Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

The road can be lonely for entrepreneurs, especially those bringing new technologies to market. For many faculty innovators who have startup aspirations, this also means learning about the business world outside of academia.

Programs exist to smooth the transition. At the state level, Launch Tennessee’s Tennessee Technology Advancement Consortium (TTAC) program helps university-embedded entrepreneurs shift toward commercialization; national programs like NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) support customer discovery; and local programs like the Spark Accelerator help turn science into a business.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville added AI TechX, the industry innovation consortium of AI Tennessee, to the mix of resources in March 2025. The initiative facilitates connections between AI-driven university research, startups, and innovative corporations that desire to deploy new technologies.

“The goal is to identify AI opportunities or challenges in Tennessee that affect multiple verticals, and then encourage our network of innovators across academia and industry to get involved in solving those things,” said Caleb Knight, the program’s director.

AI TechX taps into three verticals

According to Knight, AI TechX focuses on three verticals: affiliate partners, corporate innovators, and Tennessee startups. To date, the initiative has dozens of affiliated partners, corporate partners, and connected startups in the network.

1. Corporate partners

“Corporate partners are key for us. They are either AI importers or exporters who have raised their hand with a willingness to work with AI founders and university researchers who are trying to bring new AI tools to market,” Knight said.

Currently, the Tennessee ecosystem lacks coordinated connectivity between startups and major corporations. The AI TechX team sees this as a shortfall in the state’s strategy toward AI advancement.

“Established industry serves a major role in the entrepreneurial process to help get startups exposed to real-world challenges within corporations,” Knight said.

Current corporate partners include companies like Denso, EY, IBM, Axle Logistics and, IonQ.

2. Startup Partners

Knight said the startups do not have to be university-affiliated to benefit from the network. However, because of the program’s university ties, many of them are university-affiliated.

One of the UTK-affiliated founders, Dr. Tim Chamberlain, shared his experience engaging with AI TechX at the early stages of his startup, ComparaVet.

The AI TechX community allows solo founders or smaller startups an opportunity to connect with seasoned builders across a wide variety of industries in East Tennessee, giving those of us with very little experience starting a company an invaluable resource that enables us to be successful as a member of a team rather than navigating the journey alone.

3. Affiliate Partners

Affiliate partners are support organizations throughout the state that align on the north star vision of supporting entrepreneurs, university research, and helping Tennessee become a leader in the deployment of artificial intelligence.

“The focus of AI TechX is AI/ computing research, startup generation, and AI workforce pipeline development. We’re vetting companies, making connections, and helping commercialize new technologies,” Knight said.

Examples of affiliated partners include: ORAU, East TN Development District, SCORE, and the State of Tennessee’s AI Advisory Council.

In the late spring, AI TechX held a ‘From Lab to Market’ event that featured an innovator showcase from founders across the state. It also presented successful partnerships between academia and industry.

Growing the network with 10 new partners

“People need to know that the initiative is not just about UTK; it’s really about the entire state of Tennessee,” Knight explained. “Our land-grant mission is to support the state’s economic growth, and our thesis is that by joining forces with industry, academia, entrepreneurs, and government, we’re going to accomplish that much faster.”

To advance that mission, 10 startups joined the AI TechX ranks this fall.

1. ApexAI is building the first real-time, fully private, on-device AI navigation system for people who are blind or visually impaired. (See previous coverage here.)
2. ComparaVet is building technology that delivers tiered AI grading on student anatomy images across seven species for veterinary medicine.
3. IV.ai Solutions is a healthcare-focused company headquartered in Chattanooga that helps physicians navigate new technologies without losing the human touch.
4. Motion Intelligence is a company developing AI-powered decision-support systems that combine digital twins, predictive analytics, and human-AI collaboration
5. Omega Digital Solutions released CoreIQ in 2025 to help principal employment organizations and franchisors manage training and information access. (See previous coverage here).
6. Pangea is a deep-tech AI platform company that builds, deploys, and scales novel AI architectures from the ground up
7. the.garage builds software and integrations that help universities, accelerators, and research institutions get more of their technology to market through licensing, acquisitions, and new ventures.
8. UrbisIQ is a company focused on providing technology for urban safety.
9. ValidBound turns research and classroom experience into practical coaching and software for speakers, instructors, and programs
10. WizPrinter is a faculty-workflow platform that helps educators generate, deliver, and grade both paper and digital assessments directly from course modules, learning objectives, existing course materials, and past exams.

As Knight explained on a panel at 3686 in Nashville, founders can apply to be a startup partner at any time throughout the year and are accepted on a rolling basis. Once accepted, members receive a year of no-cost membership and access to the AI Tennessee community.

With these additions, the initiative has grown to more than 40 members, delivering more than $200,000 in industry and philanthropic investment, as well as grant funding.

Learn more about AI TechX here.

Connect with Caleb Knight.

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