Haslam College of Business - UT Anderson Center Hosts Event Focused on the Reality of Startups

An average of 137,000 startups launch each day. Despite this proliferation, the realities of startups are often unknown or misunderstood. The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, housed in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business, aims to provide a clear look at these businesses. The center hosts Startup Straight Talk, where students get unfiltered answers from founders who lived the reality of startups, from pitching and failing to finding a way forward.

The latest Startup Straight Talk session took place on September 5, reintroducing the program with a new name and format to reflect its open, discussion-driven style. Startup coaches Mark Huber (UT, ’97) and Lia Winter (HCB MBA, ’19; UT M.S., ’19) led the one-hour virtual conversation with six participants. The smaller group format kept the exchange casual and honest, giving students space to ask questions and compare experiences.

Both coaches and founders brought distinct perspectives to the conversation. Winter launched Winter Innovations while still in graduate school at UT, building a surgical device company from scratch and bringing its first product, EasyWhip, to market in 2022. She spoke candidly about navigating hospital decision-makers, training surgeons and pushing through her own shyness as a new founder. Huber, a serial entrepreneur with nearly two decades of experience, has started four companies from the ground up. He shared lessons from the grind of sales calls, early product rollouts and the persistence it takes to find the one key player who can open the next door.

A central theme of the session was the importance of knowing your audience. Whether it’s an investor, a hospital administrator or a funding decision-maker, tailoring the right story to the right person can be the difference between moving forward and stalling out.

“You’re always trying to focus on finding the person who unlocks the next door for you,” Huber said.

He added that while tools like LinkedIn can help, they don’t always solve the problem. “A lot of times when I am trying to find a new customer, I will go on LinkedIn and search based on titles, but titles don’t always tell you who the decision-maker is.”

Winter connected that point back to her own experience. “Early in my business, I often spent time pitching to anyone who would listen rather than focusing on whether I was a good fit for the person with whom I was speaking,” she said. “Doing the research not only saves time but also helps build a relationship by understanding the problems the other person needs solved. Pitching should evolve so you’re not wasting anyone’s time.”

Alongside these lessons, the coaches emphasized the Anderson Center’s resources — mentorship, one-on-one coaching, business model development and pitch competitions like Vol Court and the Graves Business Plan Competition — all designed to help students turn ideas into action.

Regardless of the insights, the heart of Startup Straight Talk is the conversation itself. Each session begins with a few starter topics and quickly evolves into what the group most wants to discuss, from first pitches and sales calls to scaling challenges. Students walk away with wisdom and encouragement from people who have lived the entrepreneurial journey.

The next Startup Straight Talk sessions are scheduled for October 10 and November 24.

Ready to learn more about entrepreneurship or already developing an idea? Startup Straight Talk offers a candid space where founders share real experiences and where new ventures can take shape. Participants are encouraged to bring questions, challenges and curiosity.

The Anderson Center also hosts several other events for UT students, faculty and staff, as well as community members.

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 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

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Taylor McElroy Bennett, administrative specialist, [email protected]

Contact

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Leah McAmis, senior editor, [email protected]