Chattanooga Renaissance Fund

Seed and early-stage companies in Tennessee and the neighboring states are the focus of this angel capital fund, which describes itself as a formalized group set up to encourage entrepreneurship and economic growth in its region. Its stated aim is to rebuild an entrepreneurial community that carries forward the area's long history of starting businesses.

Founders past the napkin sketch

The fund says it looks for companies showing good habits and solid growth potential. Its target founder has moved beyond an idea sketched on the back of a napkin but is still looking for mentorship and useful connections. Each member of the fund contributes their own experience, and the fund presents that mix of backgrounds as something that helps both the fund and its companies last.

Where it looks

The primary focus is Chattanooga and the surrounding cities, including Knoxville, Nashville and the northern edge of Atlanta. Beyond that territory the fund reports working relationships with funds in Charlotte, Birmingham, Memphis, Atlanta and Greenville, which gives its companies routes to later-stage money elsewhere in the South. Investments are organized into two funds, referred to on the site as CRF I and CRF II, and visitors can filter the portfolio by either.

A portfolio that stays close to home

The companies it lists are varied, and many are rooted in the region:

• Collider, which offers 3D printing technology for industrial plastic parts using materials once found only in traditional manufacturing.
• Vendor Registry, a procurement platform and online marketplace for local governments and their vendors, based in Knoxville.
• Branch Technology, a graduate of the GIGTANK accelerator that 3D prints open matrices forming the internal structure of buildings.
• Felt, an app for writing a personal message by hand on an iPad or iPhone, after which the card is printed, sealed, stamped and posted.
• Alumnify, an engagement platform that helps graduates keep in touch with their school and with one another.
• Ambition, a Chattanooga software company whose sales platform combines gamification, analytics and automated reporting.

The list also takes in a whiskey producer in Chattanooga that runs a micro-distillery open to visitors, a healthcare performance apparel brand, a reduced-emission fuel program for the oil and gas, convenience store and fleet industries, and an all-natural drink mix sold through national grocery chains. Software, hardware, consumer goods and energy all appear, which suggests the fund chooses on the quality of the founders rather than a single sector.

Chattanooga Renaissance Fund, or CRF, invests in seed and early-stage companies. It looks for founders who have moved beyond a rough idea but still want mentoring and useful introductions.

The fund's members each add their own experience to help portfolio companies last and grow. Its focus is Chattanooga and nearby cities, including Knoxville, Nashville and northern Atlanta, with links to other funds across the South.

Products and services

• Seed and early-stage investment: through two funds, CRF I and CRF II.
• Mentorship: guidance from members with relevant expertise.
• Network access: relationships with funds in Charlotte, Birmingham, Nashville, Memphis, Atlanta and Greenville.

Who it serves

Entrepreneurs in the Chattanooga region and wider Southeast. Its portfolio includes Collider (industrial 3D printing), Vendor Registry (local government procurement), Branch Technology (3D-printed building structures), Felt (handwritten cards), Alumnify (alumni engagement) and Ambition (sales performance software).

Key facts

• Based in: Chattanooga, Tennessee
• Funds: CRF I and CRF II
• Stage: Seed and early-stage