Blue North's Northern Kentucky Entrepreneur Fund recently received a boost in the form of a $30,000 grant from Truist. The funds will help increase the number of Northern Kentucky-based startups and small businesses that receive grants to build and scale their companies.
The Entrepreneur Fund was founded in January 2023 in partnership with Cincinnati-based Main Street Ventures and with support from the R.C. Durr Foundation.
"We are incredibly grateful to [the] Truist Foundation for their support and belief in our mission,” Blue North executive director Dave Knox said in a release. “This grant will enable us to make a substantial impact on the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Northern Kentucky through the NKY Entrepreneur Fund, which helps startups to thrive and contribute to the economic vitality of our state.”
In 2023, 23 startups received more than $180,000 from the fund, according to the release. Recipients included Golden Gelato in Covington, Body Bakery in Newport and Bailout Systems of Covington.
In addition, Main Street Ventures announced the first of its grant recipients for 2024. The list includes three startups that are also supported by the NKY Entrepreneur Fund: Inflow (an AI-powered design platform for businesses), Mimi’s Macros (a healthy meal prep company based in Union) and Taste on Elm (a cafe/wine shop/market located in Ludlow).
“Truist is committed to fostering economic development and supporting innovative ventures and startups across Northern Kentucky,” Billy Santos, Ohio and Northern Kentucky market president for Truist, said. “We believe in Blue North and the NKY Entrepreneur Fund’s mission and are excited to see how this grant will empower local entrepreneurs, drive job creation and contribute to the growth and vibrancy of the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
As of June 30, 2023, Truist had the seventh-largest market share in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region at 0.92% with 14 local offices and $1.8 billion in deposits, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Blue North is one of six innovation hubs located throughout Kentucky that are part of KY Innovation, the entrepreneurial arm of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.
Knox, who has served as its executive director since 2022, is a board member and co-founder of Main Street Ventures and managing partner and co-founder of Vine St. Ventures.
Blue North hopes to move its offices to the $15 million SparkHaus facility — being built in a space that once housed a furniture store — in Covington in 2025.
