Given the volume and variety of colleges and universities in the U.S. and the ever-growing number of social media sites, it’s no wonder some are daunted by the college research process. MyCollegeSTREAM is designed to meet that challenge. The web app – launched in 2014 by Tony Malone, Brian Summerhill and Bryant Warren – was created to assist students and guidance counselors. MyCollegeStream aggregates college social media accounts and customizes content for users’ favorite colleges and interests. It also provides guidance counselors with information about universities, community colleges and technical schools with real time social media updates. Read the full article at Tri-State Defender

Racher Fuller was studying elder law when she became aware of a serious problem. “A lot of these agencies have a 90-percent employee turnover rate,” Fuller said. “Talking with the senior care agencies, we realized that they have such a human problem as far as finding the right match for their clients and caregivers.” So Fuller co-founded Care Current, which designs software to help senior care agencies match their clients and caregivers, and now she’s trying to take her Downtown startup to the next level. On Aug. 13, Fuller and Care Current will be one of 14 entrepreneur groups participating in Demo Day at the Downtown Sheraton Hotel from 2-5 p.m. The entrepreneurs will make a pitch to potential investors for expansion money. Read the full article at The Commercial Appeal

Memphis will be the kick-off site for the Delta Challenge Pitch Competition which aims to redirect venture capital from the East and West coast into the hands of 36 regional entrepreneurs and organizations. The series of six pitch competitions are hosted by the Delta Entrepreneurship Network, a sub-group of federal-state partnership Delta Regional Authority. The Delta Challenge will begin on September 16 at Memphis’ Start Co. and it will travel across the Delta region seeking up to 20 entrepreneurs and 15 entrepreneurship organizations for the inaugural DEN fellowship. Read the full article at High Ground News

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced at the White House Demo Day the 80 winners of the Start Small Model prize in its Startup in a Day competition, and three accelerators in Tennessee won $50,000 each to support entrepreneurial growth. Chattanooga’s CO.LAB was one of them, and the city is excited. “As a soon-to-be-anchor organization in the Innovation District, CO.LAB is already an excellent example of how Chattanooga is leading the way in the entrepreneurial landscape – and today’s announcement adds to that distinction,” said Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke in the city’s press release. “The Accelerator Growth Fund award will both support more small business development in our area and ensure our city can compete in the global startup economy.” CO.LAB has been on our radar recently since one of their programs is GIGTANK, which had their demo day last week. Read the full article at Southern Alpha

The Memphis-based startup accelerator Start Co. has won a $50,000 award from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund. The winners were announced Tuesday afternoon at the first-ever White House Demo Day. Start Co. got the award for the second time after being named one of the 50 inaugural competition winners in 2014. Read the full article at The Daily News

A $50,000 prize delivered to Memphis by the U.S. Small Business Administration will support efforts to develop an online portal for business information, licensing and registration for startups. The “Start Small Model” prize won through the SBA’s Startup in a Day Competition is for online tools that will help entrepreneurs learn about business startup processes, including how to register and obtain local licenses for businesses in a day or less. Read the full article at The Commercial Appeal

Memphis-based startup accelerator Start Co. received a $50,000 award from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund. Tuesday, during the first ever White House Demo Day, the grant recipients were named. It started with a pool of 400 applicants who were all seeking funding for their program. A panel of 40 judges narrowed it down to 80 companies. “It’s an honor and to be a part of this unique celebration of America’s entrepreneurial innovation for the second year in a row, this year at the White House,” said Andre Fowlkes, President of Start Co. “We’re thrilled the Small Business Administration is supporting the startups and accelerator programs that are helping to build knowledge-based jobs in our economy, and happy that Memphis has been recognized as an important market for startup activity. Read the full article at WALB – TV (NBC/ABC)

The Delta Entrepreneurship Network is seeking its second round of fellows to join the inaugural class of DEN fellows through six Delta Challenge pitch competitions across the region this fall. Delta Regional Authority Federal co-chairman Chris Masingill announced the six Delta Challenge pitch competitions today to be held throughout the eight-state Delta region, with the first kicking off in Memphis Sept. 18, hosted by Start Co. Read the full article at The Daily News

Small Business Administration award will be presented at the first-ever White House Demo Day Memphis, Tenn. (Aug. 4, 2015) – Start Co. today announced a $50,000 award from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund, a competition between more than 400 applicants, of which 80 received the funds. The winners are being announced this afternoon at the first-ever White House Demo Day focused on inclusive entrepreneurship, a showcase of America’s entrepreneurial potential hosted by President Obama. Start Co. is receiving the award for the second time after being named one of the 50 inaugural competition winners in 2014. “It’s an honor and to be a part of this unique celebration of America’s entrepreneurial innovation for the second year in a row, this year at the White House,” said Andre Fowlkes, President of Start Co. “We’re thrilled the Small Business Administration is supporting the startups and accelerator programs that are helping to build knowledge-based jobs in our economy, and happy that Memphis has been recognized as an important market for startup activity.” After allocating $2.5 million in awards in 2014, this year’s competition is awarding $4 million to accelerators in order to continue building the support structure needed to help startups become commercially viable and quickly create jobs. Winners were selected by a panel of more than 40 judges who are experts with entrepreneurial, investment, startup, economic development, capital formation and academic backgrounds from both the public and private sector. The first panel of judges reviewed over 400 applications and presentations

While one person may come up with a fantastic concept or innovation, it’s unlikely he or she will go all the way from drawing board to capitalization to market all alone. Collaboration is one of the foundational aspects of entrepreneurialism, and it’s an area where the robust entrepreneur network in Tennessee continues to shine. In some cases, collaboration is built within an accelerator, as mentors work with participants to evaluate and grow ideas. Other times, it’s when these individuals reach out to other facilities in their area, or even across the state, to boost intellectual capital and innovation. Read the full article at The Tennessean