The recipients of the 23rd edition of the Vogt Invention and Innovation Awards were named Wednesday, according to a news release.
Each of the six early-stage companies will receive $25,000 in non-dilutive grant funding, as well as participate in a 10-week accelerator program, which will conclude with a demo day at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 12 at the Kentucky Derby Museum.
The six winners were:
Affinna — An event ticketing and fan engagement platform that specializes in offering ticket booking and selling services for event organizers, creators and event hosts to build more meaningful relationships with their authenticated fans, enabling fans to book tickets at low, transparent fees. I first spoke with founder Dan Ross-Li, who moved his company from the Bay Area, for one of my first Inno profiles back in October 2022. The company advanced to the quarterfinals of our recent Inno Madness competition earlier this spring.
Feedcoyote – A business network platform that combines an integrated management tool with the lead generation business network that fosters better collaboration and closed deals augmented with customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities to help entrepreneurs, freelancers, independent contractors and small-business owners manage their gigs, automate their work, share skills — ultimately allowing them to earn more. I first talked with Stevens Bonhomme (who moved from Seattle to Paducah, Kentucky, after winning the 1ST50K competition through Sprocket and Codefi in 2022) for a profile back in December. Since that point, Bonhomme and his team have had a noteworthy string of victories including being named to Techstars Atlanta, winning one of the Awesome Inc.’s 5 Across Competition, Derby Diversity Week’s Ideathon — and of course, our Inno Madness competition in April.
Gamerabble – An online coaching platform that offers tutors for gamified e-sports coaching, training and development, enabling gamers to improve their gaming skills. Founders Cecile Matthews and Chris Matthews focused their attention in the Ketuckiana region after being named one of 10 winners of the Render Competition in 2022, earning $100,000 with that distinction. The startup began in 2021 in the St. Petersburg, Florida, area.
Immersive Hearing Technologies – An immersive, three-dimensional user experience in a virtual world for a hearing aid demonstration tool that improves patient outcomes and sells more hearing aids. Founders are Jeff Cummins and Matthew Neal, the latter of whom serves as a research scientist at the University of Louisville. The company was formed in early 2023.
My Food, My Choice – A digital platform that empowers people with neurodevelopmental disorders to plan and choose healthier food options — thereby solving caregiver and client pain points of disagreements over food, client ownership of food choices, and health improvement through better nutrition. Founder and CEO Terri Lykins began the company in 2021.
The Kentucky Hug – A web and mobile app that centralizes and showcases available distillery experiences and tickets across Kentucky, simplifying the process of booking bourbon tours and enabling businesses to get information about visitors. I spoke with co-founder Eddie Fieldhouse for a profile a few days before the startup’s site launched on Aug. 1. Fieldhouse has been working with Slingshot Ventures over the past several years. As such Slingshot President/CEO David Galownia is listed as co-founder, and two other members of Slingshot’s team are on the startup’s leadership team as well.
Lisa Bajorinas, the program director of the Vogt Awards, told me on Monday at the Foreee!castr Startup Scramble that the selection committee received a record number of applications this year.
“That is a good thing just in terms of outreach and getting the message out there about the opportunity to those who are very active and engaged in the startup community as well as those who may not be and then realizing that there was a unique opportunity to apply for,” Bajorinas said.
She also credited the surge in applications to increased marketing efforts and collaborations with more related influencers, who have extensive connections within the ecosystem.
The program was initially established by an endowment in 1999 — facilitated by the Community Foundation of Louisville — from Louisville businessman and philanthropist Henry Vogt Heuser, who is also the namesake of the Heuser Hearing Institute.
The fund, with a $5 million original principal, has provided 108 grants adding up to a collective $3.9 million, with 38% going to women or founders of color, according to the release. Previous recipients have gone on to secure approximately $163 million in additional funding from local investors.
Last year, five of the six recipients — Arrow Health, C2 Keep, LimitLess, TitleWise and Xena Intelligence — were named to our list for Startups to Watch for 2023.
Other benefits that winners receive will include startup coaching, mentor matching with later-stage entrepreneurs and investors; strategic introductions to angel investors, venture funds, influencers, partners and customers; investor pitch preparation; networking opportunities with members of Louisville’s startup community and professional headshots. In addition, weekly business workshops will be led by subject matter experts on a variety of topics such as lead generation, product/market fit and financial modeling.
"The Community Foundation is dedicated to advancing the big ideas and bold actions necessary to move our community forward, and the Vogt Awards program embodies that mission,” said Ron Gallo, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Louisville, in the release. “More than 20 years ago, Mr. Heuser secured a legacy of fostering business and industry through generosity. This year’s cohort of ground-breaking disruptors will continue the program’s long tradition of impact through innovation.”
Recipients were chosen by a selection committee made up of entrepreneurs and investors and past Vogt Award recipients. For the second year, the committee was led by Monique Quarterman, executive director of Kentucky Innovation at the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.
Committee members were:
● Zeeshan Bhatti, Keyhorse Capital
● Buddy Bockweg, Vsimple
● Michael Boone, yLoft
● Jeremiah Chapman, FreshFry
● Tendai Charasika, Saling Wealth Advisors/UofL Entrepreneur-in-Residence
● Kerry DeMuth, RevLocal
● Demetrius Gray, Captain
● Maggie Harlow, Signarama Downtown
● Moses Icyishaka, Iriba Capital
● Kela Ivonye, Protege/University of Louisville
● Haleh Karimi, Bellarmine University
● Raffi Kayat, Borderless
● Robert LaMothe, Commonwealth Seed Capital
● Greg Langdon, startup advisor and investor
● Mario Mazzone, Keyhorse Capital
● Jake Miller, independent consultant
● Brett Moreno, Anteriad
● Akhil Suresh Nair, Xena Intelligence
● Susan Olson, Action Intel
● Steven Plappert, Forecastr
● Chris Redd, Network ‘N Chill
● Julia Regan, RxLightning
● Grace Simrall, iGlass Analytics
● Alli Truttmann, Wicked Sheets
● Telpriore "Greg" Tucker, UofL Research & Innovation
● Chris Weidmar, Party Horses
“The Vogt Awards is a shining example of how philanthropy can be a champion for entrepreneurship, and we have Mr. Heuser and the Community Foundation to thank for that,” Quarterman said in the release. “The recipients this year represent the very best and brightest innovators in the Louisville region. It’s truly a wonderful and difficult task to choose six early-stage businesses out of many outstanding applicants. I can’t wait to see how the connections and knowledge they gain from this program will set them up for long-term success.”
For more information on the program, can be found at www.vogtawards.com. The public is welcome to attend the demo day, but registration is required. To register, click here.
