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Teknovation News and Notes
May 01, 2023 | Tom Ballard

News & Notes | Dates for annual “Innov865 Week” top the news

The Boyd Co. names Chattanooga as one of the three best sites in the U.S. to attract new electric vehicle equipment manufacturing and jobs, and the UT Research Foundation moves up in tech transfer rankings.

From Knoxville:

  • The dates for the annual “Innov865 Week” and its premier event – “Startup Day Knoxville” – have been announced. The week runs September 8 through 15, beginning once again with the “Maker City Summit.” The big celebration of the community’s innovation and entrepreneurial community – “Startup Day” – will be held on September 12 at The Mill & Mine. More details will be announced later.
  • The University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF) ranks #81 in the latest listing of the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted Utility Patents in 2022. That position ties UTRF with the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and the University of New Mexico. UTRF received 41 patents in 2022. The annual list is compiled and published by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). “The University of Tennessee continues to make a profound and tangible impact across the state and around the world,” said UT System President Randy Boyd. “Each of these patents further positions UTRF as problem-solvers and solution-seekers that create future opportunities for success.” Click here for more about the ranking.

From Maryville:

On the heels of our two-part series on plans to bring new vibrancy to the area came news that the Maryville Downtown Association has hired a new Executive Director. The individual is Amanda Gillooly, a graduate of Maryville College and described as a person who has been active in the community. If you missed our series, you can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

From Chattanooga:

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that the region is one of the three best sites in the U.S. to attract new electric vehicle equipment manufacturing and jobs as a national company cites the Scenic City’s low operating costs. Of 30 metros nationally that The Boyd Co. names as poised to woo such new investment, operating costs are the lowest in the Chattanooga area. The metro’s total annual cost was put at $43,727 per employee for a 150,000-square-foot EV manufacturing facility employing 500 workers, with the location consultant calling the region the best in the central/southern U.S. Others cited for their low costs were North Charleston, SC, and Minden, NV.

From Johnson City:

  • Audrey Depelteau, Director of East Tennessee State University’s (ETSU) Innovation Lab, will become the first Tennessean invited to speak at the “SelectUSA Investment Summit” hosted by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. The event, which began May 1 and continues through May 4, connects investors, companies, industry experts, and various organizations with the goal of promoting investment deals in the U.S.
  • The FoundersForge organization has announced that its next “Appalachian Creative Marketing Meetup” will be held at 6 p.m. on May 2 at the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce. The topic is “Regional Sales,” and the discussion will be led by Jonathan Fields, Marketing Coordinator at ActionVFX, a Johnson City-based company. To register, click here.

From Nashville:

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development has announced that its annual “Governor’s Conference” will take place September 18-19 in Chattanooga. More details will be announced later.

From Boston but with Knoxville Ties:

Spiky.ai, one of the members of the inaugural cohort of the “Techstars Industries of the Future Accelerator,” has announced that its inaugural product named Spiky Platform is featured on Product Hunt, the website created to share and discover new products (click here). The start-up uses artificial intelligence to analyze and understand online interactions followed by a suite of algorithms to increase that online engagement.


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