Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

From the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga:

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) has announced the creation of the Center for Applied Geospatial Data Science (CAGDS), an interdisciplinary research hub housed within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.
Building on the legacy of the long-standing Interdisciplinary Geospatial Technology Lab (IGTLab), the center will advance applied geospatial research, education, and community partnerships.

“My own research background as a faculty member was in geospatial data science, image processing and remote sensing, so I recognize what a gem this center is. We have world-class researchers whose work has already been felt across the region,” said UTC Chancellor Lori Bruce. “In my first weeks on the job, community members repeatedly have shared how the GIS lab helped them move important projects forward with timely, practical solutions. Elevating that work from a lab to a center gives it the recognition it deserves—regionally and nationally—and reflects the impact UTC research is having every day.”

Led by GIS Director Charlie Mix and Assistant GIS Director Nyssa Hunt, the CAGDS will expand opportunities for UTC researchers to apply geospatial data science across disciplines while supporting regional partners with data-driven solutions.

From the University of Tennessee, Knoxville:

Thanks to the generosity of successful entrepreneur Shelly Sun Berkowitz, Founder and Executive Chairwoman of BrightStar Group Holdings Inc., the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s, Haslam College of Business‘ franchising certification program is now available at no cost to participants. There are no prerequisites for the program beyond a strong desire to learn the franchising business, so learners of all backgrounds are encouraged to enroll.

The franchising program is offered through Haslam’s Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Lindsay Mahony, Assistant Department Head for Haslam’s Department of Management and Entrepreneurship and the Anderson Center’s Director of Franchising Program Initiatives, praised Sun Berkowitz for striving to make franchising more obtainable.

“The Anderson Center is thrilled to work with Shelly to bring our franchising certification program to the largest pool of entrepreneurs possible,” she says. “We are profoundly grateful to Shelly for making this programming possible and ensuring it is open to students with no cost concerns.”

From Florida State University:

Created as a major hub for innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration, the Liguori Entrepreneurship Analysis & Development (LEAD) Lab is showing how Florida State University is becoming a worldwide leader in entrepreneurial studies.

Spearheaded by Eric Liguori, Professor and Associate Dean of the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, the LEAD Lab has a dual-focus mission that includes conducting academically rigorous research and developing impactful programs that directly benefit the community and society at large.

It was an idea borne out of the need for a collaborative structure in the field of entrepreneurship.

“The genesis was to try and build something that would apply to entrepreneurship, allow us to bridge across disciplines, and borrow the structure and the idea from other places on campus,” Liguori said. His vision for the LEAD Lab is clear: engage students, train the next generation of researchers, and focus on work that has real-world impact.

Student engagement emphasizes the importance of creating impactful research using real-world applications and fostering teamwork among students from diverse academic backgrounds. This hands-on approach allows students to gain practical experience, pushing them out of their comfort zones and enhancing their interpersonal skills and research capabilities.

From the University of Florida:

A University of Florida (UF)-led innovation may soon make producing steel parts for agricultural equipment or even aluminum soda cans that require only a fraction of the energy it does today, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory is involved in the effort.

Through funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, the $11 million project uses Induction-Coupled Thermomagnetic Processing, or ITMP, an advanced manufacturing method that integrates magnetic fields with high-temperature thermal processing.

In partnership with the UF Physics Department, ORNL, and six companies interested in the technology, the magnet and cylinder induction furnace now sit atop a six-foot-high platform. The prototype, which costs more than $6 million to purchase and install, is capable of processing steel samples up to 5 inches in diameter, making it a rare asset for academic research.

Click on the UF news release to learn more.

From Washington University in St. Louis:

St. Louis’ National Public Radio affiliate reports that a former Goodwill Industries complex in the Central West End is under renovation and is being revitalized as a start-up hub called Catalyst: Powered by WashU.

The facility closed in 2019 and was purchased by Washington University (WashU). The building served as Goodwill headquarters from 1944 until the sale in 2019 — and it’s still listed on the National Register of Historic Places for the role it previously played as a hub for Goodwill.

Now, the historic facility will serve as a support hub to nurture growth and expansion-stage bioscience startups by providing lab and office spaces, and other critical support. It’s expected to be 163,000 square feet and will also serve as a graduation space for start-ups.

Doug Frantz, Vice Chancellor of Innovation and Chief Commercialization Officer at WashU, said the reimagined hub will help boost the economy and innovation ecosystem in St. Louis. “This space is for start-up companies to expand their footprint within St. Louis, to really be able to expand capacities and the technologies they are developing,” he said. “It’s a space that St. Louis has been desperately needing for a very long time. … It will lower the barrier for mid- and late-stage start-ups to find the space, resources, and community that will accelerate their breakthroughs to market.”

WashU officials say real estate developer BOBB LLC, an affiliate of WashU, is collaborating with key stakeholders on the $100 million revamp. Renovations also include a four-story addition to the seven-story midcentury building.

From the University of Connecticut:

The University of Connecticut (UConn) start-up companies and entrepreneurs set several records and milestones in the 2025 fiscal year, bucking a challenging national landscape.

Technology Commercialization Services (TCS) reported that UConn received 117 invention disclosures in FY2025, a 30 percent increase over the previous year. Additionally, the Technology Incubation Program (TIP) sported record fiscal growth by doubling revenues over the past two years.

“We’ve achieved remarkable growth at a time when financial markets have been unpredictable and we’ve had to really rethink our approach to innovation at UConn,” says Pamir Alpay, UConn Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. “Our TCS team has done incredible work to booster intellectual property and build our tech incubator. It speaks well to the present and future of invention at UConn, with positive impact on research and workforce development.”

TIP companies raised $97.8 million in new funding, an increase of 39 percent from FY2024. They also reported $9.9 million in revenue, doubling figures from FY2023 and rising 40 percent from last year.

From the University of Colorado Boulder:

The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) reached a historic milestone, launching 35 new companies based on university intellectual property during fiscal year 2024, more than any other U.S. campus that year. In addition to holding the # 1 spot for that year, the achievement also places CU Boulder #2 for the most start-ups launched in a single year by a U.S. campus.

Venture Partners at CU Boulder drives the transformation of research breakthroughs into real-world impact by empowering innovators at CU Boulder, as well as CU Denver and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs) to create companies and forge industry partnerships.

A decade ago, CU Boulder launched an average of four to six start-ups annually based on university inventions. Today, it stands as a national leader, having launched more startups in FY 2024 than any other university campus, followed by the University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), according to data released by the Association of University Technology Managers, the leading association tracking university technology transfer.

From Idaho State University:

The Idaho State University (ISU) Business Pitch Competition, funded by the Reed E.  Ostermeier Entrepreneurship Endowment and in partnership with PitchVantage, invites high school students from across Southeast Idaho to pitch a business idea for their chance to win big scholarship prizes.

Presented by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CEED) within the College of Business, the event gives students the opportunity to not only win scholarship money, it also helps them become better public speakers, learn about entrepreneurship as a career, and even make their business dream a reality.

“I was inspired to support entrepreneur programs at ISU, specifically this competition, because it really embodies the spirit of my brother,” said Shane Ostermeier, who established and named the endowment that supports the competition in honor of his brother. “Reed had an entrepreneurial spirit – he took on many business ventures, everything from farming to personal training.”

The first-place winner of the competition will receive a $4,500 scholarship to ISU, second will receive $2,000 and third will receive $1,000. Non-advancing semifinalists will receive $200.

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