Healthcare cohort · By invitation
THE GATE
Your portfolio needs five customer conversations. Not another networking event.
The Gate is a three-day Nashville cohort that puts six healthcare founders in front of the buyers who actually sign POs. The fund pays. The founders show up. The buyer never wastes an hour.
This isn't another healthcare conference. It's vetted founders meeting the right executives — a conference distilled down to its value.
3
days in Nashville per cohort
6
funded founders per cohort
12
curated buyer meetings per founder
2x
cohorts per year · spring + fall
Why Nashville
Nashville-area companies operate more than half the privately-owned hospital beds in America. HCA — the largest hospital operator in the country — is headquartered here. The buyers your portfolio is trying to reach are inside a 30-mile radius.
The buyer field: HCA · Vanderbilt Health · Humana · Ardent · Community Health Systems · BCBS-TN · LifePoint · Surgery Partners · Nashville Health Care Council · Vanderbilt Innovation Alliance
The curation is the product
- We protect the buyer relationships first. HCA, Vanderbilt, and Humana keep showing up because we don't waste their time. One bad founder ends 15 years of trust. We say no a lot.
- Every founder qualifies on two filters. The CIO answer (EHR-native posture, integration story) and the CFO answer (quantified P&L impact, margin contribution). No answers, no entry.
- Workflow Integration Map. Every founder ships a one-page map to the buyer before the meeting. The meeting starts at "react to this," not "tell me what you do."
- Double-opt-in matching. Buyers see only the founders we've cleared. Founders meet only the buyers who opted in. Both sides agreed before the room.
- Year 15 of relationships. 155 active advisors. $198.5M in lifetime alumni revenue. 85% five-year founder survival rate vs. 50% industry standard.
What it costs · what you get
Single startup
$10K–$20K
One funded portfolio company, one cohort seat, full curation and follow-up.
Fund cohort
$60K–$120K
Six portfolio companies in one cohort. Branded as your fund's program. Priority GP scheduling.
Annual partnership
Custom
Two cohorts per year. Dedicated curator. Year-round buyer access for the portfolio.
You can go to any conference. The EC gets you into the conference room.
Sam Davidson, CEO · Nashville Entrepreneur Center · Fall 2026 cohort is filling now.
Talk to Sam