Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

Three individuals who occupy various roles in the tech-based entrepreneurial ecosystem shared their thoughts during one of the panels at the “Tennessee Smart Mobility Expo” that wrapped up its run on Thursday in Nashville.

They were part of a panel moderated by Bryan Barringer, Director of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization at TennSMART, one of the organizers of the event. He was joined on the panel titled “Driving Mobility Innovation in Tennessee” by:

1. Allyn Abadie, Technology Advancement Coordinator at Launch Tennessee;
2. Rob Coleman, Senior Director of Partnerships with the Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Development at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK); and
3. Laura Morejon Ramirez, Product Manager with Whisper Aero, headquartered in Crossville.

Both Abadie and Coleman supports start-ups, while Ramirez works for a well-funded new venture that is taking the propulsion by storm.

“We have raised over $50 million in venture capital,” Ramirez told attendees. That put Crossville on a list next to Austin, the Bay Area of California, and New York City.

Whisper Aero is a propulsion company that also works in the electric battery space. Last July, the start-up dedicated its new 8,000-square-foot flight test center at the Crossville Memorial Airport. Then in October, the company announced a partnership with Stanley Black & Decker to incorporate its proprietary WhisperDrive™ technology into the larger company’s product portfolio.

Before those announcements, Whisper Aero unveiled the “Whisper Jetliner” concept,  a 100-seat battery-electric regional airliner.

Among other topics, Coleman discussed TEAM TN that was first unveiled nearly two years ago at an event on the UTK campus. The coalition of more than 250 stakeholder organizations has a shared vision to establish Tennessee as a global leader in advanced mobility, focusing on information and communication technologies (ICT).

After being named one of 44 recipients of a $1 million “NSF (National Science Foundation) Regional Innovation Engine Development Award,” UTK as the leader of the consortium is in the final stages of submitting its application for up to $160 million in federal funding over a 10-year period.

“We have all of the elements coming together,” Coleman said, noting the team is covering everything from lightweight materials to energy.

For start-ups, particularly those associated with UTK, he noted that the institution was one of the members of the Mid-South I-Corps Hub led by Vanderbilt University, and he talked about the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund that recently announced its second round of funding to five UTK-affiliated start-ups.

In answer to a question from Barringer about the mobility innovation ecosystem, Abadie characterized it as emerging and noted that Launch Tennessee has seen the greatest success in terms of pilot projects.

Barringer asked the three for their advice. Ramirez said Tennessee has the potential to be a real national hub for mobility innovation, Abadie reminded start-ups to talk with their customers, and Coleman said it’s all about collaboration to move the needle.

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