What better time to announce the KY Inno on Fire Awards then in the summer?
After previously declaring finalists/winners in the fall in the past, that was our thinking.
In our third edition of this awards program, we had many strong nominations when it came to naming the startups and members of the local entrepreneurial ecosystems in Kentucky and Southern Indiana who have been, well, on fire when it comes to growing their companies and the community as a whole.
Our thanks to those who submitted nominations! Note: Those startups who were winners of our 2024 KY Inno Startups to Watch awards were not eligible.
We also made the decision to return to our original format with having five “Blazer” winners for the five categories listed below.
One more note: if you have not already done so, be sure to sign up for KY Inno’s weekly newsletter, The Beat, so you can stay on top of all of the startup and tech news happening throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
And now let’s get to the finalists, spread across five categories:
The Ecosystem Builders
The people working behind the scenes that are moving ecosystems forward and growing momentum for entrepreneurs.
- Lisa Bajorinas, Kentucky Science & Technology Corp./Vogt Awards (Louisville)
- Monica Bilak, Sprocket, Inc., (Paducah, Kentucky)
- Rachel Desrochers, Incubator Kitchen Collective (Newport, Kentucky)
- Brian Raney, Awesome Inc (Lexington, Kentucky)
- Jessica Sharon, Office of Research and Innovation, University of Louisville
The Investors
The people and firms that are funding companies in Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
- Community Foundation of Southern Indiana (New Albany, Indiana)
- Connetic Ventures (Covington, Kentucky)
- Justin Delaney, Wabi Capital (Louisville)
- David Jones Jr., Chrysalis Ventures (Louisville)
- Geoff Marietta, Southeast Kentucky Angel Investment Fund (Harlan, Kentucky)
The CEOs
The leaders who are making a name for Kentucky on a larger scale.
- Vijay Kamineni, Metals Innovation Initiative, (Bowling Green, Kentucky)
- Akhil Suresh Nair, Xena Intelligence (Louisville)
- Theresa Reno-Weber, GoodMaps (Louisville)
- Harry Wilson IV, Limitless Minds (Louisville)
On the Rise
The startups that have experienced a combination of client, revenue and funding growth.
- Innovative Therapeutix/LullaFeed (Louisville)
- Mom Water (Ferdinand, Indiana)
- Narratize (Crescent Springs, Kentucky)
- Physician Care Coordination Consultants (PC3) (Louisville)
- Value Buddy (Louisville)
The Disruptors
The companies that are leading the charge in new and evolving industries and/or technologies.
- Aurat Aroma (Louisville)
- HANDLE Global (Louisville)
- Kentucky Thermal Institute (Bowling Green)
- Midwest Barrel Co. (Louisville)
- Victory Hemp (Carrollton, Kentucky)
Congratulations to all of our 2024 honorees and check back to our website and print edition on Aug. 9 for more information about each of our five winners.
