Kendra Mueller Won Vol Court Business Competition

Entrepreneur Kendra Mueller took the top prize in the Knoxville-based business pitch competition.

Updated on Sept. 25, 2026 in Openings & Closings

Isometric editorial illustration showing a conceptual thermal heater unit on a wooden stand, representing startup innovation. — University of Tennessee student Kendra Mueller won the $1,500 grand prize at the Vol Court business competition for her startup concept, WarmWave. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Knoxville student Kendra Mueller won the Vol Court business competition for her startup idea, WarmWave. She secured a $1,500 prize after competing against 22 other participants.

Why it matters

The event, sponsored by the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, encourages students to bridge the gap between classroom theory and real-world business application.

The competition distributed a total prize pool of $3,000 among the top three finishers. Kendra Mueller earned $1,500 for first place, followed by $1,000 for second and $500 for third.

The players

Kendra Mueller

She is the student entrepreneur who won the first-place prize for her business idea called WarmWave.

Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

This organization is based at the Haslam College of Business and serves as the primary sponsor for the Vol Court competition.

The details

Participants were required to deliver a 90-second elevator pitch without the use of presentation slides. Judges from the local startup community evaluated each pitch to determine the winners.

September 16, 2026: The Vol Court competition was held.

Market Landscape

This event highlights the ongoing support for student founders provided by the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The competition serves as a regional talent pipeline, positioning local student startups to compete in the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Students and aspiring entrepreneurs can look toward these competitions as potential funding sources for early-stage business ideas. Participation requires the ability to distill complex concepts into a concise 90-second pitch format.

The takeaway

Developing the ability to pitch an idea without visual aids is a critical skill for any founder seeking investment. Winners like Mueller often use these initial winnings as seed capital to build their first functional product prototypes.