Anderson Center

The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation works with the College of Business Administration at the University of Tennessee to encourage entrepreneurship and technological innovation in the nearby regions by working with college students about to enter the workforce.  They sponsor VolCourt which is a workshop and competition for business planning and design.  The following is from the College of Business Administration website:

“The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation will offer the chance for students, faculty and the community to learn from entrepreneurs and business experts about the essentials of getting a company off the ground.

The Vol Court spring 2012 session begins Jan. 31 and runs through March 13. Workshop presenters are from various organizations throughout Tennessee, and all have experience with entrepreneurial companies.

The seven-part series will be held Tuesdays at 5:15 p.m. in Room 701 of the Stokely Management Center.”

The Anderson Center also hosts an undergraduate business plan competition.

The VolCourt prize for the “Pitch Competition” is $1000 for first place and $500 for second.  The prize for the business plan competition is up to $20,000 that may be distributed to one or many of the winning pitches depending on 3 criteria; need for capital, viability of the business concept, and growth potential.

The most recent winners of the VolCourt pitch competition were Cedric Brown and Jake Rheude for their pitch on a new supermarket item, Buffalo Chicken Dip, which is non-existent in Knoxville supermarkets.  The winner of the inaugural VolCourt competition, in the spring of 2010, was Danny Smith who won for pitching a product to protect rock climbing shoes and extend the life of the shoe.  Other winning pitches included an online community that allows students to leave feedback on host families, residence halls, apartments and other living arrangements during the school year, and a collapsible water bottle.