How One Tennessee Founder Stitched Together Her Startup Journey
At 18, Kingsport native Lauren Glass-Mullins walked into her parents’ kitchen and confidently announced she was starting a nonprofit. At the time, she had no business experience, no roadmap, and absolutely no funding. But what she did have was an idea, and a determination to make some real impact.
That moment sparked a decade-long journey that would bring her from delivering beds to children in need to launching Personality Pool, an AI-powered hiring platform now backed by Launch Tennessee’s new $70 million InvestTN fund.
“I had no idea what I wanted to do,” Glass-Mullins said at the 24’ Mountain Startup Summit. “College didn’t feel right. No career path called to me. But I’d always loved volunteering.”
So, she leaned into what made her heart happy: helping people. Her first venture, Beds for Kids, provided more than 1,000 beds for underserved children in East Tennessee. This effort of course, came with its share of chaos, from wrangling volunteer drivers to maneuvering box trucks. But it taught her grit, resilience, and the power of simply starting.
Eventually she grew tired of the constant hustle of nonprofit fundraising and pivoted. Inspired by the early days of TOMS Shoes and the rise of social good brands, she decided to create a business that could fund the work she loved. She took a leap and started a pillow company called THROW. THROW not only funded beds for kids but all the pillows they made were screen printed by the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind. Creating an even larger social impact.
What began in a college apartment with a few friends and a sewing machine quickly turned into a viral success. Glass-Mullins caught on to the rise of early Instagram influencers and tapped into that. She decided to send one of her hand-sewn pillows to a creator – who posted it. Overnight, she was flooded with $40,000 in orders and only a small team to fulfill them.
“I was deep in another sticky situation,” she said. “But we figured it out.”
Eventually, she sold the company, handed off her nonprofit, and swore off entrepreneurship, for good, she thought. That break lasted just 14 months before she found herself pulled back in.
“I thought I wanted a ‘normal job,’ but entrepreneurship just found me again,” she said.
Glass-Mullins didn’t come up with the idea for Personality Pool in a college business class or at a startup bootcamp. As she shared in her HR Tech Cube interview, the concept came from personal frustration. After graduating from college, she struggled to land a job in sales. Despite having the right personality for the role, her résumé lacked what employers considered “relevant experience.” Application after application went ignored.
“If I could just meet one of these hiring managers in person, I know I can get the job,” she recalled thinking at the time.
Eventually, one did take a chance on her, and that single opportunity changed the trajectory of her career. Years later, she turned that experience into Personality Pool, an AI-powered hiring platform that helps companies screen candidates based on personality traits rather than just résumés. It’s built for the hidden gems like her, people with the right attitude and potential, who just need a shot to prove themselves.
This year, InvestTN made its first-ever investment, $150,000 into Glass-Mullins’ company, helping her raise a total of $300,000 and validating her mission to bring innovation from rural Tennessee to the broader hiring landscape.
“It’s fantastic that our first commitment is out of the Tri-Cities,” said Eller Kelliher, Chief Investment Officer at LaunchTN. “We’re planting a flag and saying there are great entrepreneurs throughout this state, not just in Nashville.”
Glass-Mullins sees the moment as a milestone not just for her company but for rural entrepreneurs everywhere
“I’m excited we’re the first,” she said. “We’re a female-founded company from a rural area, and this shows what’s possible when you don’t wait for perfect conditions you just start.”
Despite the milestones, she’s quick to remind others that entrepreneurship isn’t all sparkle emojis and viral posts. At the 24’ Startup Mountain Summit she shared: “One day you’re closing a big client; the next you feel like everything’s falling apart,” she laughed, referencing a meme of a disheveled cartoon figure she says describes her weekly mood swings. “But if it’s in you, you won’t be able to stay away. And what’s meant for you will find you again.”
Glass-Mullins’ story is a testament to the power of passion and perseverance. It shows that success isn’t confined to cities like Nashville, New York or Los Angeles; it can emerge from any corner of the world where grit and determination reside. Her journey from Beds for Kids to Personality Pool is a great example of how embracing your passion can lead to a transformative impact, whether you’re from the big apple – or a little town called Kingsport.
