Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

There’s a lot of catching-up to do for many enterprises that we follow based on social media posts and news releases issued. As a result, this week’s “News & Notes” will be divided into two parts. Here’s Part 1; Part 2, focused on Middle Tennessee, posts tomorrow.

From Knoxville:

• The Innov865 Alliance issued its latest video spotlighting how the region is a great place for women entrepreneurs. It’s a little more than two minutes in length and can be found at this link.
• The University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF) issued its latest annual report titled “Discover 2021.” In an introduction to the report, UTRF President Stacey Patterson wrote, “We support University of Tennessee innovators across the state to develop and deploy technology that solves problems and makes our lives better. And, we have so many wins to celebrate this year.” The full report can be viewed here.
• Derren Burrell, local co-lead for Bunker Labs, told us the kick-off session for “22 Alpha,” the first 2022 cohort of the “Veterans in Residence” program, was held last Wednesday evening at the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center with 10 participants. We spotlighted the program last month in this teknovation.biz article.
• Winter Innovations Inc. posted the following message on social media: “We are excited to share news of a strong start to 2022 – our second patent was issued by the USPTO (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) today! US Patent 11,213,290 covers our new WhipLock^TM stitch, which is an innovative cross between a whip stitch and a Krackow stitch. A special thanks to Stephen Adams and our Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C. team for helping us reach this milestone!”
• SkyNano LLC also posted on social media the following: “SkyNano has had a great kickoff to 2022 with the successful award of a Phase II SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant from the National Science Foundation! We’re so grateful for the continued support from the NSF and are excited to get started on all the technical work this project entails. This is a 24-month, $992K award, focused on tasks in support of our overall scaling efforts. This support will help accelerate our progress towards commercialization of our carbon technology, which simultaneously captures, converts, and permanently stores CO2 as solid carbon nano materials like carbon nanotubes. Big thanks to the National Science Foundation  and all of those who have supported this effort!!”

From Oak Ridge and Idaho:

Hempitecture Inc., the Idaho-headquartered company that is participating in Cohort 5 of the “Innovation Crossroads” program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, reports a major milestone in its evolution. “After months of working closely with our Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) partner on the design of our manufacturing line, our equipment is now under construction,” the company wrote in this recent social media-distributed attachment. “The construction process includes many steps, which originate from an engineering plan set designed and developed in tandem with the OEM and Hempitecture. This plan set incorporates all the necessary machines to achieve our product goals in a linear line layout.”

From Chattanooga:

• Chattanooga’s Smart Grid, operated by EPB, has been recognized by Green Business Certification Inc.^TM (GBCI), the world’s leading sustainability and health certification and credentialing body, for achieving PEER Gold (Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal^TM) recertification. PEER is the world’s first certification program that measures and improves power system performance and electricity infrastructure, and advances sustainable, resilient and reliable energy systems. This announcement builds on EPB’s designation in 2015 as the first municipal utility to achieve PEER certification. Here’s the news release from EPB (Press Release_EPB GBCI VW PEER_Final).
• Groundbreaking, award-winning research by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP) was showcased at last week’s annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. CUIP’s Smart Corridor along a section of Martin Luther King Boulevard, a first-of-its-kind research testbed using 3D technology to understand pedestrian safety in high-traffic areas, was featured by CUIP partner Seoul Robotics at the show. Click here to learn more.
• Seven States Power Corporation announced the appointment of Lance Irwin as Vice President of Research and Portfolio Optimization. He joins Seven States from the Electric Power Board (EPB) of Chattanooga, where he most recently served as Director of Energy Solutions Technology.

From Cookeville:

Ashley Garth, Founder of Garth Media, will lead a discussion of “Social Media & Email Marketing Tactics for Women in Business” during this Thursday’s monthly “lunch and learn” hosted by The Biz Foundry’s Powered by Her organization. The 12 to 1 p.m. CST session on January 13 will be held at The Biz Foundry, 114 North Cedar Avenue in Cookeville. Click here to register.

From Maryville:

The Sky City Entrepreneur Center in Maryville issued a correction to its email blast about the date of the January meeting of the Women in Entrepreneurship Blount County (WIE-BC) group. The correct date is 9 to 10 a.m. EST January 25 at Sky City, 429 South Washington Street.

---