area companies. Comparable as a local business networking/community convening organization in cityCURRENT's primary market, though without the multi-platform media and eLearning components.
• Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce: Regional business membership and economic development organization serving Middle Tennessee. Comparable to cityCURRENT's Nashville-market operations as a local business networking body, operating in the same geography with overlapping member audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/citycurrent
• YouTubeyoutube.com/citycurrent
• Facebookfacebook.com/cityCURRENT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citycurrent
• Instagraminstagram.com/citycurrent

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 cityCURRENT