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Last updated 1454 Jan. 2, 2026 - Please send 2026 events info to Milt Capps via LinkedIn.
JANUARY 2026
Jan. 1 • New Year's Day.
Closing soon: Applications now being accepted from candidates for Executive Director and Vice Provost of the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT ORII). Details here and here.
Jan. 6-9 • Consumer Technology Association Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Las Vegas, RE: Quantum, AI, Blockchain, many other topics. Details.
Jan. 7 • VUMC Brock Family Center for Applied Innovations, presentation by Innovator of the Year Michael Galenko MD of Image Assist Inc. Registration. Vanderbilt University, Nashville. (Hybrid event)
Jan. 9 • Oak Ridge Chamber's 2026 ExtraORdinary Awards Dinner.
Jan. 11-15 • Hyland Software - Hyland Alliance Partner Summit. Nashville venue TBD.
Jan. 12-15 • J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, San Francisco Westin St. Francis Hotel.
Jan. 13 • State of Tennessee 114th General Assembly reconvenes.
Jan. 13-15 • 2026 x Hyland Software Alliance Partner Summit & Annual Kick-off Gaylord Opryland.
Jan. TBD • "Innovation Week" event by TN Technology Development Corp. aka LaunchTN, details TBD.
Jan. 13 • Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce "Deep Dive" on Chamber research into Nashville market, details.
Jan. 13 • Haley 'Zap' Zapolski's The Lighthouse is holding a co-founder meetup, seeking to draw and match cofounders who excel in either business building or sustained selling. Details. VNC coverage of Zapolski.
Jan. 14 • Knoxville Chamber Economic Outlook presentation by UT Prof. Donald Bruce PhD. Details.
Jan. 15 • Board meeting, TN Technology Development Corporation dba Launch Tennessee.
Jan. 15 • Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Gala event, Hutton Hotel Nashville. Details. By the Inter-Denominational Ministers Fellowship IMF.
Jan. 15-24 • Vanderbilt University events linked to celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Details.
Jan. 16 • "How business can partner with ORNL to drive economic development," Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, details. Organized by the Knoxville Chamber.
Jan. 19 • Martin Luther King Jr. Day, National Museum of African American Music, Nashville, details.
Jan. 19 • Knoxville Entrepreneur Center's 'What's the Big Idea' applications deadline.
Jan. 20 • Nashville Hospitalist Meetup, Glasshaus, convened by Eric Thrailkill. Details.
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Jan. 22 • AgLaunch 2026 in Memphis: AgLaunch Farmers LLC and AgLaunch portfolio startups convene. Request registration. Attendees will include creative farmers and builders, National Network Partners, aligned investors, agricultural futurists, food system thinkers. More info.
Jan. 26-28 • National Small Business Conference for government contractors, Gaylord Opryland, Nashville details.
Jan. 27 • Lipscomb University-NBJ Nashville Business Breakfast, sponsored by First Horizon Bank, features GEODIS Americas President & CEO Laura Ritchie. Details.
Jan. 28 • Regional Main Street Food & Beverage Conference, convened by theCO regional entrepreneur center, Jackson, Tenn. Details.
Jan. 28-29 • Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tennessee Summit, Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville, details. Also here.
Jan. 30 • Social Ventures Summit, 9am-3pm, Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management, details. No charge, open to VU and Nashville communities.
Jan. 30-Feb. 1 • HackMT 2026 - Annual 36-hour Hack-a-thon and Project Expo! at Middle Tennessee State University Department of Computer Science, free registration here. Previous HackMTs. Sponsorship PDF.
Jan. 30-Feb. 1 • Maker City Summit, Knoxville, details and registration.
FEBRUARY
Feb. 3 • Engineers meet Nashville Startup founders, The Lighthouse, details.
Feb. 4 • VU Lecture Series on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats, Langford Auditorium, with speaker: Sir Richard Moore, KCMG, former chief of the United Kingdom’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). Details. Registration.
Feb. 5 • Nashville Health Care Council Wall Street View of Healthcare Industry, details.
Feb. 5 • SmartBusiness DealMakers Conference, Hillwood Country Club, Nashville, details TBA.
Feb. 7 • Women in AI Summit, Vanderbilt University School of Law, by VU AI Law Lab, 8:30am-6pm, details.
Feb. 8-11 • Association of University Technology Managers annual meeting, Seattle, details.
Feb. 9 • Osaic W Forum for women in financial advisory services. Nashville venue tba. More.
Feb. 10-11 • University of Tennessee Grand Challenges Summit, Drury Plaza Hotel, Franklin, Tenn. Related info.
Feb. 12 • Oracle AI Experience Live Nashville, The Westin Nashville.
Feb. 13 • Launch Tennessee 2026 Summer Internships application deadline, details here.
Feb. 16 • Former President George Washington's Birthday.
Feb. 17-20 • National Religious Broadcasters expo and convention, Gaylord Opryland. Details.
Feb. 18-21 • Safari Club International convenes Gaylord Opryland Hotel, details.
Feb. 19 • Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce Economic Outlook breakfast, Westin Chattanooga, details here.
Feb. 19 • Marion Hagstrom, VU School of Engineering PhD student, focuses on "semi-powered knee control solutions" for "backward walking and cycling." She also explores design and control of "affordable microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knees." She is to report during AAOP Meeting & Symposium. Speakers.
Feb. 19 • Greater Nashville Technology Council Awards Ceremony @ Country Music Hall of Fame, details.
Feb. 19-20 • Life Sciences: Phase Capital Frontiers Summit (II), Noah Liff Opera Center, details.
Feb. 19-20 • Southern Private Equity Conference, SBIA, JW Marriott, Nashville, details.
Feb. 22-25 • ViVE 2026, Los Angeles. Details.
Feb. 23-24 • 2026 Remote Patient Monitoring Conference, Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, details.
Feb. 23-24 • Experity's Urgent Care Connect, Grant Hyatt Nashville. (Aligned with concurrent Urgent Care Startup Conference)
Feb. 23-28 • • • Tennessee Songwriters Week here. Qualifying rounds in 7 TN cities are in February 2026. The winning songwriter is to perform at The Bluebird Cafe, March 30, 2026. Cosponsors of Songwriters Week are Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, The Bluebird Cafe, Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and VML, Inc., Inc. Competition rules.
Feb. 25-27 • Tennessee Bankers Association, Credit Conference. Omni Hotel Nashville. Details.
Feb. 26-28 • Nashville Hematology Conference and Poster Competition, Country Music HOF & Museum, Omni Nashville.
Feb. 27 • Knoxville Capitol Connections legislative update, 9am-10am EST, Knoxville Chamber, details.
MARCH
March 6-7 • DataTune Conference, data, analytics, AI, and more at Belmont University, Nashville details.
March 9-12 • HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition, Las Vegas. Details.
March 11-13 • AiPEX Annual Conference - Insuretech, Fintech: iPipeline digital solutions and services, JW Marriott Nashville.
March 12-18 • South by Southwest SXSW Innovation Conference, Austin, more here.
March 13-15 • Tennessee House at SXSW Pitch - Austin - South By Southwest, details.
March 16-19 • TMC Transportation Technology Exposition, Music City Center, details.
March 20-22 • 'What's the Big Idea' pitch finale and weekend in Knoxville, details.
March 25-27 • (hybrid) Media Conference, Association of National Advertisers, Omni Nashville, details.
March 29-April 1 • AI is among dozens of topics on the agenda during Society of Hospital Medicine CONVERGE conference, Music City Center.
APRIL
April TBD • FLY! Pitch Competition, University of Tennessee Chattanooga, details TBD.
April 8 • Freedom Forum Freely Fest at Bridgestone Arena, 5:30pm, details here and here.
April 8-9 • UT Haslam College of Business Marketing and Sales Conference, Knoxville, details.
April 8-10 • Association for High Technology Distribution event focuses on enhancing "the productivity and efficiency of high technology automation solution providers / distributors (ASPs) and manufacturers through connection, collaboration, and education." Omni Nashville.
April 14-15 • Intrepid Investment Bankers and MUFG Global Healthcare Finance convene Healthcare RPM 26 at Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame. Details.
April 16 • Board meeting, Tennessee Technology Development Corporation dba Launch Tennessee.
April 16-17 • Direct Lending Conference by DealCatalyst, details. Grand Hyatt Nashville.
April 18-26 • San Francisco Climate Week, speakers to include Former VPUS Al Gore, more here.
April 19-21 • REAG M&A brokers' Exit Planning Summit, details. Gaylord Opryland.
April 20-21 • Southeast Venture Showcase, Renaissance Hotel Nashville. Related. Features dozens of startups spawned via iCorp and 21 top universities and national labs in the Southeast.
April 21-23 • Angel Capital Association & Rockies Ventures Club convene Summit of Angel Investing, Westminster, Colo.
April 23-24 • Fourth annual Vanderbilt University Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats.
April 27-29 • BITCOIN 2026, Las Vegas.
April 27-30 • Environmental Markets Conference, Chattanooga, details.
April 28-30 • Siemens "Innovations for Healthcare" conference, Gaylord Opryland, Nashville. Deets.
April 28-30 • 2026 AAPCP National Healthcare Provider Compensation & Workforce Strategy Conference. Embassy Suites, Nashville.
MAY
May 6-10 • Business Professionals Association National Leadership Conference, Gaylord Opryland, details.
May 12 • TennSMART's Tennessee Smart Mobility Expo, GEODIS Park, Nashville. Details.
May 14-15 • Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Tennessee, Omni Nashville, details.
May 25 • Memorial Day.
JUNE
June 4-7 • CMA Fest. Nashville. Details.
June 8-10 • Investment Company Institute ETF Conference, Renaissance Nashville Hotel, details.
June 15-18 • HLTH Europe, details tba. Amsterdam.
June 15-18 • Informa MedTech Summit, Berlin. Details.
June 23-26 • Forrester CX Summit (hybrid), Gaylord Opryland, Nashville.
June 24-26 • Higher EDTECH: Technosolutions Slate Conference, Nashville.
JULY
July 4 • 250th U.S. Independence Day. See the Semiquincentennial Commission info here.
July 13-16 • Cvent CONNECT (technology for meetings, events, hospitality) hits Music City Center after 2 years in Austin. Details here.
July 22-24 • Xello convenes FUTURE WORLD 2026, "a national gathering of educators, employers, higher-ed leaders, and innovators defining what it means to be future ready." Omni Nashville Hotel, details here.
July 22-24 • National Conference on Gambling Addiction & Responsible Gambling 2026, Nashville (venue TBA). Registration opens April 8, 2026. More info.
July 27-29 • Third Party Administrators TPA Summit by Health Care Administrators Association. Nashville, venue TBA.
AUGUST
Aug. 5-6 • Global Business Summit, Memphis, details.
Aug. 5-7 • STR Inc. Hotel Data Conference. Venue TBA.
Aug. 17-20 • SOLVER 2026 ASCEND, Embassy Suites Hilton,, Nashville. Financial Planning-Analysis solution provider.
SEPTEMBER
Sept. 7 • U.S. Labor Day.
Sept. 8-10 • Semperis Hybrid Identity Protection HIP Conference, Nashville. Related.
Sept. 13-15 • McLeod Software User Conference, transportation and logistics, Nashville.
Sept. 14-15 • Nashville Health Care Council Sessions, details. (2025 recaps 1 & 2)
Sept. 15-Oct. 15 • National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Sept. 16 • Global Health Innovators conference, Nashville, tentative, details TBA.
Sept. 21 • HealthTrust Connect, Omni Hotel Nashville.
OCTOBER
Oct. 1-2 • Gov. Bill Lee's GOVCON annual conference, Chattanooga Convention Center, details TBA.
Oct. 19-21 • America's Credit Unions annual Attorneys Conference, Conrad Nashville, details.
Oct. 20-22 • FINTECH: MultiState User Group, for banking executives who manage Fiserv, IBM or Unisys systems and solultions, Nashville, details TBA.
Oct. 27-28 • AMAZON Business Reshape 2026. Nashville. More info.
October TBA • Epicenter Memphis holds DelTech II, dates + venue to be announced. More info.
NOVEMBER
Nov. 2-4 • AthenaHealth Thrive Summit, Nashville. Details.
Nov. 11 • U.S. Veterans Day.
Nov. 15-18 • HLTH Las Vegas, details TBA.
Nov. 26 • Thanksgiving.
DECEMBER
Dec. 25 • Christmas Day observed.
ENDNOTES:
• University of Memphis Patents to Products will soon open the apps window for post-doc fellows aiming to be startup entrepreneurs. Background. Apply via WorkforUM soon.
• Founders Forge (Johnson City) lists 2026 pro-entrepreneur events, here.
• Corporate venture pro's and startup founders, advisors and investors are also advised to checkout the Launch Tennessee network here.
Previous VNC calendars. Venture Nashville news coverage is here. Please send comments via LinkedIn. VNC
. last updated 2 January 2026 1454 CST
