Here are the winners of the 2024 Vogt Awards

Six recipients of the 24th edition of the Vogt Invention and Innovation Awards were named Tuesday, 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. 10 at the Kentucky Derby Museum.

Here are the winners:

Besti Co. — A menstrual care brand offering a subscription service with organic menstrual products including pads, tampons and liners, spa self-care items as well as healthy snacks to satisfy cravings, enabling customers to prioritize period care with personalized boxes. The founder is Amanda Miah. Named one of our Startups to Watch for 2024, I did a profile story on the company in June.

EchoJobs — A job board for software engineers that features high-quality job listings through an easy-to-use interface, aggregating relevant and reliable information to save time and ensure impactful job search results. The founder is Morgan Gao. 

Nori — A provider of fresh food through an extensive network of ultra-modern vending machines offering healthy, affordable, locally curated, fresh, and hot meals on demand.  The founder is Anora Morton. I initially did a profile on the company in March 2023 and recently spoke with Norton when her first machine was launched at Story Louisville in NuLu.

RiverGuide — A platform and network providing student entrepreneurs with personalized guidance and support from both real-life and AI mentors, ensuring access to the resources and encouragement needed to excel academically, professionally, and personally, while building impactful companies. The founders are Kela Ivonye and Gautam Nain. 

SoFab Inks — A chemical manufacturer specializing in materials for perovskite solar cells, focused on making solar energy more efficient, stable, and financially viable to help reduce carbon emissions. The founders, all of whom met at the University of Louisville, are Jack Manzella; Blake Martin, Peter Armstrong and Sashil Chapagain. I did a profile story on the company back in April.

Value Buddy — An AI-powered business valuation platform for banks and SBA lenders, designed to speed up the underwriting process for acquisition loans. The founders are Ace McGill and Cameron Long. The company, which was one of our finalists for the 2024 KY Inno on Fire Awards, was named to the cohort of the Tulsa Techstars accelerator earlier in the year. I wrote a profile on the company back in March.

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.

Its goal is to help founders develop their innovations, so that their businesses “will bring economic prosperity and job growth opportunities to the Greater Louisville region,” per the release.

The fund, with a $5 million original principal, has provided 108 grants adding up to a collective $4.1 million, with 41% going to women or founders of color, according to the release. Previous recipients have gone on to secure approximately $200 million in additional funding from local investors.

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.

“This year’s Vogt Invention and Innovation Awards recipients are a shining example of innovative founders bringing forth transformative concepts. When Henry Vogt Heuser, Sr. first established the Vogt Awards in 1999, it was his vision to support businesses such as the six represented in this year’s cohort,” said Ron Gallo, president/CEO of the Community Foundation of Louisville, in the release.

Recipients were chosen by a selection committee made up of entrepreneurs and investors and past Vogt Award recipients. For the first year, the committee was led by Maggie Harlow, CEO of Signarama Downtown.

Committee members were:

Demo Day is free and open to the public however space is limited. Those interested are encouraged to register before time. To register and learn more about this year’s cohort, visit www.vogtawards.com