Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

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Meet Knoxville’s Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs and small business owners in Knoxville are the lifeblood of our local economy and community. These innovators create jobs, fill market gaps, and introduce fresh ideas that help our city grow and remain competitive.

Beyond the numbers, small businesses reflect the unique culture, values, and spirit of Knoxville—strengthening neighborhoods, inspiring the next generation, and fostering a sense of pride and possibility. When we invest in them, we’re investing in a stronger, more vibrant future for all of us.

The Pitch Before the Pitch is a series of short videos spotlighting the innovators, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and creators who are shaping our community’s future.

One founder feature will run before each game at Covenant Health Park. In it, they discuss their founding journey, local business, and how this city has inspired, supported, and strengthened their vision.

Justin Li – Founder of Qore Performance

Qore Performance designs, builds, and distributes a family of simple, novel hydration and thermoregulation technologies that increase work capacity. The company serves major clients across the globe, including the U.S. Military, Chick-fil-a, and Dutch Bros.

Brett Rush – Founder of Rush to Resolution

Rush to Resolution works with B2B companies that need customer experience solutions. Rush is building clear, data-driven systems for consistency, streamlining decisions with smart workflows, and is scaling with AI to promote cross-departmental efficiency.

“Rush to Resolution solutions reduce customer churn, lower out-of-pocket company costs, and produce happier customers,” said Rush.

Bryan Terrill – Founder of Headlight

Headlight creates unique design and prototype solutions for early-stage ideas. Start-ups may begin with a spark, but Bryan Terrill is often the one helping fan it into a flame. For the past seven years, he’s worked behind the scenes to bring bold ideas to life by designing, prototyping, and solving real-world problems.

Matt Weidenhamer – Co-Owner of Curious Dog

Curious Dog has gourmet hot dogs and sandwiches, and a craft beer market in the heart of the Old City, Knoxville.

Grady Vanderhoofven – Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Three Roots Capital

Three Roots Capital has made a large regional impact over the past eight and a half years since the firm’s inception, serving as a large economic development engine.

Chelsea Rusche – Founder of Match Pet Brands

Chelsea Rusche’s Match Pet Brands is breaking barriers in the pet space by creating a bio-matching data engine prototype for matching pets to the most ideal products on an ingredient level.

Ayyoub Momen – Founder of Ultrasonic Technology Solutions

UTS has developed direct contact ultrasonic dryers that are twice as fast and up to five times more efficient than conventional drying systems. These innovations are helping industries significantly reduce operational costs and carbon emissions.

Fai Kultida Blais – Owner of Fai Thai Kitchen

Sitting in a restaurant she owns, surrounded by family she employs, deploying robots she rents, and serving recipes passed down for over 200 years, Fai Kultida Blais feels fulfilled.

“My dream may have started in Bangkok, Thailand, but it was built here in Knoxville, Tennessee,” she said about Fai Thai Kitchen.

Ed Rottmann – Founder of Chroma Energy Group

Chroma Energy Group has expanded to 16 employees, evenly split between office staff and project-focused operations. Additionally, they have secured a handful of notable projects across the Southeast and are looking at a very successful FY 2024.

The company’s next big goal? Expand its footprint both locally and nationally.

Simba Jonga – Founder of Laborup

Manufacturing jobs are listed in a very traditional way. Often, openings are sent to traditional staffing agencies that run on manual processes or posted on job boards, where the resumes are sifted through for keywords. Laborup is like a “LinkedIn” for the blue-collar community, specifically connecting manufacturing talent with open positions.

Jasmine Allmon – Owner of Allmon Artistry

One year after winning Crown Pitch, Allmon Artistry has upgraded to a new office and seeks to create a full-service wellness hub.

Wesley Pitts – Founder of KnoxBots

KnoxBots is a company focused on bringing robotic mowers to the region to serve everything from individual lawns to campuses, golf courses, athletic fields, and other large or hard-to-mow areas.

Rob Monday – Co-Founder of TenantText

TenantText uses artificial intelligence (AI) as a property management tool, helping landlords communicate efficiently and effectively with tenants. The chatbot “Charlie” is equipped to manage emergencies, such as identifying “Fire, Flood, and Blood” situations, and notifying the appropriate parties immediately. The AI can even cater to tenants in their preferred language, making it a versatile tool for property managers in diverse communities.

Julianna Terra – Founder of Urbano Group

Urbano Group purchased the aging structure with the hope of giving it new life. Over the past year, it has done so by transforming it into a colorful, vibrant space that feels less like an office and more like a movement. It is called Knox Base.

Don DeRosa – Founder of Eonix

Eonix rapidly designs next-gen materials that drop right into batteries manufactured today, to solve industry-specific problems.

Marcus Blair – Founder of Omega Business Solutions (CoreIQ)

Marcus Blair is focused on getting CoreIQ into the hands of the business owners who need it most. The platform consolidates information from multiple systems into a single, secure chat interface, dramatically improving efficiency and preserving privacy. It is housed by Omega Business Solutions.

Brandon Bruce – Co-Founder of 121 Tech Hub

The 121 Tech Hub co-working space is the base for dozens of tech-enabled entrepreneurs in Knoxville, as well as the office space for Market Square Ventures, Knoxville’s year-old venture capital firm for early-stage companies.

Sarah Lutts – Founder & Owner of Awaken Coffee

Awaken is a staple coffeehouse in the Old City of Knoxville, predating the revitalization of the area.

Melody & Spencer Ratliff – Founders of AbleTrade

Melody and Spencer Ratliff launched Able Trade during the pandemic, and have only seen sustained growth since.

Haseeb Qureshi – Founder & Facilitator of Startup Studio

The Startup Studio program is put together by Haseeb Qureshi and the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at UT, Knoxville.

Jess Curtis – Founder of J-Bird Digital Designs

Growing up in Madisonville, Curtis always felt like Knoxville was the “big city,” and now, she’s living her dream in it with J-Bird Digital Designs.

Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Resources

Click Here to Download the Startup Knox Guide. It details who you need to know, where you need to go, what programs are available, and how to get plugged in.

You can also visit the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center (KEC) Partner Guide for more information on partner organizations.