Anderson Center
Competitions & Events
Welcome to the University of Tennessee’s heart of entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity! The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation hosts a wide variety of events including interactive lunch and learns, pitch competitions to win startup capital, cutting-edge workshops, and more throughout the semester.
Whether you’re just starting your entrepreneurial journey as a UT student, a UT faculty or staff member, a seasoned entrepreneur, or a Knoxville community member, we have an event for you. Our events are designed to elevate your skills, expand your network, and fuel your passion for startups!
Anderson Center
Competitions
Vol Court Reverse Shark Tank & Pitch Night
Vol Court is an experiential learning program that guides student entrepreneurs in developing a clear, confident elevator pitch through on-demand modules and a live pitch event.
Reverse Shark Tank, on February 18, is a Vol Court event where local business leaders present real-world ideas, and participants serve as judges. The program concludes with Pitch Night on February 25, during which $3,000 in Roe Prize funding is awarded to students with the strongest concepts.
Dates:
Reverse Shark Tank | February 18
Vol Court Pitch Night | February 25
Time:
4-6 p.m.
Location:
Reverse Pitches (Shark Tank): HBB 440
Pitch Competition: SU 225
Graves Business Plan Competition
The Graves Business Plan Competition offers UT students the chance to share their business concepts for a portion of $20,000 in startup capital.
Application Deadline:
March 13
Competition Date: April 10
Time: 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
Boyd Venture Challenge
The Boyd Venture Challenge is a seed-funding grant competition open to all UT System students (graduate and undergraduate). A total of $50,000 in startup capital is awarded to student-owned companies, with individual awards up to $25,000.
Dates:
Applications Open: March 2
Application Deadline: April 3
Legal Entity Seminar: April 21 & April 24
Pitch Day: May 1 | 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
Anderson Center
SPRING 2026 Events
Anderson Center Signature Speaker Series
The Signature Speaker Series introduces attendees to the visionary minds behind successful businesses.
Summer Studio
During Demo Day, Summer Studio cohort members publicly showcase business ideas developed during the summer accelerator program, providing exposure to potential customers, investors and the community.
Dates:
Applications are open from January 26 through April 30
Startup Straight Talk
Join startup coaches Mark Huber (UT, ’97) and Lia Winter (MBA, ’19; UT M.S, ’19) for a one-hour virtual session during which the entrepreneurs share honest stories, answer tough questions and offer practical advice on the realities of starting and growing a business.
Founder Friday
Founder Friday features fireside chats, hosted by Haseeb “HQ” Qureshi, from entrepreneurs who share their stories, insights and advice to help students connect with the startup community beyond the classroom.
Dates:
January 30
February 20
March 20
April 24
Time:
9-10 a.m.
Location:
121 Tech Hub (121 E Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37915)
Anderson Center Awards Ceremony
More information to come
Dates:
May 7