Urban Vision Initiative
Urban Vision Initative
The Urban Vision Initiative (UVI) is a program that assists small business owners as they develop the systems needed to reach profitability — efficiently. Thanks to the generous support of the Frost Family Foundation, we exist to foster the creation of sustainable new ventures in Chattanooga by helping early-stage businesses survive and grow from first sales to a fully functioning operation.
If you're an entrepreneur who has achieved your first sales but haven't developed your financial, marketing and operational controls, this nine-month program could be your next step towards success.
What you'll gain from UVI:
Community resources
You can leverage UTC and community resources to help reach profitability.
Operational systems
You'll have assistance to build the accounting, marketing and operational systems needed to grow your business.
Best practices
You'll learn best practices in wealth-building through entrepreneurship.
Community
We celebrate your successes with you.
Who you'll learn from:
UVI is led by UTC faculty and staff in partnership with Chattanooga's startup community, which has earned a national reputation as a vibrant startup community. These are people who have been in your shoes and understand what it takes to get where you're going.
Our partners include Launch Chattanooga, The Enterprise Center, The Company Lab, La Paz, Pathway Lending, Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union and the City of Chattanooga.
The nine-month program operates on a recurring schedule and includes six core components:
Five weeks of training in an entrepreneurial "bootcamp"
Ongoing support of accounting, marketing, and operations professionals
Mentoring by successful business owners from the local community
UTC student interns to assist with implementation tasks
Connections to community resources drawn from Chattanooga's entrepreneurial ecosystem
Microcredit programs led by national lenders and local banking initiatives