The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, housed in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business, concluded another successful Summer Studio with a Demo Day on August 20, 2026. The event, held at Jackson Terminal in downtown Knoxville, brought together student founders, mentors, donors and the broader entrepreneurial community to celebrate a summer of hard work, growth and bold ideas.
Over the course of the 10-week Summer Studio, 20 entrepreneurs, representing eight undergraduates, eight graduate students and four alumni, spent their summer transforming early-stage concepts into investor-ready ventures. Participants came from six UT colleges, with majors ranging from law, biochemistry and finance to materials science, computer science, supply chain and music, reflecting the interdisciplinary spirit that defines entrepreneurship at UT.
Shawn White, director of the Anderson Center, said the program is designed to help participants build the confidence and skills needed to pursue their ideas.
“Summer Studio is about giving young entrepreneurs the confidence, community and practical tools to turn ambitious ideas into real ventures,” said White. “Watching this cohort take meaningful risks, learn from one another and make such remarkable progress in just 10 weeks is a powerful reminder of the entrepreneurial talent being developed across UT.”
A Summer of Transformation
Demo Day is the culminating event of Summer Studio, where founders take the stage to pitch their ventures to a room of mentors, investors and community supporters. Behind every pitch is a summer of iteration, feedback and growth. This year’s results speak to just how far the cohort came:
- 92 percent of participants reported improved confidence across key entrepreneurial skills
- 82 percent rated the program as exceeding expectations or transformational
- 100 percent said they would recommend the program to others
- 88 percent plan to actively continue working on their ventures 12 months from now
For many founders, Demo Day was a milestone moment to reflect on how far their ventures, and they themselves, had come throughout the summer.
Anna McClure (UT PhD., ’25), founder of Validbound, reflected on the cohort’s growth throughout Summer Studio and the connections made at Demo Day.
“It was amazing to see the culmination of the cohort’s growth and progress achieved through Summer Studio and to share it with the community,” said McClure. “In addition to making many meaningful connections at Demo Day, I took away great value and pride from seeing the progress we made collectively.”
Powered by Community Support
Summer Studio and its Demo Day are made possible by the generosity of the Anderson Center’s network of donors, presenters and mentors, who dedicated their time, expertise and resources throughout the summer to help these founders succeed. When asked about the cohort of student businesses, mentor and Startup Coach James Niblick was impressed.
“I’ve been completely blown away at how exceptional these students are,” said Niblick. “These aren’t the ‘concept-level’ case studies from back in my day; these are significant ideas with real businesses and cutting-edge tech built around them.”
About the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The Anderson Center 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 Anderson Center, Volunteers are empowered to identify opportunities and take bold action to create value through new ventures.
Its upcoming programs, such as Vol Court, the Graves Business Plan Competition and the Boyd Venture Challenge, provide more opportunities than ever for students, mentors and community members to get involved
Interested in mentoring a future cohort, judging a pitch competition or supporting student ventures? Reach out to the Anderson Center to get involved.
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Author:
Allison Kelly, Anderson Center director of marketing, [email protected]
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