Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

The Knoxville Entrepreneur Center has a Mentor Network of about 30 people who are trained specifically on how to provide business advice to novice, early-stage, growth-stage, and executive-level startups in East Tennessee.

Gabi Perlingeiro Knesel brings more than 15 years of global experience in mining operations, hydrometallurgical process innovation, and commercialization of industrial technologies.

The start-up's big idea involves the fusion of vapor compression and absorption refrigeration systems into a novel thermodynamic cycle that radically reduces the power required to cool electronics.

After years of selling modular zero-waste sneakers, Fela Akinse invented carbon-negative shoes - something never thought possible in the footwear industry.

The new campus will be at the Midway Business Park, and was a result of decades of collaborative work from numerous elected officials, economic development professionals, and corporate partners.

Few things bother venture capitalists more than a founder who says they have "no competition." This was just one bit of advice shared at the Capital Pathways Conversation at 121 Tech Hub.

The company first broke ground at the Hermes site in July 2024 and completed excavation in October.

For the first time in the program's regional history, the three-week cohort was conducted exclusively virtually.