KNOXVILLE—Eight teams of budding entrepreneurs will square off in the last session of “Vol Court” at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13, on the seventh floor of the Stokely Management Center.
The team with the best business idea will receive $1,000 to launch its business, space at the University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF) business incubator, legal services from Terry Adams Law Firm, 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 led by entrepreneurs and business experts from across the region. The series is held both 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:
- CallNut, which integrates pictures into calls handled by call centers
- Chain Game, which integrates gaming into a program that promotes income-generating activities for impoverished Ugandan women
- Graffy, a new way to design, customize, and manage both data and graphs
- InHouse Brand Development, a branding solution for small businesses
- Klass Kolab, a new learning management solution for students and educators
- Magic Carpet Letters, a gift personalization solution
- Newlight, a social cause organization focused on education reform
- SEH Solutions, a new way to treat Type 2 diabetes
Each team will be given five minutes to pitch its business idea to a panel of judges that includes an investment banker, current and former entrepreneurs, and a lawyer. The judges will have three minutes to ask questions of each team, and then they will decide the winner by consensus.
Seventy students, faculty, staff, and university friends have participated in the Vol Court series this semester, said Joy Fisher, Vol Court managing director. For the first time, participants with technical background outnumbered those with business background.
“We had 40 percent growth in participation compared to last semester,” she said. “This highlights both the growth of the entrepreneurial culture here at the university and in the region, as well as the need to continue helping our aspiring entrepreneurs develop the contacts and acquire the skills needed to successfully start their own businesses.”
Vol Court is sponsored by UT Federal Credit Union, Terry Adams Law Firm, and the UT Research Foundation.
For more information on Vol Court, visit 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)