KNOXVILLE— Seven teams of budding entrepreneurs will square off in the last session of “Vol Court” at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, November 15, on the seventh floor of the Stokely Management Center.
The team with the best business idea will receive $1,000 to launch their business, space at the University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF) business incubator, and mentoring from the College of Business Administration’s Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation—a prize package worth more than $5,000.
Vol Court is a series of free seminars sponsored by the UT Federal Credit Union and led by entrepreneurs and business experts from across the state. The series is held in the fall and spring and is open to students, faculty, and the general public.
The teams vying for the opportunity to grow their business include:
- “SommerSett Foods,” a new food packaging company;
- “Tattoo Removal,” a novel technique for removing tattoos;
- “Akeio,” a crowd funding service for start-up businesses;
- “DeckMySpace,” a social networking Internet-based business for room design;
- “Relevent,” a website for event bookings;
- “Reel,” a device for storing large digital libraries; and
- “U-Recycle,” a recycling service geared towards college students.
Each team will be given five minutes to pitch their business idea to a panel of judges that includes a local venture capitalist, current and former entrepreneurs, and a lawyer. The judges will have four minutes to ask questions of each team, and then they will decide the winner by consensus.
More than fifty students, faculty, staff, and university friends have participated in the Vol Court series this semester, said Joy Fisher, Vol Court managing director.
“The series is becoming even more important as the university tries to complement the new entrepreneurial initiatives emerging from the Governor’s office,” she said. “Our goal is to continue growing the entrepreneurial culture here at the university and the region, as well as helping our aspiring entrepreneurs acquire the skills and resources they need to successfully start their own businesses.”
For more information on Vol Court, visit http://www.andersoncei.utk.edu/.
The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation facilitates entrepreneurial knowledge creation and dissemination through research, teaching, and practice. The center develops entrepreneurial talent who will start businesses or contribute to the success of existing technology-driven businesses.
It also provides experiential learning activities that enhance classroom instruction, connects the regional entrepreneurial community with the university, and acts as a hub for cross-campus initiatives that foster the growth of entrepreneurial research and commercially viable enterprises. Through its various activities, the center contributes to regional economic growth.
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C O N T A C T:
Joy Fisher (865-974-0520, joy.fisher@tennessee.edu)