Haslam College of Business - Accelerating Ideas to Launch: 2025 Startup Studio Cohort

The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ACEI), housed in the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is excited to announce the Startup Studio summer 2025 cohort.

Startup Studio is a 12-week summer accelerator program hosted by ACEI that assists students and recent alumni in transforming their business ideas into viable products or services. Exclusively available to current UT students and alumni who graduated within the past 12 months, the program offers mentoring, interdisciplinary collaboration and a structured curriculum that guides participants from ideation to market launch.

The program begins in June and ends in September, culminating in a Demo Day that provides participants with exposure to potential customers and investors. With both in-person and remote options, Startup Studio accommodates diverse schedules and locations.

Startup Studio 2025 cohort member and Vol Court and Body Venture Challenge winner Semilore “Semmy” Abiodun-Adeniyi is excited about the program’s networking opportunities and the continued support the ACEI provides. “Having access to this entrepreneurial network will be incredibly beneficial,” he says. “This opportunity means a lot to me, and I’m certain the Startup Studio will aid in my success just as other ACEI programs have.”

Haseeb “HQ” Qureshi, a lecturer in Haslam’s Department of Management and Entrepreneurship and ACEI Teaching Fellow, leads Startup Studio, leaning on his experience as a startup founder, full-stack coder and attorney. He is excited about this year’s cohort and the program’s growth.

“In only one year, the program has grown significantly,” he says. “This summer, we’re hosting an off-campus, in-person experience for nearly all our teams. Our founders range from sophomores to graduate students, working on everything from high-growth startups to impactful small businesses. Their creativity and drive are inspiring, and I’m proud to showcase the power of entrepreneurship at UT.”

Meet the Startup Studio Summer 2025 Cohort

Semilore “Semmy” Abiodun-Adeniyi is a rising senior from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, pursuing a degree in computer science. He started Tavern Game Technologies to support the tabletop roleplaying game community through software solutions for finding, managing and scheduling in-person games.

Spencer Dore is a rising senior from Brentwood, Tennessee, studying management and artificial intelligence. Dore started developing an optical tracking system to provide affordable early warning for bird and drone collisions at small airports through a camera array, improving safety where radar solutions are unavailable.

Jackson Farr is a recent graduate with a management degree from Kingsport, Tennessee. He started Jackedson Wellness to help young adults build physical and mental health through a gamified progress tracker that turns daily growth into a fun, measurable journey, with long-term plans for coaching, content and a wellness-focused gym.

Venkat Gopu is a master’s student in computer science from Hyderabad, India. He started SoulThread to make therapy more connected and effective by offering clients AI-powered support between sessions, giving therapists tools to reduce administrative work and better track client progress.

Joshua Hyde, a native of Greeneville, Tennessee, is a rising junior in biosystems engineering through the heath integrated business and engineering program. He started cNTP Agritech to create cost-effective, on-site and environmentally cleaner nitrogen fertilizers as a sustainable alternative to the carbon-intensive Haber-Bosch process.

Matthew Jones is a master’s student in computer science from Cookeville, Tennesse. He started developing an autonomous robotic harvester that uses AI and computer vision to identify and pick ripe specialty crops, giving farmers a reliable, cost-effective alternative to seasonal labor shortages.

John Kirk, a rising junior from Chattanooga, is pursuing a major in finance with a minor in entrepreneurship. He started Halieus to bring vintage fly-fishing style to a new generation by creating quality apparel that honors the hobby’s history and appeals to anglers who value tradition and character.

Harish Manyam is a student in the Physician Executive MBA program from Chattanooga. He is chair of the Department of Internal Medicine and a professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine in Chattanooga. Manyam is developing sensor technology to enable real-time monitoring of cardiac rehab exercises at home, eliminating the need for patients to travel to a facility multiple times a week.

Jade Owen, a rising junior from Antioch, Tennessee, is pursuing a degree in finance with a collateral in business analytics. She is developing Attan, a wellness game that motivates users to engage with the eight dimensions of wellness through avatar-based challenges and rewards, making healthy lifestyle habits fun and educational.

Zoë Vitale is a recent marketing graduate from New Castle, Pennsylvania. She started MerchAhead to transform the concert merchandise experience by facilitating pre-orders fans pick up at venues, eliminating lines, ensuring access to exclusive items and enhancing the experience with features like augmented reality try-ons and loyalty rewards.

Daniel Watson is a rising sophomore from Raleigh, North Carolina, studying management with a collateral in international business. He is developing Dap, a real-world-first social networking app that requires users to tap their phones together to connect, creating authentic, private and proximity-based friendships enhanced by location-based events, gamification and exclusive content sharing.

About the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, housed in Haslam, is the front door to entrepreneurship at UT, connecting entrepreneurs and innovators at every stage with the resources, networks and expertise needed to solve real challenges. By cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset across campus, connecting entrepreneurs with resources and mentorship they need to grow and collaborating with the UT and regional ecosystem, the ACEI is developing an entrepreneurial culture where Volunteers are empowered to identify unmet needs and take bold action to create value through new ventures.

Contact

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Morgan Lounds, marketing and events coordinator, mlounds@vols.utk.edu