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A total of 20 Louisville, greater Kentucky and Southern Indiana startups were honored at this year’s KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program.
Christopher Fryer
This year’s KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program was held at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Attendees network ahead of the the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Kayla Meisner, executive director of Kentucky Commercialization Ventures, networks ahead of the the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Koby Hastings, with Leadrilla, center, Mike Shepard with Render Captial, left, and Eric Steele with Elevate Ventures, network ahead of the the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Dan Ross-Li, left, with Affinna, and Akhil Suresh Nair, with Xena Intelligence, network ahead of the the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
The event was sponsored by KY Innovation, Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation (KSTC), LG&E, University of Louisville and UK Innovate. The physical awards were sponsored by Amplify Louisville. A/V services were provided by Prestige AV and Creative Services.
Christopher Fryer
Attendees look on as the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program begins at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Stephen Schmidt, center, Louisville Business First reporter and KY Inno editor, speaks during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Louisville Business First Editor Shea Van Hoy delivers opening remarks during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
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Event sponsor Monique Kuykendoll Quarterman, Deputy Executive Director with KY Innovation, delivers sponsor remarks during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
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Ian McClure, Associate Vice President for Research, Innovation and Economic Impact with UK Innovate, delivers sponsor remarks during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Haley Cawthon, Louisville Business First assistant managing editor—digital and the former KY Inno lead, speaks during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Stephen Schmidt, Louisville Business First startup/tech reporter and KY Inno lead, speaks during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
delivers sponsor remarks during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Terry Samuel, Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation President, delivers sponsor remarks during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Will Metcalf, associate vice president of Research and Innovation in the UofL Office of Research and Innovation, delivers sponsor remarks during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Larry Horn, Executive Director, Amplify Louisville, delivers sponsor remarks during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Attendees look on during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Waleed Bahouth with Arrow Health delivers remarks after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Representatives from Arrow Health pose with awards sponsor Amplify Louisville’s Jenn Callahan after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Resound co-founder acob Bozarth delivers remarks after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Resound co-founders Mark Minnery, left, and Jacob Bozarth, center, pose with awards sponsor Amplify Louisville’s Jenn Callahan after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Black UX Labs founder Amber Fields delivers remarks after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Black UX Labs founder Amber Fields poses with awards sponsor Amplify Louisville’s Jenn Callahan after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
C2 Keep founder and CEO Roland Achenjang delivers remarks after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Founder and CEO Roland Achenjang, left, and David Galownia with C2 Keep pose with awards sponsor Amplify Louisville’s Jenn Callahan after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Ari Blum, CEO and founder of Clover Learning, delivers remarks after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
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Representatives from Clover Learning pose with awards sponsor Amplify Louisville’s Jenn Callahan after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
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Forecastr co-founder Logan Burchett delivers remarks after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
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Representatives with Forecastr pose with awards sponsor Amplify Louisville’s Jenn Callahan after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
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KidVestors co-founder Courtney Pettway delivers remarks after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
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Courtney, center, and Darius Pettway, left, co-founders of KidVestors pose with awards sponsor Amplify Louisville’s Jenn Callahan after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Koby Hastings, founder and CEO of Leadrilla, delivers remarks after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Representatives from Leadrilla pose with awards sponsor Amplify Louisville’s Jenn Callahan after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
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Srinivasa "Raju" Eedarapalli, founder and CEO of Prama, delivers remarks after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
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Srinivasa "Raju" Eedarapalli, founder and CEO of Prama, poses with awards sponsor Amplify Louisville’s Jenn Callahan after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Brittany Harris with Rave On Sports delivers remarks after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
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James Clark, left, and Brittany Harris with Rave On Sports pose with awards sponsor Amplify Louisville’s Jenn Callahan after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
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Sikanai co-founder Barry Burkett delivers remarks after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Sikanai co-founder Barry Burkett poses with awards sponsor Amplify Louisville’s Jenn Callahan after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
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Isaiah Kelly, founder and CEO of Smoove Creations, delivers remarks after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Representatives from Smoove Creations pose with awards sponsor Amplify Louisville’s Jenn Callahan after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Evan Knowles, co-founder and CEO of Symba, delivers remarks after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
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Representatives from Symba pose with awards sponsor Amplify Louisville’s Jenn Callahan after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
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Jennifer Mason, co-founder of TitleWise, delivers remarks after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
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Jennifer Mason, co-founder of TitleWise, poses with awards sponsor Amplify Louisville’s Jenn Callahan after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Akhil Suresh Nair, founder and CEO of Xena Intelligence, delivers remarks after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Akhil Suresh Nair, founder and CEO of Xena Intelligence, poses with awards sponsor Amplify Louisville’s Jenn Callahan after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
Michael Brizendine, co-founder and chief product officer of Yornest, delivers remarks after being recognized during the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards program at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville.
Christopher Fryer
For the second consecutive year, members of the local entrepreneurial system gathered on the evening of Jan. 31 at Noble Funk Brewing Company in Downtown Louisville for the 2023 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards.
A total of 20 startups were honored both from the Louisville area, but winners also represented other parts of Kentucky — as well as Southern Indiana.
Founders from the startups were given about 45 seconds to explain a bit about their companies and why they are startups to keep an eye out for in 2023. In addition to listening to the winning founders, attendees also were given time to eat pizza, drink beer and network.
The final startup honored last may have had the most interesting backstory of all the companies.
Yornest co-founder Shaquile Noor traveled from London, England, the day before to meet his counterpart in the U.S., Michael Briziendine, for the first time, even though they have been colleagues for years. It is also Noor’s first time in the U.S.
“I completely YOLOed it,” Noor told me at the end of the event. “I’m a true believer in a global mindset, or global vision. But I feel like there are some things where you just have to come over and be on the ground, just to get it done — and then you can go back and continue to do things where you were.”
In addition to founders, spotted in the audience were individual investors, venture capital firms and representatives at the state and regional levels in the innovation/entrepreneurship space. More than 130 people were in attendance.
The event was sponsored by KY Innovation, Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation (KSTC), LG&E, University of Louisville and UK Innovate. The physical awards were sponsored by Amplify Louisville. Audio-visual services were provided by Prestige AV and Creative Services.
The complete list of those honored are as follows (with links to their Q&As):
