Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

For the first time in the history of Knoxville’s Startup Day which goes back more than a decade, there were two competitions in the annual event held October 1 at the Mill & Mine in downtown Knoxville.

In addition to the traditional one where established and rising start-ups in the 865 area code region competed for one or both honors – the selection by the judges and the choice of the audience, there was the inaugural Emerging Entrepreneur pitch competition for students and new graduates, organized by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

And, when the dust settled, the winners were:

• Judges’ Choice and $10,000 from the Innov865 Alliance: Safire Technology Group Inc., which earlier this year won the PYA-sponsored Ballard Innovation Award.
• Crowd Favorite and $5,000 from Three Roots Capital and Carrasco Trump PLLC: Loop.
• Emerging Entrepreneur and $2,500 from the Anderson Center: Knox Bots.

Separately, StoragePug, the Knoxville start-up that won both the Judges’ Choice and Crowd Favorite awards in the 2018 Startup Day, captured this year’s Traction Award sponsored by CGI.

Safire is advancing battery safety with innovative liquid-to-solid electrolyte additives for Lithium-ion batteries. These additives prevent fires and explosions during crashes or impacts and protect against projectiles. It was pitched by Andrew Hanna, Chief Product Officer.

Loop integrates with organizations’ existing systems to streamline data extraction and ensure that information reaches the appropriate stakeholders reliably and efficiently. It was described by Luke Wiseman, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Judges for the long-standing competition were: (1) Harry Boston, Founder of Boston Government Services and General Partner at Market Square Ventures; (2) Travis Howerton, Co-Founder and CEO of RegScale; and (3) Ashleigh Walters, former President and current member of the board of directors at Onex.

There was a separate set of judges for the Emerging Entrepreneur competition. They were: (1) Charles Moore, President of Premier Products; (2) Rosa Mar, another General Partner at Market Square Ventures; and (3) Catherine Porth, Founder and Executive Director of Let Her Speak and the Women’s Business Collective of East Tennessee.

KnoxBots, described by Co-President and Partner Wesley Pitts, specializes in Grounds Maintenance Automation (GMA) through specialized service models tailored specifically for commercial properties including golf courses, institutional settings, and government landscapes.

The other competitors in the established start-up competition were:

• Algaeo, represented by Mayra Roman-Rivera, Chief Learning Officer,  develops hardware that enables farmers to produce sustainable, efficient, and organic fertilizers on-site using microalgae and artificial intelligence. The technology reduces fertilizer costs, enhances crop yield and quality, and improves soil health for future growing seasons.
• Authentrics.AI offers software through both Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and enterprise licenses, providing unique insights and control over artificial intelligence (AI) systems. It was represented by John Derrick, Founder and CEO.
• HumanAI, pitched by Co-Founder and CEO Preston Garland, enhances small businesses’ promotional activities using a proprietary system that blends advanced AI technology with human expertise.
• Perseus Materials, pitched by Dan Lee, Co-Founder and CEO, creates on-site manufacturing technology to make strong, lightweight building materials that can replace steel and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. Perseus constructs large structures like buildings, bridges, and wind turbines.

The other competitors in the Emerging Entrepreneur category were:

• AluminAiry, presented by Colt Griffith, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, develops aluminum-air batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) using recyclable aluminum and air. These batteries offer significantly higher energy density than Li-ion batteries, enhancing EV range and reducing recharge times, making them scalable for widespread use.
• Flock Analytics offers a web-based platform that integrates with popular church management software, providing valuable insights into church health and performance. Users can track growth trends, visualize community impact, and make data-driven decisions to advance their church. It was pitched by Founder Cody Blankenship.

 

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