UT students, faculty, and staff, along with members of the local community, will once again have the opportunity to pitch their business ideas in the Vol Court Pitch Competition for a chance to win free office space in the UT Research Foundation Business Incubator and help with getting started through legal and accounting services.
Vol Court is a six-week entrepreneurial speaker series that culminates in a pitch competition where attendees put what they’ve learned into practice.
Vol Court meets 5:15-6:15 p.m. every Tuesday beginning September 15 in Room 104 of the Haslam Business Building. The series and the pitch competition are open to the public. There is no charge to participate in this event. Anyone who wishes to compete in the October 20 pitch competition must attend four of the five speaker series.
Below is the schedule for this semester’s Vol Court series:
September 15—Business Model Canvas
September 22—Legal Structure for Your Business
September 29—An Entrepreneur’s Journey
October 6—Unconventional Funding Sources
October 13—Pitching the Concept
October 20—Pitch Competition
Thanks to increased sponsorships, the competition has added a third-place prize and larger cash awards.
“This additional sponsorship is coming at a great time, as we expect record attendance at Vol Court thanks to the new entrepreneurship minor being offered across campus,” said Lynn Youngs, executive director of the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “We’re grateful for all of the sponsors, the newest of which is Cirruspath, whose support has allowed us to expand our program.”
Vol Court launched in 2010 and is made possible by donated funds and services from several sponsors, including Cirruspath, Launch Tennessee, Pershing Yoakley and Associates, Morehous Legal Group and the UT Research Foundation.
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CONTACT:
Kimberly Hood (865-974-5123, khood3@utk.edu)
Tyra Haag (865-974-5460, tyra.haag@tennessee.edu)