Vol. I · Nashville · Spring MMXXVI Applications open
LIGHT Lab for Innovation in Global Health Technology
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International healthcare. United States entry. Nashville. A program of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center & the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce

The way in.

An open-ended landing program for international healthcare companies entering the U.S. market through Nashville — where the buying and adoption decisions are made.

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§01 The Market Nashville, Tennessee
Annual revenue
$97B
Generated by healthcare companies headquartered in Nashville.
Operating companies
500+
Healthcare companies operating across the Nashville region.
Publicly traded
17
HQ'd in the city — including HCA, the largest U.S. hospital operator.
Venture capital
$1.6B
Healthcare VC invested in the region over the last decade.
§02 A Dispatch Why Nashville. Why now.

The Silicon Valley
of healthcare services.

Headquartered hereHCA HealthcareArdent Health
The country's largest senior living provider
One of the largest behavioral health groups Anchored byVanderbilt University Medical Center
Sarah Cannon Research Institute
Three university-based medical schools Host toHLTH · ViVE · ABHI
Global Health Innovator Summit

Nashville is where U.S. healthcare actually operates. Not where it is studied — where it is bought, run, and scaled. More than 500 healthcare companies, including HCA Healthcare, are headquartered in the city. International healthcare companies entering the U.S. need access to these decision-makers. LIGHT delivers it.

§03 The Terms What member companies receive

An open-ended landing.
Bespoke. Relationship-driven.

Designed around where each company is — not a fixed curriculum, not a 5-day boot camp.

  1. I.
    Warm introductions to U.S. health system decision-makers. Curated, context-rich. Not cold outreach.
  2. II.
    A dedicated desk in the LIGHT bay inside the Nashville Entrepreneur Center. 24/7 access. Nashville mailing address.
  3. III.
    Full Entrepreneur Center membership. 175+ mentors. Capital connector network. 300+ founder community.
  4. IV.
    Priority access to Nashville's healthcare calendar. Global Health Innovator Summit. Entrepreneur Day. Investor matchmaking.
  5. V.
    A 12-month market-entry partnership with the EC as your navigator. When you need a meeting, we make it happen.
  6. VI.
    U.S. market intelligence — payment models, federal policy, CMMI. The rules of the market, not just the rooms.
  7. VII.
    Connections to other U.S. innovation regions, via Global Health Connector. Peer networks beyond Nashville. Global community.
"
This has been a transformational experience for us — coming to the healthcare capital of the country. There's no place like this.
Kareem Elfoulie Founder · Senior Shield Technologies
Project Healthcare · Nashville Entrepreneur Center
§04 The Math Three ways into the U.S. market

Most international companies pick the first by default.

Path A · Going it alone

$175K–$235K. Eighteen months. Mostly in airports.

Most don't make it. Many decide the U.S. "wasn't right for them" — when the problem was they never got in front of the right people.

Path B · The boot camp

Five days. A binder. A few introductions.

Useful orientation. Not a relationship. You leave with a notebook and no one in Nashville to call next week.

Path C · LIGHT

A desk in Nashville. The relationships you came for. Open-ended.

A landing program — not a classroom. Curated introductions that turn into pilots, partnerships, and traction.

The Nashville Entrepreneur Center community
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center · 41 Peabody Street
Plate I.
Photographed at Entrepreneur Day
"
Had some really good meetings with Vanderbilt — which was our #1 goal for the program.
Laura Epstein Founder · Pulse Charter Connect
Project Healthcare · Nashville Entrepreneur Center
§05 The Coalition Founding & academic partners

A coalition, not a single program.

The Nashville Entrepreneur Center and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce are co-founding partners. Global Health Connector is anchor partner. Academic engagement from Vanderbilt, Belmont, and Meharry.

i. Nashville Entrepreneur Center Co-Founding Partner · Host · Program operator
ii. Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Co-Founding Partner · Economic development lead
iii. Global Health Connector Anchor Partner · International recruitment & ecosystem
iv. Vanderbilt University Medical Center Academic Partner
v. Meharry Medical College Academic Partner
vi. Thomas F. Frist, Jr. School of Medicine at Belmont University Academic Partner
§06 Subscribe Get the four-email walk-through

Tell us where you are. We'll send the rest.

Four short emails over two weeks: what LIGHT is, what member companies receive, the cost of the alternative, and whether now is the right time. No deck. No pitch. Reply directly to Sam Davidson if you have questions.

We'll never share your details. Unsubscribe with one click.

§07 Footnotes Quick answers before you apply
i.
Who is LIGHT for?
Growth-stage international healthcare companies — digital health, medtech, health IT, adjacent services — operating profitably in their home markets and ready to enter the U.S. Proven products, not pre-revenue startups. CEO or C-level decision-makers.
ii.
How long is the program?
Open-ended. LIGHT is a landing program — not a fixed-term boot camp. Companies maintain home operations and rotate executives through the Nashville bay as needed.
iii.
What does it cost?
The pilot year is underwritten by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Future participation will involve fees, sponsorships, or home-country support — TBD after year one.
iv.
When does it start?
Rolling admission. First member companies in residence by September 14, 2026 — in time for the Global Health Innovator Summit and ribbon cutting.
First member companies · In residence by 14 September 2026

Don't wait for the ribbon cutting.

International companies know the opportunity. They rarely know the way in. LIGHT turns the lights on.

Apply to LIGHT → Get the info →
Apply to LIGHT →