About

Abstract line drawing of the Chattanooga riverfront.

We equip communities with robust programs to grow local small businesses.

We believe small business is the backbone of communities, and there are good ideas that need to be brought to market. We developed our programs for success so Main Street can flourish again.
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We believe that individuals thrive in the context of community. CO.STARTERS is about bringing people together to learn from one another in order to create a strong network of support.
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We believe in making concepts and language easy to understand, so business owners can focus on practical next steps and move toward their goals.

impact

Our track record, by the numbers

We've spent over a decade supporting hundreds of communities and thousands of entrepreneurs. Take a look at our latest impact report to get the full picture of what CO.STARTERS could do for your community.

View the Full Report

impact

Over a decade of entrepreneur support

View our 2022 Impact Report

350+

Communities Supported

1,600+

Leaders Trained

24,000+

Entrepreneurs Served

View our 2022 Impact Report

Our beginnings

We started on Main Street.

From the beginning, CO.STARTERS pioneered a community-based approach to economic development. Beginning in 2008 in Chattanooga, Tennessee as part of a five-year revitalization effort called CreateHere. We recognized a growing need to provide business support.

We focused on real community needs—jobs, revitalization, and growth opportunities for local talent.

Through our early work with entrepreneurs, we found that simultaneous business and community support led to the ability to transform Main Street

Over the first four years in Chattanooga, more than 1,000 people went through our program. Our local work grew to support not only small businesses, but also high-growth startups.

Today the CO.STARTERS network consists of thousands of success stories around the world.

A photograph of Charlie Brock, former Executive Director of Launch Tennessee

“CO.STARTERS was, without a doubt, the biggest bang for our buck. And it’s doing the same thing in cities across the state of Tennessee, too. We couldn't even spell ‘entrepreneurship’ fifteen years ago in Chattanooga. Look at us now.”