Catalyst30: Building Downtown Memphis for 2030

Today we are proud to announce Catalyst30, an initiative led by Start Co. to grow downtown as an Environment Friendly to Entrepreneurship for 2030 and beyond; with a goal of catalyzing small businesses and letting them co-create the future of our urban core.  The work is centered on entrepreneurial business and technical assistance alongside place-based work, so that talent and business activity compound instead of scattering.

Catalyst30 is rolling out one-on-one coaching for core business and operational development, design sprints for those wanting to take concepts through a development process, engagement through events and competitions, and self paced online video content.

Another goal is to ensure that downtown development and place based projects are informed by entrepreneurs and the conditions conducive to small business activity.  We are already seeing great partnerships with the Downtown Memphis Commission and new developments like the HiFi District centered around the Sterick Building.  The DMC has brought Start Co. on as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence to assist their businesses being supported in programs like Open on Main and Table Ready, and the Memphis Medical District has already begun in bringing some of these new resources into the many small business and leadership cohorts they run.

By 2030 we intend to have laid a foundation strong enough to carry a decade of downtown growth. It is an ambitious goal. It is also a realistic one when the right partners align and co-invest early, and that is exactly the table we are setting.

Catalyst30 helps business owners turn ideas into reality; for both startups and existing firms who need to develop and implement their own ideas for growth. Downtown firms or aspiring downtown entrepreneurs can receive hands-on support that moves a concept to something in the market, helps pressure-tests a model before it breaks, and instills the discipline to find what a business needs before growth exposes it. We are bringing our full playbook to the core of the city we call home.

Our downtown partners are doing the critical work on the ground, and Catalyst30 brings the entrepreneur support and business modeling that help companies build on solid ground. From there, we both welcome public and private sector partners to co-invest and build alongside us.

Why Downtown

A downtown is not just where a city keeps its buildings. It is where a city signals what it believes about its own future. Concentrate entrepreneurs and small business owners in the urban core and you get density, and density is where knowledge spreads, deals happen, and talent decides to stay. Investing in downtown generates returns that radiate across the whole city. Get the core right and Memphis has something powerful to build from.

Join Us

Catalyst30 is an invitation to co-create. The entrepreneurs, business and civic leaders, small business owners and residents who build downtown should have a hand in designing the future. We are catalyzing and convening to shape the urban core.

If you are building in Memphis, or you want to help build the city that Memphis entrepreneurs deserve, we would love to have you at the table.

Entrepreneurs CLICK HERE for resources

Partners email info@neverstop.co for more information

Catalyst30 is a partnership across entrepreneurship support organizations and economic agencies including the Downtown Memphis Commission, EDGE, the Memphis Medical District Collaborative, The City of Memphis, the More For Memphis Initiative, and is generously funded by the Delta Regional Authority.