The Future of Sales Is Voice-Driven: Nashville's VendoIQ Launches From Local Venture Studio

The Innovation Studio, a Nashville-based venture studio focused on industrial AI, has officially launched its first startup.

VendoIQ is a “voice-to-action” mobile app aiming to alleviate a major pain point for sales teams: clunky updates while they are on-the-go. The app lets sellers use voice commands to automate crucial tasks like CRM entry, research, and follow-ups while they are “in the field,” be it at industry conferences, trade showers, or while out at client offices.

The goal is to help sellers stay up-to-date with their daily workflow without adding more work to their plates.

“We’re here to turn the constant internal battleground of business operations requirements into common ground for sellers and leadership,” said David Howerton (in featured photo), CEO and co-founder of VendoIQ, said in a statement. “Our belief is simple: when you solve for the seller, everyone wins — because better inputs mean better outcomes at every level.”

“Those who are in the field are not equipped with tools like Zoom, Teams, Gong, or Firefly [or the things] we can enjoy while sitting around a desktop,” Howerton told Hypepotamus. “So folks that are going between meetings [are] context switching constantly and need something better to help them do their job.”

Howerton added in a press statement that: “We’re not replacing your CRM — we’re using AI to invisibly and automatically update it from the voice input - so that task and the time associated goes away.”

Building VendoIQ in Nashville

The Innovation Studio launched in the Nashville area in 2023 with Brian Moyer, previously of the Greater Nashville Technology Council, at the helm. Through the venture studio, Howerton said that VendoIQ received capital and “in kind development” help from The Innovation Studio totaling $500,000 in order to get off the ground.

To date, VendoIQ has been piloted in “field-heavy industries” like B2B SaaS and Medtech, where sales teams are often on the road.

“This launch marks another important step in our commitment to growing Nashville’s tech ecosystem through the creation and support of cutting-edge startups," added Moyer.

Lerry Wilson, who serves on The Innovation Studio’s board, will join VendoIQ’s Board of Directors.CEO Howerton told Hypepotamus that he has “been in and around startups and growth companies” for the majority of his career. A Nashville native, he built up the last 14 years of his career in the city’s healthcare and HealthTech space. He most recently was CEO of Simplify ASC, a digital patient chart platform.-Photos from VendoIQ's website