Parallel Entrepreneur with Mark Cleveland

What happens when a city stops waiting for permission and starts acting like the technology hub it already is?
You get Nashville’s tech moment, and leaders willing to build it together.

Mark Blaze is the kind of leader communities grow around. As President & CEO of the Greater Nashville Technology Council, he’s less interested in headlines and more focused on connection, collaboration, and long-term impact.

In this Innovation Series episode, recorded live at the Greater Nashville Technology Council Innovation Summit, Mark joins hosts Mark Cleveland and Johnny Anderson for a grounded, honest conversation about what makes Nashville different, and what it will take to turn momentum into global prominence.

If you care about ecosystems, talent, leadership, and building something bigger than any one company, this conversation is for you.
In this episode:
• Why Nashville already has “all the pieces of the puzzle”
 • How public–private partnership accelerates real innovation
 • What servant leadership looks like at a city-wide scale
 • The importance of finding, developing, and retaining tech talent
 • Why collaboration — not competition — is the region’s real advantage
 • How reverse mentorship strengthens modern leadership
 • What it will take for Nashville to earn worldwide tech prominence

Chapters:
 00:00:00 Welcome to the Innovation Series from the Nashville Innovation Summit
 00:01:20 Introducing Mark Blaze & the Greater Nashville Technology Council
 00:02:35 Why Nashville Is the Best Place to Start and Grow a Business
 00:03:55 Geographic Advantage, Tax Policy & Momentum
 00:05:10 “We Have the Height” — Nashville’s Natural Gifts
 00:06:30 Collaboration as a Competitive Advantage
 00:07:45 Servant Leadership and Mark’s Influences
 00:09:10 Learning from Reverse Mentorship
 00:10:40 Government as a Partner in Innovation
 00:12:20 Public & Private Investment Working Together
 00:13:55 What’s Still Missing — And Why Nothing Is Broken
 00:15:30 Connecting Talent, Capital & Opportunity
 00:17:10 The Vision for Nashville’s Tech Ecosystem in 3 Years
 00:18:45 Finding, Developing & Retaining Talent
 00:20:30 The Region’s “Special Sauce”: Its People
 00:22:10 Final Thoughts on Community, Leadership & What’s Next

Show Notes:
  • Share and engage with this interview on LinkedIn: Click here
Connect with Mark Blaze
• LinkedIn – Mark Blaze
• Greater Nashville Technology Council – technologycouncil.com

About Our Hosts
Mark Cleveland — Managing Director at Kensington Park Capital, founder, M&A strategist, and host of The Parallel Entrepreneur
Johnny Anderson — Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, advisor, and tech community leader

👉 Join the Parallel Entrepreneur Network: https://www.parallelentrepreneur.com/#about-me
👉 Subscribe for more stories from entrepreneurs who thrive across multiple ventures—and live aligned lives.
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What is Parallel Entrepreneur with Mark Cleveland?

Mark explores the minds of visionary entrepreneurs who refuse to limit themselves to a single venture to learn how these trailblazers manage risks, innovate across industries, and turn ideas into impact.

Whether you’re scaling your first business or juggling several, this podcast is your ultimate guide to thriving as a parallel entrepreneur.

This is the "it" city I've heard that said

I just like to take over "it"

and just call it the information Technology city

I like the way you think why not

I mean this

I mean you look at the companies that have

in transportation comp data

in healthcare HCA and in all forms of logistics

Nashville is a thought leader

a historic leader in all forms of logistics

in Tennessee of course

with FedEx etcetera

so Tennessee is the greatest place to start

and grow a business

Nashville's the absolute

greatest place to start and grow a business

how are you tapping

into the enthusiasm that's already here

well I

the collaborative nature of Nashville is

you know

we had a conversation yesterday on using the phrase

easy it's simple

let's go with simple rather than easy

see I do listen to you

Johnny and

you know I do think it's simple

because the elements are all in place

we couldn't put the geographic position of Nashville

that's something I can't control

we can't control just happens to be really good

you know so we have that element in place

I think some foresight from the leadership of the state

from past years I mean

no state income tax

I sat at lunch today with someone

and he's in from Chicago and I said well

let's talk about some things

and there's so many elements in place

I think

personally

I'll feel like shame on me if we don't advance as

into that position of prominence

because it's all waiting to happen

so Nashville has tax policy

has a cosmopolitan field

there's a lot of people from somewhere else here

so everybody is comfortable meeting everybody

we talked a lot about community in this

set of conversations we've had today

yes

and John coach John Wooden said something like

you can't teach height

right and so he could take a 7 foot 2

human being and turn him into a 7 foot 2

and my friend Bill Walton

these these you

you don't have Nashville has height

Nashville has all the natural gifts

and all we need to do is learn our eye

hand coordination you know

how we're passing the ball as teammates

you know how are we playing this game

what what

what are your inspirations for leadership

oh

my father would be one just

just the way he was a very servant leader

I've been fortunate through my career

to have some great mentors

that I've Learned many great things from

recently Learned the premise of a reverse mentor think

we've chatted about that which is I'm all in on that

learning from younger generations that can help me

I believe be a better leader

but

I think looking at leaders

it comes from so many different forms of my life

and I'd like to believe I've

I've tried to look and be aware of those around me

and to pick elements of uh

what makes them special cause ultimately

I think a good leader is someone

Dy said it earlier I mean he

he went through a list of things and

I do believe it it's

it's being aware of your team

recognizing them correctly

just being very personal

caring for them caring and

and ultimately his phrase was be nice

hmm

I think if that's a pretty good lesson for you

for all of us you know

whether we're leaders or not

the world would be a better place

that's why I think Nashville is a great center

to do that because that's the community

Nashville wants to help and support

I mean you

we've all lived that

and so that's why that opportunity is so great here

and to your point yes

I would love to see it move throughout society

to where it touches all areas

because that's for the good of mankind

yeah our

our our quality of life here

has a lot to do with the quality of government

the quality of regional and

and

mayoral and city and other types of

of leaders coming together

together with their industrial counterparts

you know the rest of this ecosystem

and we haven't spent a lot of time talking today about

how our government can be a partner

and I don't I don't maybe

maybe we could speak a little bit about that

I think we're very fortunate

and again it goes into the stars aligned

we have a mayor that supports technology

he has a background from technology absolutely

he's a tech dude he's absolutely is

and Freddy has an understanding

which is a great perspective

this city to build from this region

to build from

and so we gotta utilize that

I think it's public and private investment is critical

one of my

I mean I love what Jeremy's done and achieved

and he'll be the first to tell you

he'll line up and talk about how the states

had involvement how certain companies

private companies have come to the table

it's pretty fun when you can do that together

what is the spirit of innovation

what is the spirit of of

of what moves them as leaders

and as people participating in this ecosystem

so I'm I'm

I'm proud to be a part of it

I'm I'm here to just shout from the rooftops

top of Alliance Bernstein with you about what

what you're doing right and what we're doing what

what else could we do is a good question

you asked that question when we first got together

what else could we do and I think we're doing it today

what what else could we do

well I think there's

I mean I'm not here to say that everything's working

in perfection because I told you one of my goals

I want us to have that worldwide prominence

we're not there at this point um

I think it's it's just connecting folks effectively

cause the desire is to make Nashville great okay

um what else could we do

it revolves we talk about human talent

it's capital it's

there's so many different elements

we just gotta piece together effectively

it's like the we've got the jigsaw puzzle

someone's given us all the pieces

we just gotta put them together to make that final

final jigsaw um

piece of art yeah

it's a piece of art absolutely

but it's not like

there's not a piece missing from the box in my opinion

I think it's all there it's just okay

we gotta figure out how to connect them effectively

so directly you look out three years from now um

what do you see

I'd like to see where we have an ecosystem in place

to where we've got a clear process that finds talent

it then develops talent and it retains talent

uh when I say that there's elements that that's

and when we talk about collaboration

that's gonna require the school systems

higher education employers

the city the state uh

we've all got to be working in harmony

but there's no reason that can't happen

because I believe we have

goes back to that special

special source and the special source is the people

that's the special source of of this region

it's the people um

both of you have been successful in business

you're givers you're not takers

I mean and I think that's something that's um

I don't say unique

because I'm sure there's other places

but I don't know whether there's places that do it

as well as this community

that's her that's her closer

there you go

thank you for being a part of this experience

no I love you for being part of this

it's uh you were vital in my mind

for this to be where we can fulfill the potential

so I appreciate you both we're not done

not even started not even close