ASTERS, Pink Apron take home $5,000 each in the Graves Business Plan Competition
The bi-annual pitch competition is hosted by the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Each semester, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) hosts the Graves Business Plan Competition — an engaging, two-track pitch event designed to give student entrepreneurs real-world experience.
The event is facilitated by the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ACEI) within the Haslam College of Business, and gives participants the opportunities to pitch their ventures to a panel of experienced judges. In total, ACEI awarded $21,000 to student businesses through this semester’s Graves competition.
The winners of each category: Growth and Lifestyle each win $5,000. The second place teams win $3,000 and the third place teams win $2,000.
Growth Category
The Growth Category is designed for high-potential start-ups that require significant investment and offer strong scalability.
First place: ASTERS
The company was founded by Aniirudh Ramesh, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering, and his advisor, Subhadeep Chakraborty. Active Shooter Tracking and Evacuation Routing for Survival or “ASTERS” is developing intelligent, adaptive virtual environments that surpass traditional simulations—improving emergency response and homeland security training.
“Winning the Graves Business Plan Competition is truly a great honor and an important milestone for our company,” Ramesh said in the press release. “This provides validation for our business model along with financial support to accelerate our vision of building a truly innovative product and achieving hockey-stick growth.”
ASTERS was also recently selected for Cohort 4 of the University of Chicago’s AI Transform program, which includes a $25,000 investment, $325,000 in computing credits, and access to UChicago’s mentorship network.
The second place winner was “SoulThread,” which was co-founded by Venkat Gopu and Arshita Sharma. It is an AI-powered platform designed to help therapists simplify administrative work, prepare for sessions and stay connected with clients through an intelligent companion.
The third place winner was “Fastlain,” founded by Grant Cline. It instantly analyzes and summarizes real estate documents, transforming them into clear, organized insights that agents can easily share.
Lifestyle Category
First Place: Pink Apron
Founded by Grant Coggin, a senior majoring in chemical engineering, Pink Apron distributes high-quality pastries to coffee shops and event venues, simplifying access to fresh, premium baked goods.
“We’re thrilled to win the Graves competition,” Coggin said. “This achievement boosts our confidence as we expand into new markets, and it accelerates our growth with the support and recognition it brings.”
Second place went to “Gainz Mastery,” a 12-week fitness program designed to help young adults improve their body composition. It was founded by Jawan Qura.
Third place went to “A-List Accessories,” co-founded by Nima Aref and and Harrison Gillespie. A-List Accessories designs pop culture-inspired, eco-friendly planters that blend personality with sustainable home décor.
Breanna Hale, the executive director of ACEI, praised the participants for their creativity, dedication, and courage.
“Every year, the quality of the entrepreneurs and their business concepts continues to impress us,” Hale said. “Judging such a diverse range of ideas is no easy task, but each one was thoughtfully outlined and passionately presented. It’s truly inspiring to see these students take the leap — sharing ideas they deeply believe in, knowing that most people never take that step,” she said.
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