Anderson Center grants $50,000 in funding for UT startups, doubling impact of previous years
The Boyd Venture Challenge is the largest annual grant opportunity available to UT System student entrepreneurs.
“Our lives are so busy that we don’t stop and celebrate as often as we should,” said Stephen Mangum, the Dean of the Haslam College of Business. “Tonight is a perfect display of things– and people worth celebrating.”
A year of growth for the Anderson Center
University of Tennessee (UT) students from across the system, entrepreneurship ecosystem supporters, UT faculty, family, and friends poured out of the room inside the Institute for Advanced Materials Manufacturing for a “first of its kind” award ceremony by the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ACEI).
As evidenced by the turnout for the year-end celebration, Breanna Hale, the executive director of the Anderson Center, noted a year of exceptional growth both on campus and in terms of support for the community.
First, the UTK’s flagship idea pitch competition, “Vol Court,” saw a 39% increase in participation this school year. Between the fall and spring competitions, more than 50 students brought their business ideas before a panel of judges. Teknovation even featured stories on some of those winners, including World’s Fair Furnishing Company, founded by Jeremiah Vecchioni, and New Horizon Precision, founded by Spencer Dore.
The community growth was evidenced by a couple of key 2025-26 initiatives, such as the first-ever Emerging Entrepreneur Pitch Competition ($3,000 prize) at the Innov865 Fest in Knoxville, sponsored by ACEI, as well as hosting the first-ever Reverse Pitch Competition on UTK’s campus, where startup founders presented to students and the students served as judges.
“I am so impressed with how this program [Anderson Center] has grown through the years, and this has all happened under Breanna Hale’s leadership,” said Tom Graves, former Haslam faculty member and namesake for the bi-annual Graves Business Plan competition.
And, for the first time, the Anderson Center expanded its largest competition, the Boyd Venture Challenge, beyond just UTK students. This year, any student within the UT System was eligible to apply, welcoming new applicants from UT at Chattanooga and UT Southern.
Plus, to add to the competitiveness, ACEI doubled the non-dilutive prize pool from $25,000 to $50,000.
The winners of the 2026 Boyd Venture Challenge
For the Boyd Venture Challenge, students must already have a functioning business that has extended beyond an idea into a reality. Then, the student founders have 10 minutes to impress the judges with an in-depth pitch.
For the 2026 competition, four students took home prize money.
Patrick Ragozzine, founder of Arbor AI, won first place and a total of $17,500. Ragozzine is earning a J.D. from the Winston College of Law, and he is building a case management software platform for solo and small-firm attorneys. His system, Ragozzine said, is powered by a proprietary system designed to eliminate AI falsehoods and improve reliability. His goal is to give smaller firms affordable, easy-to-use AI tools that help them work more efficiently and compete more effectively.
Spencor Dore, founder of New Horizons Precision, won second place and a total of $15,000. Teknovation featured the agricultural drone startup in March, after it won first place at the bi-annual Vol Court pitch competition.
Megan Cales, founder of Sensory Bridges, won third place and a total of $12,500. Cales is bringing to market a supportive wearable device called the ‘Brooks Band,’ designed to help individuals on the autism spectrum become more aware of their vocal levels. Teknovation has covered Cales’ growth since her launch in early 2025.
Coming in fourth place and winning a total of $5,000, Katy Daniels, founder of Henry BnB, is transitioning her historic family farm and family land into a unique tourist destination and bed and breakfast experience. Her goal is to restore and preserve the Appalachian traditions and customs she holds dear. Teknovation will run a feature on Daniels on May 27.
Other finalists included CodeBros AI, Data Rook, Markify, Rise Alarm, Tavern Game Technologies, Tennessee Soteria, and venuu.
Learn more about the Anderson Center.
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