Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

Since 2022, the Big Ideas Welcome Podcast has shared a hundred episodes of stories from entrepreneurs. Heading into the next season of the podcast, host, and Chief Experience Officer of the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center (KEC) Chris McAdoo, wanted to do something different.

This season, the team at the KEC is hosting round table sessions with some of Knoxville’s most prestigious, well-respected business leaders and pairing them with up and coming entrepreneurs. Each conversation will revolve around a specific topic with both mature and new viewpoints. During the season, McAdoo will explore the full scope of entrepreneurial success, failure, and the invaluable lessons learned along the way.

“Once you learn how to do something, it’s a calling to be collaborative and share that with others,” McAdoo said.

From science and technology to art, finance, and education, the KEC said this season has something for everyone—whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur, a curious dreamer, or someone who simply loves a great story.

For episode one, McAdoo sits down with serial entrepreneur and University of Tennessee President Randy Boyd, and Jaleria Rivera, the Founder of Spacecraft in downtown Knoxville – the new hub for creatives. They share a conversation about creating shared spaces for communities to thrive.

“We were very intentional about what it looks like to authentically and intentionally pass the torch and share the things that people have learned in a full career,” McAdoo said. “For example, Randy is on one end – he’s built companies, he’s the President of the UT System, the list goes on. Whereas, Jaleria is on her way up in terms of Spacecraft and see a community for not only what it is – but what it could be”

Have a big idea or a question? Tell the team at KEC at hello@bigideaswelcome.com 

You can listen/ watch the full episode here.

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