NASHVILLE SOFTWARE SCHOOL BECOMES PILLAR OF TECH COMMUNITY

When AllianceBernstein was still operating under secret code name “Project Stella” in Nashville last year, the global financial firm’s chief technology officers visited the city to see whether to locate its new headquarters here. Among their stops was the Nashville Software School, a 7-year-old program that has evolved from a scrappy startup to a pillar of the tech community that local business leaders are eager to celebrate.

AllianceBernstein officials have since become a regular presence at the school’s demo days, and at least six recent graduates have joined the firm’s payroll. “We have hired a bunch of folks from his programs,” Karl Sprules, who leads technology and operations for AllianceBernstein, said. “We like what he is doing.”

The “he” Sprules describes is John Wark, a laid-back and unassuming tech entrepreneur who formed the program in 2012. After helping create multiple tech businesses and taking a Southern