Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

By Tom Ballard, Chief Alliance Officer, PYA

The latest addition to the “Startup Knox” initiative that Brandon Bruce and John Bruck launched a year ago this month is a resource guide for those interested in learning more about selected companies currently raising capital or anticipating doing so in the near future.

The first edition of the “Pipeline Report” spotlights 15 companies that ironically have been the subject of one or more articles in teknovation.biz. They show both the diversity and the ever-growing strength of the local technology-based ecosystem.  It also is an indication of the health of the local start-up community, with more than $40 million in funding sought across all 15 companies.

“And most importantly, we hope this approach, and even this report, helps solve the perceived ‘access to capital’ problem that many people cite as a necessary improvement in our region,” Bruck explains.

The “Pipeline Report,” however, is not available for public viewing on the website in the same way that the listing of start-ups in the region, individuals and firms that invest here, events planned, and the podcast series are.

“We wanted to raise the visibility of local start-ups that are seeking funding, lower the barriers that can exist in connecting entrepreneurs with investors and also show the robustness of the local ecosystem” Bruck says. “At the same time, we also wanted to be sensitive to sharing proprietary information that could adversely impact those companies in terms of their competitors.”

So, how can individuals access the report?

Bruck says that those interested in the report can email him at john@startupknox.com and be granted access to the report that will be updated most likely on a quarterly basis, depending on interest in the approach and data.

“This report is intended to provide information about technology-based companies in the Knoxville and East Tennessee region that are currently seeking or soon plan to seek investment,” he says. “The companies included in this report have provided information including their contact details. You may wish to contact them directly. We ask that you please keep all information in this report confidential.”

Bruck adds that the information is for informational purposes only, is derived from several sources, has not been verified, and is not intended as investment advice. “We hope that this is just the beginning of the conversations that can and should happen between investors and these early stage companies, and just the beginning of how we as show meaningful support to both the entrepreneurial and investor segments of our startup community,” he said.

For each company, the “Pipeline Report” includes: (1) a description of the technology; (2) the target market or customer description; (3) intellectual property position; (4) business model; (5) revenue history and five-year projections; (6) costs and structure; (7) funding to date; (8) funding requirements; (9) funding timeline; (10) specific location; (11) team members; (12) website; (13) contact information; and (14) additional information.

Nearly two-thirds of the start-ups that have agreed to be listed are either currently part of “Innovation Crossroads” or alumni of the program. They include:

• Active Energy Systems;
• American Nanotechnologies Inc.;
• Ascend Manufacturing;
• Endeavor Composites;
• Eonix LLC;
• Grid Fruit;
• Lux SemiConductors;
• Nth Cycle; and
• Neptune Fluid Flow Systems.

The other six listees are:

• C2 Labs Inc.;
• Chem Chip;
• EDP Biotech Corporation;
• NellOne Therapeutics Inc.;
• Qubit Engineering Inc.; and
• Winter Innovations LLC.

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