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Jim Buzhardt is founder and CEO of Lave, a Nashville-based, short-term rental cleaning and turnover platform. LAVE
By Ella Castronuovo – Reporter, Nashville Business Journal
Mar 2, 2026
Story Highlights
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Jim Buzhardt has launched Lave, a tech-powered cleaning platform for Nashville short-term rentals.
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Nashville is home to more than12,000 active short-term rentals.
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A number of local investors are backing the company.
A local entrepreneur is meeting Nashville’s short-term rental cleaning needs.
Last week, Jim Buzhardt announced the launch of his company, Lave (stylized as LAVE), a tech-powered cleaning and turnover platform built specifically for short-term rental owners and managers.
The Nashville-based company works to protect host ratings and revenue through automated scheduling, photo-verified cleaning and issue reporting, according to a news release.
“Short-term rental hosts today are managing hospitality businesses, not just properties,” Buzhardt, founder and CEO of Lave, said in the release. “When a cleaner misses a turnover or a preventable issue goes unreported, the consequences show up immediately in guest reviews, ratings and, ultimately, lost revenue. Lave was built to eliminate that risk by combining professional infrastructure with technology-driven accountability.”
Focused on the Nashville short-term rental market, Lave connects directly with booking calendars to automatically schedule cleanings between guest stays. Each turnover cleaning uses a property-specific checklist, with documented photo verification.
The company is backed by a group of local investors, including Brian Taylor, commercial real estate broker; Jamie Lee, founder of Southern Grist Brewing; John Curley, director of the Dettwiller Foundation; Dave Killean, health care operations executive; and Justin Wilson, a partner with Hall Strategies. Investment amounts weren't disclosed in the release.
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Wendy Silva is Lave’s operations manager. LAVE
Wendy Silva, who has over two decades of cleaning operations experience in Nashville, will serve as Lave’s operations manager.
Music City was ranked as the fifth fastest-growing short-term rentals market in the United States in 2024, the release noted, and now has more than 12,000 active short-term rentals. The average cost of a standard short-term rental cleaning in Nashville ranges from $150 to $195.
“We’re not positioning ourselves as a cleaning vendor,” Buzhardt said. “Lave is a trusted operational partner that helps hosts protect their reputation and income.”
Local entrepreneur Jim Buzhardt has announced the launching of Lave, a technology-driven short-term rental cleaning and turnover business.
According to a release, Lave (stylized as “LAVE”) is designed to protect positive host ratings and generate revenue via automated scheduling, photo-verified cleaning and proactive issue reporting.
The service industry business is financially backed by commercial real estate broker Brian Taylor, who is a partner in the venture with Buzhardt; Jamie Lee, founder of Southern Grist Brewing; John Curley, a former beverage industry executive and current director of the Dettwiller Foundation; Dave Killean, a local healthcare operations executive; and Justin Wilson, a public relations executive with Hall Strategies. Each is locally based and joined by some silent Nashville investors.
The release does not note the investment amount.
Buzhardt, who serves as Lave Chief Executive Officer, brings more than 25 years of experience building service-based businesses. Earlier in his career, he turned what started as a $4,000 side hustle into janitorial company B&F Cleaning Services, before selling the venture.
The release notes Wendy Silva will serve as Lave operations manager. Silva has more than 20 years of business leadership and cleaning operations experience in Nashville. A former cleaning service franchise owner, she managed commercial and hospitality cleaning contracts, overseeing staffing, scheduling, payroll and quality control.
“Short-term rental hosts today are managing hospitality businesses, not just properties,” Buzhardt, who holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Alabama, said in the release.
“When a cleaner misses a turnover or a preventable issue goes unreported, the consequences show up immediately in guest reviews, ratings, and ultimately lost revenue. LAVE was built to eliminate that risk by combining professional infrastructure with technology-driven accountability.”​