We all have a story worth sharing, which is why we want to hear from you! If you’re an entrepreneur, maker, dreamer, or doer, tell us what inspired your idea. Tell us about you, the person who made it happen. Or tell us about your involvement in the community at large. If selected, you can get featured in #MadeforKnoxville, a complimentary professional headshot, and first access to Knoxville Entrepreneur Center’s mentor network for support with your business. Need some inspiration?
Pictured: Voice-over actress & Dream-Doer, Azsha White
A special thanks to our presenting sponsor, FirstBank.
Did you know? Knoxville’s been making interesting things for a long time — and just occasionally, things the world has never seen. Learn from famed author and Executive Director of the Knoxville History Project, Jack Neely, as he recounts centuries of entrepreneurial innovation while also unveiling the roots of why Knoxville is called the Maker City.
Pictured: Author Jack Neely
Knoxville Entrepreneur Center is a business accelerator located in the heart of downtown Knoxville. Since 2013, we’ve empowered and educated entrepreneurs of all kinds — and connected them with resources to help make Knoxville, TN, the most founder-friendly city in America. Need our help, but wondering what to do next? Attend a LiftOff session or send us a message so we can help guide you through the process.
Be inspired not only about the business and the business owner, but also their involvement in the community at large.
Explore our diverse entrepreneurial community and why they’re each #MadeforKnoxville.
Pictured from left to right at Startup Day 2019: Tom Ballard, PYA; Jim Biggs, KEC; Lynn Youngs, UT Anderson Center; Tom Rogers, UT Research Park; Leah Winter, Winter Innovations; Amy Henry, TVA; Dan Miller, ORNL; Jonathan Sexton, Bandera; Stacey Patterson, University of Tennessee; Maha Krishnamurthy, UT Research Foundation; Grady Vanderhoofven, 3Roots; Derren Burell, Veteran Ventures […]
Pictured: Chris McAdoo, Maranda Vandergriff, and Jordan Peltz on set at Phillips Forged, November 2020 By Chris McAdoo, artist, entrepreneur, and director of strategy & engagement for Knoxville Entrepreneur Center (This article originally appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel) An entrepreneur is defined by dictionary.com as: “a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, […]
By Jack Neely, Knoxville History Project We may tend to forget that Knoxville, Home of the Vols, Gateway to the Smokies, headquarters of TVA, etc., is also a city with a manufacturing heritage — and one also known for entrepreneurial innovation. Much of its growth — reflected today in many of the old buildings downtown, […]
By Carol Z. Shane Etsy was the first to notice, and that was almost five years ago. When Native Maps’ David Harman, Knoxville Entrepreneur Center’s (KEC) Joy O’Shell and Rala’s Nanci Solomon took off for Brooklyn, NY in May of 2016 to attend the first-ever Etsy Maker Cities Summit, they were already part of an […]
