Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

From Knoxville:

• Early bird registration is underway for the East Tennessee Economic Council‘s sixth annual “Nuclear Opportunities Workshop” conference set for July 30 and 31 at the Hilton Knoxville Airport. Purchase by May 31 and save $100. To do so, click here.
• Applications for the Spark Cleantech Accelerator at the University of Tennessee Research Park close in days, May 15 to be exact. Spanning 12 weeks beginning on August 19, the program offers: (1) a $15,000 stipend to support living expenses and business milestones; (2) expert mentoring and support in various business and technical disciplines in partnership with the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) ; (3) direct connections with a network of customers, investors, and partners; (4) specialized training workshops and individual meetings ; and (5) opportunities for strategic partnerships with key organizations like the Tennessee Valley Authority, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the City of Knoxville, the University of Tennessee, and members of the TAEBC. To apply, click here.

From Oak Ridge:

Two start-ups that are participants in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory-operated “Innovation Crossroads” program have received recognition recently. Both are focused on some aspect of removing CO₂ from the atmosphere or providing a beneficial use for CO₂.

• Holocene, which just dedicated its new direct air capture first generation device last week, made the listing from XPRIZE of the Top 100 most promising carbon removal innovators competing for the XPRIZE in Carbon Removal.
• EarthEn, which makes novel thermo-mechanical flexible energy storage solutions that use CO₂ in a closed loop to store hours of energy at a low cost and highly scalable manner, received a bronze award in the “Sustainable Energy” category of the Edison Awards.

From Northeast Tennessee:

The Northeast Tennessee Music Census Survey has been launched. Led by Sound Music Cities, the initiative aims to gather vital data about the region’s music economy. “Whether you’re a seasoned musician, a part-time performer, or someone behind the scenes, your input is invaluable,” the organizers write. The survey can be found here.

The new Northeast Tennessee (NE TN) Music Initiative kicked off in early April (see teknovation.biz article here), and the survey was a key part of the data gathering. The effort is being led by the East Tennessee State University Research Corporation with the Birthplace of Country Music, Northeast TN Tourism, Sync Space Entrepreneur Center, Launch Tennessee, and the Dobyns-Bennett High School Bands, through funding from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and its Tennessee Entertainment Commission.

The founders are also seeking to enlist other community engagement partners to help spread the word about the survey. Those interested can sign up at this link.

From Johnson City:

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter, and BorTec USA officials announced last week that the company has selected Northeast Tennessee as its first U.S. location.

BorTec will invest a total of $3.1 million and create 35 new jobs in Washington County through the project, which establishes a heat treatment plant in Johnson City. The new operations will mainly produce wear and corrosion-resistant pipes for the oil and gas industries.

BorTec is a subsidiary to German-based BorTec Group. The company will more than double its worldwide headcount through the Tennessee facility.

From Nashville:

Registration for the 2024 “Tennessee Valley Corridor National Summit” set for May 29 and 30 at Vanderbilt University, ends in less than two weeks. To register, click here.

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