The Company Lab, a non-profit organization in Chattanooga, is instrumental in bringing people with good ideas to the city to help them launch viable businesses. Once they get off the ground, it is hoped that these new companies will remain in the city.

Each summer a group of talented entrepreneurs are recruited by Co.Lab to spend 11 weeks in Chattanooga. During that time they will get support from a network of mentors, industry specialists and business development resources to help get their ideas to the marketplace.

A network of local and national businesses and organizations sponsor the project. A group of attorneys from the law firm Chambliss, Bahner and Stophel known as The Chambliss Startup Group, offers free legal advice to the GigTank teams.

This program is a way to accelerate startup businesses focused on utilizing Chattanooga’s 1 Gigabit per second internet grid. The concentration this year is directed to 3-D printing, healthcare and smart grid development.

Wednesday night the Chambliss Startup Group held the first of three “meet and greets” for the GigTank’s 2014 startup teams, mentors, partners and supporters. The event was held at Waterhouse Pavilion at Miller Plaza.

Eleven teams are participating this year. Five of those involve 3-D printing, three are focused on healthcare, and two combine 3-D printing for uses geared toward healthcare. One of the teams has a smart grid application.

Those teams concentrating on 3-D printing are Feetz that creates custom footwear. SeamBot, aims to apply 3-D printing technology to automation technology for the manufacturing of clothing and textiles. TrakTeck 3-D uses the printing technology for mobile manufacturing of metal and polymer parts for equestrian sports and automotive racing. Lathon Technologies produces affordable dual material desktop printers. The Fab Cloud connects users of 3-D printing to equipment owners.

Those with a focus on healthcare are KORHealth which educates consumers about positive health choices and attempts to inspire healthy behaviors. MHA helps to improve mental health conditions by improving and supporting those that are under-diagnosed. Playorities provides technological solutions for childhood obesity prevention.

The two teams that combine 3-D printing with healthcare are 3-DOps that creates models by printing in 3-D that enable surgeons to plan procedures before operating. Nestegg Bio provides non-toxic scaffolding to pharmaceutical and research industries.

 GridCure is a company that provides smart grid software that focuses on security and operation management.

 At the end of the 11 weeks this project will end in a Demo-Day where participants present their progress to investors, partners and the media.