About

About MBD



The Inspiration

The seed of Mad, Bad, and Dangerous was planted in 2014 by Girls Preparatory School Head of School Dr. Autumn Adkins Graves. She challenged the all-girls school to be a place where Chattanooga-area women could discover the resources necessary for an entrepreneurial journey and find support from local and national experts. After all, she reasoned, GPS was founded by three women, social entrepreneurs, who wanted girls to have equal access to a college preparatory education. MBD, designed to establish the female voice in technology, startups, and business, was built upon that legacy.

What Does It Mean to Get Your MBD?

The idea behind the “Get Your MBD” expression is that women and girls can achieve a level of entrepreneurial experience and influence that will be equal to obtaining an MBA. A Mad, Bad, and Dangerous woman (or Mighty, Brilliant, and Determined girl) is bold, a driver of her own ideas, and willing to take calculated risks. Most importantly, she is active in sharing her knowledge with others and celebrating their success. A woman with an MBD has obtained a level of expertise that will contribute to the local economy and improve the wellbeing of others while fulfilling her own dreams.

We want women and girls in our community to feel inspired and supported as they consider turning their ideas into real business and social ventures. We know women are highly qualified to be successful entrepreneurs, yet they’re underrepresented in this arena. MBD is designed to help women and girls see themselves as capable, confident, and bold entrepreneurs-in-the-making.

    • Girl shopping at MBD event

    • Women, girls, and the men who support them, can find empowerment at any MBD event, including the Mad, Bad, and Dangerous signature event for women, MBD: Girl Edition, specifically for girls; and placemaking courses that enable students to study a city as a text. All of these courses and events provide empowerment through information training, encouragement to follow new pursuits and opportunities and an avenue for building strong network that have lifelong impacts.

“The best part about my experience of MBD was having the opportunity to learn more skills based on marketing and entrepreneurship, while being encouraged to fulfill my dreams as a young woman.”
—MBD Attendee

History

MBD began in 2015. That first year, 500 women, girls, and the men who support them were on campus at GPS to celebrate the inaugural event and the only one of its kind in the Chattanooga region.

In 2016, MBD expanded to include community luncheon featuring ABC’s “Shark Tank” star Lori Greiner. The Women’s Marketplace and 24Hour Generator for girls continued.

In 2017, MBD: Girl Edition was created, focusing solely on girls and their entrepreneurial dreams. The public was again invited to watch final pitch presentations and to shop at the Girls’ Marketplace. A three-week summer placemaking course, Chattanooga As Text, for girls started to encourage girls to study the city as a text and uncover problems and solutions.

In 2018, MBD: Girl Edition expanded to include conferences and workshops for girls and their parents. The Chattanooga Public Library partnered with MBD: Girl Edition to host pre-event workshops to help girls prepare their businesses for the Girls’ Marketplace.

Today, MBD: Girl Edition includes the Girls Holiday Marketplace for 7- to 17-year olds, held the first Saturday in December; the 24Hour Generator for middle school students in the spring; and Chattanooga As Text, a summer intensive for rising sophomore and junior girls in the Chattanooga area. 

    • Mad, Bad, and Dangerous banner displayed at MBD event

2016 MBD Commercial

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P.O. Box 4736 | 205 Island Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405
423.634.7600