“Start-up Day” focused on celebrating entrepreneurship, culture
By Tom Ballard, Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurial Initiatives, Pershing Yoakley & Associates, P.C.
There’s a big regional party being planned for November 21 in downtown Knoxville, and the public is invited.
Billed as “a celebration of start-ups and culture,” the event will start at 3 p.m. and run until probably 8 p.m. at The Standard, 416 West Jackson Avenue.
“We want to have hundreds of East Tennesseans come to the celebration,” said John Morris, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tech 20/20. His organization is helping plan the festivities along with the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center and Launch Tennessee.
The official news release is available here (Startup Day release 2013).
Morris told us the format will include “quick hitter” presentations by 16 companies interspersed with musical entertainment from local singers and songwriters. There will also be a keynote address by Michael Strickland of Bandit Lites who founded his company at the age of 12 and grew it into an international corporation.
After all of the presentations are complete, there will be opportunities to network over food and drink as well as listen to The Coveralls, a local band.
“Our region has much to celebrate – from its entrepreneurial base to its musical heritage,” Morris explained. The November 21 event will put the spotlight on both in a way that allows the community to celebrate with the entrepreneurs and musicians.
The companies presenting that afternoon are those that participated in the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center’s “Start-up Boot Camp” during the summer or the VEnergy Accelerator currently underway.
There’s a nominal registration fee of $10. For more information or to register, click on this link to Tech 20/20.
