# Lindsey Cox

> Lindsey Cox is the Nashville-based CEO of Launch Tennessee, a public-private partnership supporting startups through capital, commercialization and connections. An accounting graduate and MBA alumna of Tennessee Tech, she first joined LaunchTN in 2013, worked on the federal Build to Scale program, led Chattanooga’s Company Lab and returned to LaunchTN as CEO in 2022.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Launch Tennessee
- **Organizations:** Launch Tennessee, The Company Lab (CO.LAB), U.S. Economic Development Administration, Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Tennessee Comptroller’s Office, Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Tennessee Tech University, Master of Business Administration, Tennessee Tech University
- **Known for:** Helped build LaunchTN’s statewide regional entrepreneur-center network during her first tenure., Reworked the 3686 Entrepreneurship Festival and created LaunchTN’s government relations team., Oversaw passage and administration of the Tennessee SBIR matching program.

## Career timeline

- **2010** — Earned an MBA from Tennessee Tech; early career included state comptroller bond-finance work and grant administration.
- **2013** — Joined Launch Tennessee; first tenure included accounting and compliance, innovation management, 3686 leadership, operations and government affairs.
- **2019-2021** — Moved to the U.S. Economic Development Administration in October 2019 and managed Build to Scale in its Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
- **2021** — Became CEO of The Company Lab in Chattanooga on April 12.
- **2022** — Selected as Launch Tennessee CEO in March; began transitioning into the role in April and moved to full-time statewide leadership that summer.
- **2023** — Led LaunchTN as the organization and TNECD launched the $70 million InvestTN program on June 22.
- **2024-2025** — Led Tennessee House activations at SXSW, bringing Tennessee founders and ecosystem partners to Austin.

## Achievements

- Helped build LaunchTN’s statewide regional entrepreneur-center network during her first tenure.
- Reworked the 3686 Entrepreneurship Festival and created LaunchTN’s government relations team.
- Oversaw passage and administration of the Tennessee SBIR matching program.
- Managed the federal Build to Scale program and helped restructure technology-based economic-development grantmaking.
- Oversaw the relaunch of Startup Week Chattanooga as CO.LAB CEO.
- Leads the organization administering the $70 million InvestTN equity program.
- Named an honoree for the August 2026 Most Powerful Women luncheon organized by Nashville Post and Nfocus.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — LaunchTN promoted Jennifer Skjellum to Vice President of Commercialization and TTAC Director; Cox emphasized moving research from labs into the market.
- **2026-08** — Listed among the honorees for Nashville Post and Nfocus’s Most Powerful Women luncheon on August 27.
- **2026-07** — Supported the Nashville Innovation Alliance’s Cowrite the Future campaign, emphasizing storytelling alongside resources and capital.

## Links

- Website: https://launchtn.org
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-cox-63971a16/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/lindsey-cox
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-10