To put it simply – starting a business is hard. A lot of you know, you’ve done it. And you probably had some help. There is nothing more rewarding for a successful entrepreneur than the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience with a startup.
There is nothing more valuable to a new entrepreneur than learning from someone who has done it before. Mentors can provide strength, guidance, and the wisdom to help early-stage businesses move forward with confidence and purpose.
The KEC Mentor Network aims to connect founders with the experts that are going to be able to answer their questions, and hopefully help guide them to effective next steps in their business.
We welcome people on both sides of this scenario – Mentors and Mentees – to submit the interest forms below to join the network of entrepreneurs sharing their knowledge!
I'M INTERESTED IN..
WORKING WITH A MENTOR
Our mentorship program is a little different than traditional mentor and coaching programs.
We do not set folks up with a designated mentor and expect them to meet X times over X months. We want to keep things flexible for business owners, because we know y’all have a LOT going on.
Mentees will fill out the interest form linked below, providing information about their business and what questions/topics are their most immediate need. The KEC team will then send mentor recommendations and a list of office hour signups.
Business owners can then schedule one session with one mentor, or three sessions with three mentors. Whatever cadence is going to help you get your questions answered – we are here to make it work!
BEING A MENTOR
Our mentorship program is a little different than traditional mentor and coaching programs.
We do not set folks up with a designated mentor and expect them to meet X times over X months. We want to keep things flexible for business owners, because we know y’all have a LOT going on.
Potential Mentors will fill out the interest form linked below, providing information about their experience, their specialties, and why they’r’e interested in mentoring with KEC. The KEC team will then set up a time to chat and figure out the best fit!
Whether you’re interested in mentoring in one-on-one office hours, or leading workshops on specific topics, we will make sure you are connected with the Knoxville entrepreneurial ecosystem.
MEET A FEW OF OUR MENTORS
Halee Sprinkle
Halee Sprinkle is the owner and Marketing Alchemist at Czech Yourself Marketing. With over 15 years of experience in corporate and agency marketing, she now specializes in social media marketing, creative ideation, and content planning. Her career has been a blend of creativity and strategy, bringing fresh, engaging ideas to the table while ensuring they align with business goals. She thrives on turning challenges into opportunities and is passionate about helping entrepreneurs grow and succeed. Whether it’s brainstorming the next big campaign or fine-tuning a content calendar, Halee brings a fun yet professional approach to everything she does.
Marcus Blair
Marcus Blair is the founder of Omega Business Solutions. Omega works with organizations to help them choose and implement the right technology to meet their goals. He started his career as a 3rd shift production line associate and worked his way up to executive leadership where he successfully led digital transformation efforts for several international manufacturers. He has worked with clients around the world, but his real passion is working with start-ups right here in Knoxville.
Breanna Hale
Breanna Hale is the Executive Director for the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and has spent a decade in running entrepreneurial centers for major academic institutions including University of California, Irvine, and Utah Valley University. She brings vast experience in developing entrepreneurship programming, building a network of mentors and resources for students and alumni, and increasing access to funding. She has served on the boards of Tech Coast Venture Network, WeAngels, and the Mountainland Association of Governments Revolving Loan Fund. She received a B.A. in communication from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an MBA from the University of California, Irvine.
Munan Singhal
Munan is passionate about supporting local entrepreneurs scaling their business. He has a unique background with experience across P&L, strategy, engineering and operations in the technology, industrials and aerospace & defense industries. Munan is currently a Strategy Director at Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Group in an incubation business (Edge and AI) where he is responsible for strategic alliances and partnerships and is also a chief of staff to the Vice President / General Manager. Previously, Munan was an engagement manager in management consulting at Gartner and has a vast variety of industrial operations experience including as an operational consultant for Lockheed Martin. Munan earned an internationally focused MBA from University of South Carolina, specializing in Finance & Data Analytics and a Bachelors of Science in Systems and Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Ed MacFawn
Ed MacFawn started his career as a Consultant at KPMG advising on processes and operations and implementing ERP systems. His early career also included finance and operations work while living in Kuwait and Russia and various financial and operational leadership roles at Honeywell. Later, Ed was the CFO of a few VC-backed technology companies where he raised tens of millions in venture capital and led several acquisitions, mergers, and divestitures. He leveraged that experience by co-founding a boutique investment banking firm focused on business transactions and fundraising for growth-stage companies. Currently, he is the CEO and owner of BIT Dealership Software, a developer and marketer of ERP software for marine, RV, golf cart, and powersports dealers and repair shops, and is also the owner of a software development business in Macedonia. Ed’s educational background includes an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia and a BS in Business Administration from Boston University.
NEXT STEPS
After filling out either the “Meet with a Mentor” or “Be a Mentor” forms above, people interested in working with a mentor will be sent recommendations and a list of available mentors based on their needs.
Potential mentors will be contacted to set up a time to meet with our Chief Experience Officer, Chris McAdoo, to see where we can best get you involved in our mentoring lineup!
QUESTIONS?
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have questions about the KEC mentoring program or process.
