As part of her summer internship with KEC through LaunchTN’s Internship Program, Riley caught up with KEC alumni and program participants to learn where their entrepreneurial journeys have taken them. In this story, she shares how Kinley Koontz has built a career around connecting people with the resources they need.
Watch a full video of Kinley’s Story HERE.
Connecting the Dots
At 12 years old, Kinley Koontz was already looking for ways to make an impact.
Through her volunteer work with the Knoxville Area Rescue Mission, she noticed that art gave people space for creativity, connection and self-expression. She also saw that these opportunities were not always easy to access. So, she began developing a nonprofit organization that brought art opportunities to people experiencing homelessness.
Years later, that same desire to connect people with resources remains at the heart of her entrepreneurial work. From consulting and community building to helping families develop businesses, Kinley has built her work around what she calls “connecting the dots”—bringing people, resources and opportunities together to help others grow.
Finding the Right Path
After studying engineering, Kinley realized she wanted a career centered on working with people rather than spending her time in a lab.
She began exploring the business world beyond her nonprofit experience, moving into consulting and angel investment before eventually working in government consulting in Washington, D.C. There, she gained experience helping organizations solve complex problems and brought what she learned back to Knoxville.
Building Family Legacies
When Kinley was young, she watched her grandmother run a feed store. Years later, she saw that same land transformed into a neighborhood. She returned to those memories when she began developing her consulting business.
What started with dinner parties designed to help local farmers gain connections and exposure soon grew into something more. Today, Kinley aims to help local families—especially those operating farms—build their businesses into lasting, profitable legacies.
“I want to help empower other families to support each other and then connect them to people who love what they do,” she said.
Using her natural ability to direct people toward the right resources, Kinley continues to expand her network and guide local businesses.
Growing Through the KEC Community
Throughout her entrepreneurial journey, Kinley has also been an active member of the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center community.
She has participated in Women in Entrepreneurship sessions, completed KEC’s E-Commerce program and served as a mentor for What’s the Big Idea?, helping support the next generation of entrepreneurs. Her involvement reflects both her commitment to lifelong learning and her desire to give back to Knoxville’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
When asked how KEC has supported her journey, Kinley explained that the organization has made her feel less alone in her mission to help Knoxville businesses.
“KEC has been not only a gathering space for so many of the ventures I’ve supported, but a good example of what good resourcing can look like in the community,” she said.
Just as she did at 12 years old, Kinley continues looking for ways to connect people with the resources they need—demonstrating that sometimes the greatest impact begins with helping others connect the dots.
