Big Ideas Welcome Season Two!
Season Two of the Big Ideas Welcome Podcast launches today! Since 2022, the Big Ideas Welcome Podcast has shared over 50 episodes of stories from entrepreneurs. Heading into the next season of the podcast, host, Chris McAdoo, wanted to do something different. Up until now, episodes existed as long-form interviews and conversations. The newest season of the […]
Happy 10th Birthday KEC!
Happy Birthday KEC! As April comes to a close we want to look back on how much fun we had celebrating our 10th birthday earlier this month. It has been 10 years of the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center and team KEC threw a big party to celebrate. So many familiar faces came to say hello as […]
What’s the Big Idea Pitch Competition 2023
7 BIG TEAMS. 7 IDEAS. $10,000 ON THE LINE. Over the last few weeks, 28 pitch videos were submitted, over 6000 public votes were cast and 7 finalists moved forward to participate in the Shark Tank/ Accelerator-style competition. Each finalist had 5-minutes to “pitch” their big idea, and another 3-minutes to answer questions from the judges. […]
What’s the Big Idea Pitch Competition 2023 Program
7 BIG TEAMS. 7 IDEAS. $10,000 ON THE LINE. Over the last few weeks, 28 pitch videos were submitted, over 6000 public votes were cast and 7 finalists moved forward to participate in the Shark Tank/ Accelerator-style competition. Each finalist will have 5-minutes to “pitch” their big idea, and another 3-minutes to answer questions from the […]
100Knoxville Winter 2022 Cohort
December 15, 2021, KNOXVILLE, TN The Knoxville Entrepreneur Center (KEC) is excited to announce the next cohort of 100Knoxville founders. Five founders will be matched with an all-star team of mentors for a 5-week sprint beginning in mid-January 2022 to clarify strategy, make connections across the entrepreneurial community, improve operations, and, most importantly, increase sales. […]
Courtney Hendricks joins KEC as Director of Maker Initiatives
(January 19, 2022, Knoxville, Tenn.) Courtney Hendricks has been named Director of Maker Initiatives for the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center (KEC.) Courtney is a versatile marketing and design veteran with extensive leadership and event planning experience. For more than ten years, she has brought her wide-ranging expertise to a variety of creative businesses, both supporting their […]
Catherine Porth joins KEC Leadership
8.24.2021, Knoxville, TN: Local entrepreneur, research specialist and “Let Her Speak” platform founder, Catherine Porth, has been named Director of Insights and Development at the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center (KEC). With more than 12 years working in business consulting, sales development, corporate training and insights research, Porth takes on a full-time role as part of a […]
What’s the Big Idea Pitch Festival 2021
5 BIG IDEAS. 5 BANDS. $10,000 ON THE LINE. This year’s virtual competition brought together five teams with five big ideas, along with a little help from some of Knoxville’s most loved bands to create a live-streamed experience like none other. Hosted by our own Chris McAdoo (with a few special guests!) via Lunchpool, the […]
AgTech Industry Experts Support Up-and-Coming Entrepreneurs
The Tennessee AgTech Mentor Network kicks off with three startups and thirteen mentors The Tennessee AgTech Mentor Network, a partnership between the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, AgLaunch, and Launch Tennessee, is the latest addition to the thriving ecosystem focused on supporting AgTech startups and companies in Tennessee. The goal of the network is to create a […]
Made for Knoxville: Eugenia Almeida
Creator and Visionary: Meet Eugenia Almeida, Founder of A New Hue https://youtu.be/i5enpOULJMo Eugenia Almeida sparks joy. You can feel it when you’re around her, and you can hear it in her voice when she speaks about what it means to build a successful business, life, and community around her craft. Born and raised in Argentina, […]
