The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ACEI), housed in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business, will host its Summer Studio Demo Day on Thursday, August 20, from 4 to 6 p.m. at downtown Knoxville’s Jackson Terminal.
The event concludes ACEI’s 10-week Summer Studio, a program that helps a cohort of students and recent alumni founders build and grow their own businesses from the ground up, working through idea validation, customer discovery, prototyping and financial modeling with guidance from mentors across Knoxville’s startup ecosystem.
Alumna and Summer Studio participant Anna McClure (UT, ’25) explains the program helped her grow a complete business.
“At the start of Summer Studio, I had a minimum viable product of a speech evaluation tool, but now I have a full business,” says McClure. “The mentorship offered by Summer Studio helped me grow my idea into a business, and I can’t wait to share it on Demo Day!”
Witness the Future of Entrepreneurship
According to ACEI director Shawn White, Demo Day, which gives cohort teams the chance to pitch their business live to an audience of community members, investors and fellow entrepreneurs, is the ideal opportunity see firsthand the momentum behind Knoxville’s young entrepreneurial community.
“Demo Day is our chance to show Knoxville what’s possible when students are given mentorship, resources and the room to build,” says White. “I hope the community shows up ready to be impressed.”
The cohort works closely with the ACEI startup coaches during their 10-weeks, gaining real feedback and relationships with successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. Coach Jay Niblick is incredibly impressed with the caliber of students coming through this year’s cohort.
“I’ve been completely blown away at how exceptional these students [and alumni] are,” says Niblick. “These aren’t the concept-level case studies from back in my day; they are significant ideas with real businesses and cutting-edge tech built around them. If you have any interest in what tomorrow’s business world will look like, the impressive entrepreneurs are who are building it today and gaining insights into how that future will affect your own industry…you will want to make Demo Day!”
Attendees can expect:
- Live pitches from each Summer Studio team
- Q&A with the founders
- Networking with mentors, investors and the broader ACEI community
- Light refreshments
The event is free and open to the public. RSVP here.
About the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The ACEI is the front door to entrepreneurship at UT. It connects Volunteers with the expertise, resources and collaborators at UT and across the regional ecosystem to advance ideas, tackle bold challenges and turn entrepreneurial ambition into results. At the ACEI, Volunteers are empowered to identify opportunities and take bold action to create value through new ventures.
For more information on Summer Studio, visit the ACEI event page.
Author:
Allison Kelly, ACEI director of marketing, [email protected]
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