Meet the Entrepreneurs of the 2026 Spark Mobility Lab Cohort
The Spark Mobility Lab begins on April 21
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (April 14, 2026) — The Spark Mobility Lab is welcoming its first cohort to Knoxville. The new cohort will comprise seven participants, representing five companies in total: Electrovia, Fuel Daddy, PF Design Lab, PRSVR Systems, and ThermoVerse.
The Spark Mobility Lab is a collaboration between the Spark Innovation Center and the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC), with operational support from Launch Tennessee to advance Tennessee’s leadership in transportation innovation.
Building on the proven partnership between TAEBC and Spark, the Spark Mobility Lab strengthens Tennessee’s advanced energy ecosystem and positions local companies to compete nationally in the rapidly evolving mobility sector. The program equips early-stage mobility founders with the technical and economic tools they need to scale by combining Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) training with direct industry engagement and investor readiness support. Led by Spark Innovation Center Director Bill Malkes, the program offers a focused workshop series that connects startups to experts, mentors, and market opportunities. This year’s TEA and LCA workshops are presented by Jack Ferrell with Golden Carbon Solutions LLC. Chris McAdoo, Spark’s Expert in Residence, will assist founders in developing and refining their company pitches.
“Mobility is a core part of American leadership. Tennessee has the energy assets, manufacturing base, and national laboratory infrastructure to lead,” said Malkes. “The Spark Mobility Lab brings these companies in to test their assumptions, build their models, and make decisions that move them toward commercialization.”
Electrovia, led by Thomas Rush, is a Nashville, Tennessee-based company developing high-power autonomous wireless charging systems for electric vehicles to help enable unlimited electric transport.
Fuel Daddy is the AI-enabled operating system for fleet fuel procurement. Developed in Atlanta, Georgia, by Hari and Krishna Chawla, the system helps fleets eliminate the hidden costs of refueling by optimizing procurement logistics and reducing labor and compliance risks.
PF DesignLab, led by Patrick Flaherty, based in Lexington, Kentucky, develops and prototypes natural fiber composite systems, integrating material performance, process design, and cost modeling to enable scalable manufacturing. The company translates natural fiber composite materials into real, manufacturable systems, developing prototype components, building process-level cost models, and defining material-performance frameworks that link engineering decisions to production outcomes. Work spans tooling, fabrication, and supply chain development, establishing the foundation for scalable composite solutions.
PRSVR Systems is a logistics tech company led by Marcella Kaplan, a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Center for Transportation Research. The company is building the routing platform that modern delivery operations need. The platform optimizes routes across mixed fleets in seconds, supporting everything from trucks and vans to electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and drone delivery. The result is less time planning, lower costs, and a measurable cut in emissions. Built on advanced optimization algorithms validated across hundreds of real scenarios, it gives logistics providers confidence not just in today’s routes, but in tomorrow’s fleet decisions. As delivery gets more complex, with more vehicle types, tighter margins, and higher expectations, PRSVR Systems gives operators the tools to stay ahead of it.
ThermoVerse is an urban innovation startup from Detroit, Michigan, led by Shantonio Birch and Mani Venkata Sainadh Reddy Sathi. Its technology unlocks hidden grid capacity in commercial buildings by leveraging Thermal Energy Storage to redirect energy equivalent to a Tesla Megapack from HVAC systems, making it available for other applications like EV Charging and micromobility.
The Mobility Lab takes place April 21-24th. For more information or to request an interview, contact Rachel Anderson at [email protected] or by phone at (734) 693-7009.
About the Spark Innovation Center
The Spark Innovation Center is the University of Tennessee Research Park’s platform for advancing energy and infrastructure companies inside the Energy Valley. The organization works with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee Valley Authority, and the region’s energy and manufacturing base to move early technologies toward qualification and deployment. Spark alumni have progressed into national laboratory programs, utility pilots, and regional production. For more information, visit tnresearchpark.org/spark.