Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

Knoxville Business News Tennessee Mountain Scenery Background
November 06, 2013 | Tom Ballard

First four “Start-up Day” presenters announced

SD Logo-on transparency for webAs previously reported on teknovation.biz, the Knoxville area will host its first ever “Start-up Day” November 21 at The Standard, 416 West Jackson Avenue. It is a celebration of the region’s entrepreneurs and the region’s culture. Short pitches will be interspersed with entertainment from local singers and songwriters.

The event begins at 3 p.m. There is no registration fee, but pre-registration is required. To register, click here.

Organizers are the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, Tech 20/20 and Launch Tennessee. Pershing Yoakley & Associates, the power behind teknovation.biz, is a corporate sponsor.

Ahead of the November 21 celebration, we will run periodic profiles on the presenting companies. In today’s article, we profile LED North America, Little FishKopp, Peroxygen Systems, and AgentBright.

LED North America – LED North America (LEDNA) has an exclusive intellectual property license with Oak Ridge National Laboratory for use of a graphite foam technology used in thermal management of LED lighting. LEDNA has developed a patent-pending LED module that is void of the traditional aluminum heat sink. This technology reduces the size and weight of the fixture and is being incorporated into the company’s new SuperSport arena luminaire. Andrew Wilhelm is the entrepreneur who founded LEDNA in 2008. Prior to starting the company, he owed the Knoxville Speed hockey team. Wilhelm grew up in Port Huron, Michigan and is a graduate of Oakland University. He is married with one teenage daughter and resides in Knoxville.

Little FishKopp, LLC – Little Fishkopp is a German-inspired kids’ clothing brand specializing in sleep bags for babies and toddlers. A baby sleep bag offers a safer and better sleeping environment in a crib than loose blankets. Originally from Germany, Uta Preston realized that baby sleep bags, which are very common in Europe, are not well-known in the U.S., so she decided to create and sell her own product under the “Little Fishkopp” brand. The company’s mission is to help babies sleep safer and better with style. The product creates value by providing safe and better sleep for babies, offering a superior and high-quality product and offering unique modern and colorful Nordic designs. Preston, the founder, grew up in Germany and came to the U.S. on a tennis scholarship. With a Bachelor’s in Economics and an MBA in Finance, both from Georgia State University, she has worked in management and financial consulting both in this country and Australia. She has had a life-long ambition to start her own business, and Little Fishkopp is her first step toward that goal.

Peroxygen SystemsPeroxygen Systems is focused on providing onsite hydrogen peroxide production. Its unique patented technology enables the most convenient way for industry to use hydrogen peroxide. By adopting the Peroxygen technology and using its service, industries that need large amounts of hydrogen peroxide can greatly reduce their costs and also eliminate the trouble associated with the shipping and handling. Also, unlike the other hydrogen peroxide onsite production systems, the technology does not require building a hydrogen supply system around it and, according to the owners, is the only technology on the market that can guarantee absolute safe operation. Ming Qi is currently a graduate student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, majoring in Chemical Engineering. He plans to graduate in December and start a new journey as an entrepreneur. Since high school, Qi has been interested in business, especially as it relates to technology commercialization.  He believes that history belongs to the people that think big and act fast.

AgentBright, Inc. – AgentBright delivers real estate excellence through simplicity.  Its innovative platform provides Real Estate Agents with a consumer-like user interface and best practice automation. It optimizes performance with contextually relevant and timely interactive coaching and guidance. The start-up compiled more than 40 years of real estate experience with the most modern technology and sales tools to create the ultimate in business software for real estate agents. Annie O’Grady, the Co-Founder of AgentBright, is a former UK CIO with more than 20 years of experience. She has designed, developed and executed technology solutions for both fast maturing web/digital start-ups and “blue-chip” companies including McDonald’s, BBC, Emap PLC, and Punch Taverns.   She specializes in assisting companies strategically rejuvenate, restructure and reenergize their IT to create value through innovation.


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