The Roe Prize winners of the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s fall 2025 Vol Court pitch competition included a window cleaning and soft washing business, a high-level pitching analytics app and student furniture rental business. A total of 17 students pitched business ideas, from health and wellness to entertainment, technology, finance and marketing, to a panel of judges.

The Anderson Center, part of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business, hosts Vol Court each semester. The program includes three workshop sessions that guide participants through forming business ideas to giving succinct, effective elevator pitches. The workshops culminate in a pitch competition, with Vol Court’s $3,000 Roe Prize funds split between students with winning concepts.

According to Breanna Hale, executive director of the Anderson Center, the Vol Court Pitch Competition challenges students to condense bold, innovative ideas into concise, compelling presentations.

“Vol Court is a challenging pitch competition, and it takes tremendous creativity and courage to distill a big idea into just 90 seconds,” she said. “I couldn’t be prouder of all our participants for their inspiring ideas and their willingness to step up and share them.”

Vol Court Pitch Competition Winners

A team of three judges awarded First Glance Knox the first-place Roe Prize of $1,500, HighHeat the second-place Roe Prize of $1,000 and World’s Fair Furnishing Company the third-place Roe Prize of $500.

Ben Naugle, the founder of First Glance Knox, is a junior management major from Knoxville. First Glance Knox is a residential and commercial window cleaning and soft-washing business based in his hometown. The company aims to elevate Knoxville’s most beautiful homes while building long-lasting relationships based on trust.

“Winning Vol Court is an absolute honor that validates my vision and all of the hard work behind First Glance Knox,” said Naugle. “This award provides momentum to keep building this company to its full potential, as well as lasting value to our clients and community.”

Second place was awarded to HighHeat, founded by Josef Govednik, a senior computer science major from Rolling Hills Estates, California. HighHeat is a baseball pitching analytics tool that uses machine learning to track pitch movement and speed for amateur pitching development.

“At HighHeat, we believe our product can and will be developed, and that we will make a difference in baseball player development,” said Govednik. “Winning second place at Vol Court is a great vote of confidence in our mission and product, and a motivator for our developers and athletes.”

Jeremiah Vecchioni, founder of World’s Fair Furnishing Company, placed third in Vol Court. Vecchioni, a Knoxville native, is a sophomore. World’s Fair Furnishing Company is a student furniture rental business that aims to make move-ins and move-outs around the campus area as seamless as possible. By offering rentals and even rent-to-own services, the company seeks to make student furnishings more sustainable, affordable and accessible.

“Winning third place at Vol Court came as a surprise to me during pitch day,” said Vecchioni. “I heard so many wonderful ideas and businesses pitched. Knowing that mine was at the forefront of the judges’ minds reminds me that Vol Court is incredibly effective and very personal.”

Insight from Workshop Speakers

Hale led the first workshop of Vol Court fall 2025, “How to Come Up with an Idea,” which guided students through idea generation workbooks to explore their passions, identify real-world problems and develop potential business solutions.

Melissa Centers, Haslam adjunct lecturer and Anderson Center startup coach, led the second workshop, “How to Create a Plan for Your Idea.” Centers offered practical advice on turning ideas into action and emphasized the importance of a solid business plan.

The final workshop was led by Wesley Pitts (HCB, ’24), founder of KnoxBots. Pitts shared insights on the art of pitching, emphasizing that the strongest pitches come from truly knowing a business, not memorizing a script.

The Anderson Center thanks the Scott and Dianna Roe Foundation for their generous support of Vol Court. The center also extends its gratitude to this semester’s judges, Gregg Bostick (HCB, ’89), Zulay P. Buchs and Weldon Wright (HCB, ’19), for volunteering their time, expertise and thoughtful feedback in selecting the top pitches.

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 the university, 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 Anderson Center is developing an entrepreneurial culture where Volunteers are empowered to identify unmet needs and take bold action to create value through new ventures.

—

Author:

Kelsey Craighead, marketing and events coordinator, kcraigh2@vols.utk.edu

Contact:

Leah McAmis, senior editor, leah@utk.edu