Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

Knoxville Business News Tennessee Mountain Scenery Background
March 30, 2014 | Tom Ballard

UTRF names finalists for “Tennessee Venture Challenge”

The University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF) has named the six start-ups that are finalists in its inaugural “Tennessee Venture Challenge.” The companies will pitch their technologies this Thursday, April 3, in an event set to begin at 3 p.m. at The Foundry in Downtown Knoxville.

The six finalists are:

  • QuickSod, LLC – a company enabling sod farmers to dramatically reduce time required to produce harvestable sod, thereby allowing for on-demand sod production.  
  • Paradox Pharmaceuticals – an early stage company dedicated to translating laboratory discoveries into new drugs to treat cancer and heart disease in humans and companion animals.
  • PALSAR – a company improving food processing methods and reducing food wastage. Its technology will accurately capture the time required for different stages of seed germination, greatly reducing  the chance of error and saving the customer time and energy.
  • GCaDD, LLC – a company developing optically active glass components and associated devices for use in dental radiography.
  • ResourceIO – a company providing tools to aggregate, analyze, and create action plans for greenhouses and other confined agricultural operations. Its products combine innovative sensors, expert algorithms, and user interfaces to increase yield.
  • Fertility Focus – a company improving fertility rates in beef and dairy production.

Here’s a link to the UTRF news release.


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