Application deadline for “Startup Day 2018” pitch competition is Friday
Teknovation Biz article by Tom Ballard, Chief Alliance Officer, PYA
Attention East Tennessee area entrepreneurs.
Applications are now being accepted for the “Startup Day 2018” pitch competition that is the featured event in the Knoxville region’s “Innov865 Week” that runs September 23-28. The deadline to apply is this Friday (July 13). To do so, click here.
Six East Tennessee start-ups will be selected to pitch their new ventures and compete to win up to $10,000 in cash prizes during “Startup Day” that will be held September 25 at The Mill & Mine on West Depot Street in Knoxville.
To be eligible to apply, the business must be located in East Tennessee. The Innov865 Alliance will review submissions and select six start-ups to compete.
The pitch competition will feature two prize categories: “Judges’ Choice” and “Crowd Favorite.” The latter, presented by SunTrust Bank, allows the audience to cast their vote for their favorite pitch through an interactive voting process. Cash prizes will be awarded in both categories, equaling $10,000.
In addition, one “Startup Day” alum will be honored with the “Innov865 Traction Award,” presented by the UT Federal Credit Union, in recognition of the new venture’s business successes. Smart RIA (see our recent update on the company here) won the votes of the judges last year while SkyNano Technologies (see our most recent article about the “Innovation Crossroads” participant here) earned the most votes from attendees and RDI Technologies Inc. took home the recognition for most progress among previous pitch competition participants (see our story from the event).
“Innov865 Week” is presented by the Innov865 Alliance, an organization that is focused on developing, supporting, and promoting the Knoxville region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Founding members include the University of Tennessee (UT) Research Foundation; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; PYA, the power behind teknovation.biz; UT Knoxville’s Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Three Roots Capital; Launch Tennessee; Knoxville Entrepreneur Center and TVA.