Brandcamp 2023 Recap

Brandcamp 2023 Recap This past month, 13 entrepreneurs and founders participated in Brandcamp, a KEC program which provides entrepreneurs with the tools and knowledge necessary to develop a successful brand plan. The business owners and founders heard from a variety of guest speakers and panelists, who imparted their knowledge while candidly discussing branding topics with […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]