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 […]
Growth & Grit 2022
Growth & Grit | Celebrating East TN’s Inc. 5000 Listed Companies Lighthouse Knoxville | Monday, November 14th, 2022 Event Program Location: Lighthouse Knoxville, 6800 Baum Dr, Knoxville, TN 37919 5:00 PM Event Opens 5:30 PM Opening Remarks & Introduction of Companies 5:45 PM Round table Discussion with Companies 7:00 PM Open Networking 7:30 PM Event […]
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 […]
Made for Knoxville: Tanika Harper
Maker and Change Maker: Meet Tanika Harper, Founder of Harper’s Naturals Tanika created an entire skin care line by hand just to keep her own skin healthy, and in the process realized that she could help others who wanted pure, chemical free, handcrafted products. But helping others didn’t stop with skin care. Tanika is a […]
Made for Knoxville: Samantha Lane
Balance-seeker and Guide: Meet Samantha Lane, Founder of Origami Day Life is short, and Samantha Lane is determined to make the most of it – but not in the typical “always on” 24/7 culture that people like Steve Jobs made famous. After a life-changing surgery, Samantha Lane made the difficult decision to leave the corporate […]
Made for Knoxville: Marcus Hall
Style Icon and Craftsman: Meet Marcus Hall, Founder of Marc Nelson Denim. KEC is excited to celebrate #BlackHistoryMonth by sharing stories of innovation and inspiration from Black founders in our community, beginning with Marcus Hall. The love of making is woven through Marcus’ history. His family worked at the Levi’s factory on Cherry Street, only […]
Chris McAdoo joins Leadership at KEC
Chris McAdoo, well-known professional artist, designer, and nationally-booked corporate speaker, has been named Director of Strategy and Engagement at Knoxville Entrepreneur Center (KEC). A self-professed “recovering advertising agency creative director,” the Sevier County native and Carson-Newman University graduate said his first year priorities include directing a new KEC brand rollout, “and drawing attention to […]
10 Great Entrepreneurial Resources in Knoxville
Starting and maintaining a business can be hard, especially during unprecedented times. Support from other entrepreneurs and those who want to see your business succeed can help make everything a little bit easier. At Knoxville Entrepreneur Center we know how important it is to support one another. Check out these ten local entrepreneurial resources that we […]
