Platform
Startups get unparalleled access to residents and businesses in the world’s first living lab on an all-fiber gigabit network…and yes, it’s fiber to the home (FTTH)!
We have thousands of homes connected that are ready to serve as a test market for new products and services. See a CBS news story about Chattanooga’s fiber infrastructure.
Our one-of-a-kind Gig network and the GIGTANK program are made possible by an incredible network of companies and organizations.
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ToolKit
Need some technology help? GIGTANK technology partners bring their ecosystem of device, application, network and content companies to help startups in the program. The toolkit is extensive and supported by partners including Alcatel Lucent.
As your team needs access to advanced technologies and prototypes to better your business, the GIGTANK toolkit is available with expert support.
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Funding
Accepted two-person teams receive $15,000 in initial seed investment.
Teams can get access to additional prototyping capital from Alcatel Lucent, depending on the focus of the concept. These decisions are made independently by Alcatel Lucent.
Promising concepts earn access to a pool of follow-on investment capital up to $150,000 per team.
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Space
All participants will share workspace in the heart of downtown Chattanooga, close to great eateries and coffee shops. Yes, there will be crazy fast broadband speeds at your desks…it wouldn’t be the GIG CITY without it!
We provide free housing to participants throughout the summer. More details to come.
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Mentors
GIGTANK is driven by mentors to help accelerate the process of bringing products and services to market.
Thanks to our strong network of national and regional partners, teams will have access to an extensive list of industry experts from hundreds of companies around the world.
A list of mentors for our 2014 program will be available in the coming months.
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Specialists
Not all startups have the perfect team on day one. GIGTANK brings individual specialists with different skill sets (like design, iOS, marketing, etc.) to fill gaps and/or become additional team members.
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Lifestyle
Chattanooga was recently named Outside Magazine’s “Best Town Ever.” The city is geographically at the center of the Southeast within two hours of Atlanta, Nashville, Knoxville, and Birmingham.
Low cost of living means that teams don’t have to raise additional capital to be in GIGTANK, like other programs.
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Roadshow
Startups will present on Demo Day to crowd of strategic corporations, VCs, angel investors, mentors and media. In past years, Demo Day has had more than 500 in attendance.
Top performing teams will go on a cross-country investment tour to a number of strategic locations, including Silicon Valley and New York City.
Selected teams may also be invited to join our partners at events around the world such as CES, 4G World, Mobile World Congress, Broadband World Forum, and private events at worldwide briefing centers. TheGigcity