Project FinTech Accelerator
Project FinTech Accelerator is a hybrid fintech accelerator run by the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving early-stage SMB founders through multi-vertical programs without taking equity. It leverages Nashville's banking and fintech ecosystem alongside state-backed capital to support founder growth.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersNashville, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Project FinTech Accelerator does
Project FinTech Accelerator is a hybrid fintech-specific accelerator program operated by the Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2010 and headquartered at 41 Peabody Street in Nashville, Tennessee. The program runs virtually with required in-person visits to Nashville at key milestones, leveraging the region's emerging fintech and banking ecosystem alongside established relationships with institutions such as Pinnacle Financial Partners and state-backed capital channels like InvestTN's $28M Regional Seed Fund. Project FinTech sits within EC's broader suite of five accelerator programs, which also includes TakeOff (early-stage launch, $500), InFlight (growth-stage, $1,000), Project Healthcare (healthcare vertical, $6,000), and Twendé (Black and Brown founders, fully sponsored), none of which take equity.
The core technology layer is non-proprietary: EC operates a community platform, a member portal, the PreFlight Digital Course, and podcast infrastructure (Circle Back, Friends of Project Healthcare, Twendé) rather than a licensed software product. Revenue is generated through a hybrid nonprofit model combining earned income (program tuition of $500–$6,000, three-tier membership subscriptions of $49/$149/$300 per month, and space rentals for podcast studios, meeting rooms, and event venues) with contributed revenue from state and local government partnerships, corporate sponsors, foundation grants, and the McWhorter Circle annual giving society (Platinum $10K+, Gold $5K+, Silver $2,500). To date EC has served 537 founders, graduated 215 founders in 2025 alone, and built an alumni network of 244 companies that have collectively raised $146 million and generated $256 million in revenue.
The customer base spans early-stage SMB founders across healthcare technology, fintech, consumer, and food & beverage verticals, with a deliberate focus on underrepresented founders (128 founders of color, 121 women founders, 34 veteran founders, 24 LGBTQ+ founders served). Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, anchored by signature annual events (NEXT Awards with 600+ attendees, 36|86 conference) and supported by an in-person Nashville headquarters, three podcast channels, and a 200+ advisor network. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors, with Sam Davidson serving as CEO and a C-suite including Mira Hanna (COO), Donna Mattick (Chief Strategic Alliances Officer), Lauren McWhirter (VP of Investor Relations), and Dakota Simpson (Chief Program Officer).
Project FinTech Accelerator firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Project FinTech Accelerator
- Legal name
- Nashville Entrepreneur Center
- Website
- https://ec.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Project FinTech Accelerator is a hybrid fintech accelerator run by the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving early-stage SMB founders through multi-vertical programs without taking equity. It leverages Nashville's banking and fintech ecosystem alongside state-backed capital to support founder growth.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Project FinTech Accelerator industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Startup Accelerator Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)
Keywords
Where Project FinTech Accelerator is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nashville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Project FinTech Accelerator business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Program Fees: Accelerator programs charge tuition fees ranging from $500 to $6,000 depending on program depth and duration. TakeOff costs $500, InFlight costs $1,000, and Project Healthcare costs $6,000. Some programs like Twendé are fully sponsored and free for participants.
- Membership Subscriptions: Three-tier membership structure: Connect at $49/month, CoWork+ at $149/month, and All Access at $300/month. Billing is monthly with discounts for upfront payment on 6-month (5% off) and 12-month (10% off) plans.
- Space Rentals: Revenue generated from renting physical spaces including the Chase Studio (podcast/video production), Learning Center (up to 100 people), Ingram Board Room (up to 18 people), Meeting Rooms (6-8 people), and DIY Studio.
- Contributed Revenue: Funding from state and local partnerships, corporate community partners, individual contributions, foundation giving, and McWhorter Circle annual giving society (Platinum $10,000+, Gold $5,000+, Silver $2,500).
- Events: Revenue from signature events including the annual NEXT Awards ceremony (major fundraising event), as well as community events and workshops.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | TakeOff Accelerator - $500 program for early-stage founders |
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | InFlight Accelerator - $1,000 program for growth-stage founders |
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Project Healthcare - $6,000 healthcare-specific accelerator |
| Subscription | Monthly | Connect Membership - $49/month virtual and in-person community access |
| Subscription | Monthly | CoWork+ Membership - $149/month in-person coworking community |
| Subscription | Monthly | All Access Membership - $300/month dedicated desk and 24/7 access |
| Subscription | Annual | McWhorter Circle Platinum - $10,000+ annual giving society |
| Subscription | Annual | McWhorter Circle Gold - $5,000+ annual giving society |
| Subscription | Annual | McWhorter Circle Silver - $2,500 annual giving society for Nashville's Rising Leaders (ages 40 & Under) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Project FinTech Accelerator product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Project FinTech Accelerator is a hybrid fintech-focused accelerator program operated by the Nashville Entrepreneur Center. It runs virtually with required in-person visits to Nashville at key points during the program, and operates with support from LaunchTN. The program provides fintech founders with mentorship, curriculum, capital connections, and the opportunity to compete for non-dilutive Impact Grants of up to $40,000 in total funding.
Product overview
Project FinTech Accelerator is a hybrid fintech accelerator program operated by the Nashville Entrepreneur Center. It runs virtually with required in-person visits to Nashville at key points during the program. The program is one of five EC accelerator offerings that also include TakeOff (launch phase), InFlight (operational excellence), Project Healthcare, and Twendé. The accelerator offers Impact Grants of up to $40,000 in non-dilutive funding to qualifying founders.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Project FinTech Accelerator
Quantifiable outcome
- $8.89M capital raised by 2025 accelerator graduates
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Project FinTech Accelerator
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Project FinTech Accelerator technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Project FinTech Accelerator partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators15 records
Recent moves2 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Project FinTech Accelerator competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Techstars: Global accelerator operator running vertical-specific programs including Techstars Fintech and Barclays partnership. Closest direct peer in the accelerator-for-equity model, though NEC differentiates on its no-equity positioning.
- Village Capital: Nonprofit-driven, community-led accelerator with vertical-specific programs including fintech. Closely aligned with NEC's mission-driven, non-equity approach.
- gener8tor: Midwest-based community-led accelerator running cohort-based programs with mentor networks and follow-on capital. Closely comparable in operating model and founder-focused programming.
- Capital Factory: Austin-based entrepreneur center combining accelerator programs, coworking, events, and a mentor network. Mirrors NEC's community-hub approach with geographic specialization in Texas.
- Dreamit Ventures: Accelerator operating vertical-specific programs (healthtech, urbantech, fintech) with corporate partner backing. Comparable in the cohort-based, verticalized accelerator model.
- Plug and Play: Global innovation platform with a dedicated fintech vertical that runs accelerator cohorts and corporate-startup matching. Directly comparable in fintech-specific founder programming.
- Innovation Works: Pittsburgh-based nonprofit accelerator and early-stage investor. Mirrors NEC's structure as a region-anchored nonprofit driving founder outcomes through programs and ecosystem building.
- 500 Global: Venture firm and accelerator with historical fintech focus (500 Startups Fintech). Comparable as a fintech-tilted global accelerator with cohort programming and mentor networks.
- MassChallenge: Global non-equity accelerator serving early-stage founders across verticals. Most directly comparable on the no-equity model that differentiates NEC from typical accelerators.
Broad incumbents
- Y Combinator: Largest global startup accelerator with thousands of fintech alumni (e.g., Stripe, Brex). Sets the benchmark against which all regional accelerators measure their founder outcomes.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Project FinTech Accelerator social profiles
Digital presenceProject FinTech Accelerator financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Project FinTech Accelerator leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Project FinTech Accelerator funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Project FinTech Accelerator M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments3 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Project FinTech Accelerator
What does Project FinTech Accelerator do?
Project FinTech Accelerator is a hybrid fintech-focused accelerator program operated by the Nashville Entrepreneur Center. It runs virtually with required in-person visits to Nashville at key points during the program, and operates with support from LaunchTN. The program provides fintech founders with mentorship, curriculum, capital connections, and the opportunity to compete for non-dilutive Impact Grants of up to $40,000 in total funding.
Is Project FinTech Accelerator a public or private company?
Project FinTech Accelerator is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Project FinTech Accelerator founded?
Project FinTech Accelerator was founded in 2010.
Where is Project FinTech Accelerator based?
Project FinTech Accelerator is headquartered in Nashville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Project FinTech Accelerator make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Program Fees are the primary driver. The others are membership Subscriptions, space Rentals, contributed Revenue and events.
Who are Project FinTech Accelerator's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Techstars, Village Capital, gener8tor, Capital Factory, Dreamit Ventures, Plug and Play, Innovation Works, 500 Global and MassChallenge. Y Combinator is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Project FinTech Accelerator have an API?
No public API is recorded for Project FinTech Accelerator.
What industry is Project FinTech Accelerator in?
Project FinTech Accelerator's product category is Startup Accelerator Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated), with a secondary code of FSANAHAD, Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs. Its NAICS code is 611710.