Episode 33: Launching new Tennessee businesses through the Spark Accelerator

Listen up, entrepreneurs! This is the episode is for you. 

Bill Malkes, Executive Director of the Spark Innovation Center and Spark Accelerator program at the University of Tennessee Research Park, and Lance Adler, Founder of Witching Hour and an alum of the Spark Accelerator, joined the show to talk about:

• How the Spark Accelerator is bringing more entrepreneurs and their businesses to Tennessee
• Lance's journey as an entrepreneur and why he chose East Tennessee to grow his business
• How Witching Hour's technology aims to stop forest fires before they start

But the best news? Applications are now OPEN for the next Spark Accelerator Cohort! Apply here: https://www.f6s.com/spark-accelerator-cohort-5/about.

Interested entrepreneurs must apply for this year's cohort by May 27, 2026.

For more information, visit https://www.tnresearchpark.org/spark/

To learn more about Witching Hour, visit https://www.witchinghour.io/ or follow the company on LinkedIn. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Welcome to Energizing Tennessee, powered by the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council. We're your number one podcast for news about Tennessee's advanced energy sector. I'm your host, Courtney Piper. Today we're speaking with Bill Mulchis, Executive Director of the Spark Innovation Center and Spark Accelerator at the University of Tennessee Research Park, and Lance Adler, founder of Witching Hour and alum of the Spark Accelerator Program. Listen up, entrepreneurs, this episode is for you. Because one of our guests today, Lance, is living proof that luck is what happens when hard work meets opportunity. A serial entrepreneur with an ambition to prevent wildfires, Lance first came to East Tennessee for the 2024 Tech Stars program. From there, he applied and was accepted to the Spark Accelerator Program and then Oak Ridge National Labs Innovation Crossroads, where the resources and connections introduced to him would help officially launch Witching Hour, a technology that uses drones and robotics to rapidly move along power lines and retrofit the wire with protective insulation. The goal? Ending forest fires for good. We talked to Bill and Lance about how more people can apply for the Spark Accelerator Program, which is bringing more entrepreneurs, their businesses, and jobs to Tennessee. But the best news applications are now open for the Spark Accelerator Program. We hope you enjoy the episode and apply for the program or share it with someone you know. If you like what you hear, subscribe to our podcast and don't forget to leave a rating or review. It helps us reach a wider audience to champion Tennessee's advanced energy sector. Energizing Tennessee would not be possible without the support of our TAEBC members. Bill and Lance, thank you both for joining us today.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Great to be here, Courtney. Thank you. Yeah, thanks, Courtney.

SPEAKER_00 2:04

All right. Now, this is not the first time we've talked about the Spark Innovation Center on this podcast, but it's Bill's first time on the show. So welcome, Bill. Can you talk about your background and how you joined the team at the UT Research Park?

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Absolutely. Great, great to be here. And Courtney, thank you for all the work you do and for what TAEBC does. It's really what enables Spark and makes this place special. I've been a serial entrepreneur, been doing that for about 35 years now, I guess. And after been blessed enough to sell four companies. And after we sold the last one, I joined Spark as an EIR entrepreneur in residence. Was just really attracted to the uh progressiveness of the program, the way we fold into the community, the energy community in particular here. And then about six months ago, I took over as executive director, and that just our natural evolution. We're kind of tightening things up a little bit here, and we're leaning big time into the nuclear renaissance and the advanced energy environment around here. So just a great time to be in East Tennessee and a great time to be a Spark.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

Well, Bill, the gratitude is mutual. We are so thankful to have you in East Tennessee that you have stayed in East Tennessee, and now you are part of growing this entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem. So, what is the Spark Accelerator Program? Tell us a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

So, you know, a lot of people talk about place-based innovation, and I think they get it wrong. They think it's something you can take a template and set it down, but it really is, you know, the place is the yeast that makes it grow. And uh what Spark is, is we're we're part of that evolution here. So Spark is using the resources of Energy Valley to support companies and who are building in the advanced energy supply chain. Uh, we help them define what they're selling, understand their regulatory path, and we try to get them in front of the right customers and the right partners. Like I know we're blessed to have Centris Energy here in this area, and I know they do a lot to support the community uh from helping people with regulatory through supply chain issues as well as building their own exciting business. So that's what Spark is, and just again, place-based, thrilled to be part of the University of Tennessee and here in eastern Tennessee.

SPEAKER_00 4:13

So a 12-week cohort, lots of great experience and access to our wonderful ecosystem. The Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council is pleased to support the Spark Accelerator Program through our partnership with Launch Tennessee. And we've done this because advanced energy is such a vibrant part of our economy. It employs more than 422, 420,000 Tennesseans in all 95 counties. So this is the one extraordinarily vibrant part of this ecosystem that is just so exciting to see it unfold and come to life through this 12-week program. So, Lance, let's let's talk a little bit more about you right now and your experience with Spark and your company Witching Hour. But let's step back a moment. Had you always wanted to be an entrepreneur?

SPEAKER_02 5:02

For as long as I can remember, from some time in high school, you know, and I was thinking about what I wanted to do when I was, you know, grew up or went to college. From yeah, around the age of 16, 15, and wanted to wanted to run a business.

SPEAKER_00 5:16

So tell us more about Witching Hour. What is it?

SPEAKER_02 5:20

Yeah. Power power lines are a really common cause of uh wildfires and all kinds of other grid disruptions. So what we do is we we build robotic systems that retrofit power lines, like the the power lines that you see running through your neighborhood, for example, with insulation so that if they touch something, it won't cause any issues, like wildfires, for example.

SPEAKER_00 5:41

Talk a little bit more about how prevalent that problem is. Because I think a lot of people think about these wildfires and they think, oh, California, West Coast, wirefire wirefires? Wildfires. So talk a little bit more about how prevalent the problem is and maybe ways people don't think about.

SPEAKER_02 6:00

Yeah, so there are a lot of different ways that wildfires start. Um, but a lot of wildfire destruction comes from power lines. And it's because power lines are you know typically near communities, uh towns. And when these fires start, when these power line cause fires start, they usually cause a lot more damage than than maybe a lightning strike fire, for example. So on it's about 50% of the wildfire destruction in the United States comes from power lines. So it's a it's a really big chunk. And um it's a problem that's we're definitely seeing moving out of California, moving, uh moving eastward. So I think we've we've been seeing wildfires in parts of the country where you wouldn't expect, for example, I think there was one in Brooklyn a couple of years ago, which is very strange. Um so we're seeing we're seeing wildfires that are just growing all over the United States, so it's a problem that's moving, moving all over the country.

SPEAKER_00 6:50

So where did the idea for witching hour come from? There's clearly a problem here, but how do you turn that problem into a business? Solving that problem into a business.

SPEAKER_02 7:01

Yeah, yeah. I was uh so I had a different company before where we did food and beverage stuff. So we yeah, we're I was doing consumer packaged goods, doing food and beverage stuff. Um really didn't wasn't you know a huge fan of it anymore. I wanted to do something that had more of an impact. So I just kind of went down a rabbit hole and was looking at wildfires and uh looked at lightning strike wildfires for a long time for about a year. Um and during this time I was working as a contractor for a utility company in California called Pacific Gas and Electric. And after, you know, I was looking at lightning strike fires for about a year and didn't put two and two together that you know, I was working for a utility company that has a big issue with with wildfires. And so once I realized that I turned my attention to utility-cause wildfires and started looking at what caused those, what utilities were doing to solve this problem, and then started with uh started which are now surely you have a lot of your customer base out west.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

So why are you headquartered in Tennessee?

SPEAKER_02 7:57

Yeah, I think Tennessee is just one of the best places in the country to build anything in the utility or energy field. There's just so many resources here. Uh an amazing community. I mean, everyone here just really wants to help. And I just there's just so many partnerships in in yeah, partnerships that we have here that make it just a really great place to build something in the utility industry. So T. Can you talk about KUB? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:19

Can you talk about some of those partnerships and some of those partnerships specifically and how they have enabled Witching Hour?

SPEAKER_02 8:25

Yeah, KUB has been an amazing partner. Um, I think we got introduced to them through one of the accelerator programs that we went through in uh in Knoxville. But uh they've been an amazing partner thus far. I mean, we're able to go out there and you know, we were building robotic systems, materials that insulate power lines, and it takes a lot of iteration and testing. And we can't do that on you know, real power lines in the field because that would be very risky. We could a lot of things could go wrong. So a lot of our testing occurs at KUB's pool yard where they train linemen. So we've been able to go out there many, many times and test things, and you know, things can go wrong there, and it's not going to be a problem. So that's been hugely helpful. TVA has also been a great partner. They've been helping us a lot, connecting us with other local power companies, and um, they've been amazing partners, as well as Spark. So they've been, you know, there's a lot of great resources here. Um, I could go on and on about how how many people here in East Tennessee have helped us out, but there's just there's a lot of people here that keep us here.

SPEAKER_00 9:23

Well, I'm gonna I'm gonna ask you to expand on that in a moment here, but KUB is the Knoxville Utility, Knoxville Utilities Board. In the state of Tennessee, there are eight really big local power companies, and KUB is one of those eight. So, Lance, you were not working with a small utility or a small local power company here to pilot or demonstrate your technology and your business. This is what one of what we call the big eight. So just talk a little bit more, if you can, about that relationship with KUB, what it has enabled you to do. And if you'd like to expand on the other partnerships and resources you've been able to take advantage of, you know, now is the time to do it.

SPEAKER_02 10:04

Yeah. Um, I mean, that that KUB relationship has been one of the most important because it's just really hard to find a utility company that's willing to let you uh go out and try. I mean, one, they're lending every time we go out there and do testing, they're lending um, you know, three or four linemen's time to us uh to go out there and and test. And it's a it ends up being a lot of time that they're they're spending with us. Um so I mean just the connections with the linemen alone are I mean, that's a huge resource and just being able to chat with them. Um but being able to quickly adjust things, adjust what our systems are doing and go out and actually test them on real infrastructure is hugely helpful. Um it just I can't overstate how helpful that is for us to quickly iterate and and test different things. It's really hard to find utilities that are really willing to have relationships like that. Most utilities are very conservative, um, and they're they usually are not open to relationships like that. So it's been really great. Um I mean, within you know, if I if I reached out to KB now within you know two or three weeks, it could be out there testing. So it's it's very quick. Um so that's just been an amazing, amazing partnership. Um also, yeah, there's there's been a couple others. So there's a guy named Evan Turner who lives uh in Tennessee, and he's a really great drone pilot. And I was introduced to him through Jim Biggs at the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, and he's also been critical in building out uh the system. So his you know, we happen to have one of the best drone pilots in the world here in East Tennessee. So he's doesn't surprise me. Yeah, so he actually lived in the same building as me, which is crazy. Um, but that's also been a huge asset. So I mean it's just been it's been crazy how many resources we're here. I mean, it's that's it's just been amazing. Yeah, that's been an amazing asset as well. I mean, I don't know where we'd be without him helping us uh, you know, build out our systems. I know, I don't know the first thing about drone systems. Um, so having him around it's been it's been amazing.

SPEAKER_00 11:59

And Bill, you've gotten to meet so many entrepreneurs and innovators through this program. So, what makes a submission to the Spark Accelerator Program successful?

SPEAKER_01 12:10

That's a great question, Courtney. I think there's two things that come to mind. The first of which is, you know, we talk a lot about the play space, but the applicant really needs to understand why they want to be in East Tennessee because that that shows that they have the diligence, but also the appreciation to leverage the resources here. This is again, I think such a unique opportunity. And if they don't understand that coming in, they're probably not going to be directed. Uh, the the second thing, equally as important, is somebody who has a showing a passion of moving something from an ideal to the field. Um, you know, Lance is a great example. Lance was always about getting this into the field and not about just published, you know, publishing is great, but the idea of action and making things happen. That's where we at Spark can make the biggest impact for companies that want to do that. Um so we need to see that alignment. So those would be the two things, the understanding and appreciation of the area, coupled with the just the entrepreneurial hunger to see that field, that product in the wild.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

And Bill, if I may, we are we are partners with Spark on the Spark Accelerator, along with Launch Tennessee. And the reason why we we did this and we have this partnership is we have a shared definition of advanced energy. It's anything that makes energy cleaner, safer, more secure, more efficient. We've talked about how Witching Hour makes energy safer and more efficient. You are looking for all kinds of advanced energy technologies, right? We shouldn't, you shouldn't limit yourself, uh be limited by a definition or a term.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

I think that's exactly right. And thank you for bringing that up, Courtney. It's not just the generation. If you think about anything in the supply chain, advanced manufacturing, materials, and again, these are all places, you know, the manufacturing facilities and resources in our area are phenomenal. They're world-class. I sit, I'm blessed every day I come in here and I sit about 35 feet from some of the greatest material scientists and applications in the world, right? Uh, you know, we have wins all over the place. And when I say you we, that's the royal we, I'm talking about the University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Lab, and all the great entrepreneurial companies around here. So, yeah, if you're touching that supply chain anywhere in advanced energy, come here. This is the place to make it happen. These are where the customers are, this is where the expertise is, and all of this stuff is not just vital and important in our national security and our national well-being, but it all has dual use as well that you can leverage from being here. So yeah, I can't say it enough. This is the place to be if if that's what you want to do.

SPEAKER_00 14:51

Well, Bill, where can people learn more about the Spark Accelerator, about the Spark Accelerator and apply for the next cohort?

SPEAKER_01 14:59

So you can look at our website, we're Tennessee ResearchPark.org, or you can also go right to FS or excuse me, F6S, where our application sits. Also at the TAEBC website where you can launch directly into our application. And we'd love to hear your story. We'd love to have you here. We kick off in late August, run through November. Lance has been through the program, a lot of other successful entrepreneurs. It's just a great time. And I think the other thing I'll add to this is the EIRs, it's not just the programming and the location, it's the entrepreneurs riffing off each other that just creates so much value. And yeah, actually, we'd love to hear Lance's. I'm gonna go off script here a little Courtney, but I'd love to hear Lance's thoughts about the value of the core itself.

SPEAKER_02 15:45

Oh, yeah, I think uh I think I mean, yeah, my opinion is the uh the other members are the most valuable part of these these accelerator experiences typically. Um I think for Knoxville specifically, though, the the ecosystem here is sort of unlike anything. I mean, I've lived in a lot of places and I haven't experienced an ecosystem like Knoxville before where it just feels so community driven. I think because it's that way, I think that the accelerators are a great way to get people, if you're not from the area, plugged into the community. Um, I think that's also maybe the maybe the most valuable part, maybe second to the other members of the cohort. But um because the community is just so like just unreal. I've never seen anything like it in Knoxville. And so close, everyone's just so willing to help. I think having the accelerator and the people involved help you, you know, plug you into the community is also hugely helpful. That's how, you know, I've only been here two years, I feel like I've lived here my whole life because of how how many people I know and how plugged into the community I am here. So one of what one of those is is probably the most valuable part, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_00 16:49

Well, for those uh listeners that are new to our podcast, the reason or why East Tennessee is so unique and so special is because we have assets that are not available anywhere else in the country or the world, located all within 30 miles of each other. So East Tennessee is home to the Department of Energy's largest science and energy national lab, Oak Ridge National Lab. And then we have the nation's largest public power provider, which is TVA. And we also have the state's flagship land grant university, their flagship campus in Knoxville with the University of Tennessee. All those three assets are in one area and they are constantly fueling innovation and business growth and development. And all three of them, along with the private sector, have been laser focused on advanced energy and building out our entrepreneurial ecosystem. So, Lance, to hear you say that you feel that community, you feel that welcoming volunteer spirit, that is great. That is great for us. That is that is what this community has built. And the private sector is all in on that. That's why we started the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council is to champion advanced energy as an economic development and job creation strategy. And I do think that East Tennessee is a very unique and special part of the country, and it is a great location for advanced energy entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses. I think it's the best place in the world for one more time, Lance for people in the back.

SPEAKER_02 18:19

Yeah, best place in the world to build an energy company or utility-oriented company.

SPEAKER_00 18:25

Fantastic. Bill, we couldn't get a better testimonial for the Knoxville region and the Spark Accelerator.

SPEAKER_01 18:32

I think that's right. And Courtney, I'd I'd love to add a corollary to your beautiful explanation of the area, but I think a lot of people don't inherently understand that Oak Ridge National Lab is the birthplace of civilian nuclear energy. And the University of Tennessee has one of the world's best nuclear engineering programs, one of the world's advanced manufacturing programs, advanced manufacturing programs. And we've already talked about what they're doing with materials. So it is the place to be, and we just love having people like Lance here, you know, with the spirit. And again, I I've watched him since his tech star days through Spark, and it's just that drive and determination that it's why he fits in here because he has Tennessee grit.

SPEAKER_00 19:19

Love it. Okay, we are gonna put the links to apply to the next Spark Accelerator cohort in our show notes. Bill, when is the deadline to apply?

SPEAKER_01 19:28

Uh the deadline is May 27th, and uh we'd love to have you here. We'd love to hear your story, we'd love to be part of your success.

SPEAKER_00 19:36

All right, Lance, where can people learn more about Witching Hour and what is next for Witching Hour?

SPEAKER_02 19:42

Yeah. So our website doesn't isn't very descriptive. I'd say maybe our website. We're like sort of intentionally, you know, not putting too much out there right now, but um what's next? So I think we're looking forward to uh getting this out into the in the real world sometime in the next 12 months or so. So you should see us insulating insulating wires in the real world.

SPEAKER_00 20:04

All right, great. Well, the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council wants dibs on that news, so we'll have to have you come back to the podcast. Maybe we'll get some video, some other sort of creative ways where we can help showcase your success.

SPEAKER_02 20:16

Yeah, that'd be great.

SPEAKER_00 20:18

All right, Bill and Lance, thank you so much for joining us on Energizing Tennessee.

SPEAKER_01 20:23

Thank you, Courtney. Thanks, Courtney.

SPEAKER_00 20:27

And that's our show. Thanks for tuning in to Energizing Tennessee, powered by the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council, your number one podcast for news about Tennessee's advanced energy sector. If you like what you heard, please share it with others or leave a rating and review. To catch the latest episodes, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Don't forget to follow TAEBC on social media or sign up for our newsletter to hear about our events and learn even more about Tennessee's growing advanced energy economy. Thank you for listening to Energizing Tennessee.