The Boyd Venture Fund is seeking applications from student-owned companies interested in securing a grant to help grow their businesses.
The deadline for application submissions is April 24. The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, in the College of Business Administration, administers the semi-annual fund. All Knoxville campus students are eligible to apply regardless of academic discipline or degree program. To qualify for the grant, each business must be legally established by having federal tax identification, a state business license or a similar designation. Student owners must be enrolled in a UT degree program at the time of application. However, meeting with the grant-evaluation committee after graduation is acceptable.
To apply for the grant, student owners must submit an executive summary of the business, an estimated budget, and a statement detailing how the grant would be spent to move the business forward. This information should be sent to CEI@utk.edu with the subject line, The Boyd Venture Fund.
Businesses invited to pitch to the grant-award committee will be notified by April 30 with presentations to the committee scheduled for Monday, May 14. Pitches may be done by Skype or video conferencing for management teams not on campus.
Up to $20,000 will be awarded. The money may be allocated to one company or among several companies. The Anderson Center will work with any business that receives a grant to connect it with a volunteer mentor, an experienced individual with interest in the type of business being awarded a grant.
The fund was established thanks to the generosity of UT alumnus Randy Boyd, President and CEO of Radio Systems Corporation.