Launch Tennessee Thursday announced that 20 companies – all graduates from one of Tennessee’s nine startup accelerators – have been chosen to pitch at the first-ever statewide demo day on Tuesday, Aug. 27, at the Bridge Building in Nashville. During statewide demo day, 10 of these companies will be chosen to participate in The TENN, the state’s first master accelerator program, sponsored by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation.

“These 20 startups are an exceptional representation of the innovative and promising ideas emerging from Tennessee’s accelerator programs,” said Launch Tennessee CEO Charlie Brock. “From the quality and diversity of applications submitted across the state, it is apparent that Tennessee’s network of accelerators, which is unique in the nation and Launch Tennessee helps fund, is working well.”

The demo day investor panel includes Sabeer Bhatia, chairman and CEO of Sabse/Jaxtr and founder and former CEO of Hotmail; John McIlwraith, managing partner at Cincinnati, Ohio-based Allos Ventures; John Greathouse, general partner at Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Rincon Venture Partners; Sig Mosley, managing partner at Atlanta, Ga.-based Mosley Ventures; Bob Crutchfield, partner at Birmingham, Ala.-based Harbert Ventures; and Mike Tatum, serial entrepreneur and CEO of Workbus. Governor Bill Haslam will announce the 10 companies that will comprise The TENN.

Shortly after demo day, The TENN companies will leave for a statewide bus tour, where they will meet with leaders of Tennessee’s top corporations as well as leading angel and venture capital investors from throughout the state. Additionally, during the master accelerator program, the members of The TENN will fly to California and the East Coast to network with venture capitalists and angel investors.

Other benefits of The TENN program include access to 40 master mentors from across Tennessee, including investors, entrepreneurs and corporate leaders; office space in the nearest regional accelerator or a subsidy for the company’s existing office space; and events that introduce the companies to high-level, industry-specific Tennessee connections.

Launch Tennessee is a public-private partnership focused on supporting the development of high-growth companies in the state of Tennessee with the ultimate goal of fostering job creation and economic growth. LaunchTN focuses on four key areas: entrepreneurship, commercialization, capital, and outreach. LaunchTN is in part funded by a grant from the State of Tennessee. Please friend LaunchTN on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/LaunchTN), Twitter (www.Twitter.com/LaunchTN), YouTube (www.YouTube.com/LaunchTN) and Flickr (www.Flickr.com/LaunchTN).