Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation (KSTC)

Governor Andy Beshear announced today that the commonwealth is renewing its contract with six Innovation Hubs to support entrepreneurs throughout the state. The Innovation Hubs are a partnership between the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development Office of Entrepreneurship & Innovation (KY Innovation) and KSTC to drive economic development through entrepreneurship and innovation. Learn more about the six hubs and their service areas. And, be sure to register for the next public update from the hubs on July 24 at 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT: https://lnkd.in/gW2NWQch Amplify Startups, Awesome Inc, Blue North, CREATE at WKU Innovation Campus: Central Region Ecosystem for Arts, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, Shaping Our Appalachian Region, Inc. (SOAR), Sprocket Innovation

Anthony Mires, executive director of our AdvanceKentucky team, joined the Prichard Committee in presenting to the Interim Joint Committee on Education about automatic enrollment and incentives to increase student access to advanced coursework. As Anthony said, automatic enrollment "is way to change the conversation...all students should have every opportunity to step up when they are ready.” Learn more and watch the recorded presentation below 🔽

Kentucky's six regional Innovation Hubs are supporting startups across the commonwealth with coaching, connections and access to resources. Join us and Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development / KY Innovation for a public update from the Hubs as they share results and success stories from Q4 FY24 on Wednesday, July 24 at 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT. You'll hear from: Amplify Startups Awesome Inc Blue North CREATE at WKU Innovation Campus: Central Region Ecosystem for Arts, Technology, and Entrepreneurship Shaping Our Appalachian Region, Inc. (SOAR) Sprocket Innovation

Join us for the monthly Startup Resources Series next Tuesday, July 16 at 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT. We'll discuss how to extend entrepreneurial reach in Kentucky's rural counties with build_cities, an organization building startup communities with little to no existing infrastructure. We'll also hear from Shaping Our Appalachian Region, Inc. (SOAR)'s Sabrina McWhorter with the latest initiatives from the eastern Kentucky innovation hub. Register to join: https://lnkd.in/gCaNBfTt

Congratulations to our very own Lisa Bajorinas for being named as a finalist in this year's KY Inno on Fire Awards! Lisa oversees Kentucky's six regional Innovation Hubs dedicated to supporting founders in all 120 Kentucky counties. She's named as a finalist in the Ecosystem Builders category among the people working behind the scenes to move ecosystems forward and grow momentum for entrepreneurs. Award winners will be announced August 9. Please join us in congratulating Lisa and read the full list of honorees below. https://lnkd.in/e759PyK9

This month we welcome two new members to our Board of Directors. R Jonathan Raymon and Will Metcalf join an outstanding group of leaders from Kentucky’s business, education, innovation and economic development communities. Board Members represent all regions of Kentucky and support KSTC in advancing innovative economic development across the Commonwealth. We also send our sincerest thanks to outgoing Board Chair Mark Kristy and Board Member Angelica Sanchez Vega for their dedication and service. Read more about our new Board Members and our new Executive Committee: https://lnkd.in/gtYut72S

Yesterday our friends at Kentucky State University shared some incredible news - a historic $7M award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a soilless AgTech research hub here in Kentucky. This marks the largest standalone federal research grant in the institution's history. We're thrilled to play a part in this huge accomplishment. Our Kentucky Science & Engineering Foundation team will work with KSU and partners to engage our statewide community of researchers and industry partners in this new consortium. Learn more about the project below.

The Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development’s KY Innovation team offers tax credit programs to early-stage startups to help qualified small business applicants retain capital and grow their investment. Join us tomorrow, June 18 at 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT to hear from two project managers leading the Kentucky Small Business Tax Credit (KSBTC) program and the Kentucky Angel Investor Tax Credit (KAITC) program and how startups can benefit from each. We’ll hear from:   Tori Wood, KSBTC program Kristine McNeil, KAITC program We will also have an update on the latest from our CREATE at WKU Innovation Campus: Central Region Ecosystem for Arts, Technology, and Entrepreneurship innovation hub from Henry "Buddy" Steen, program director. https://lnkd.in/gYZ4Y2wW

Hot off the heels of last week's America's Seed Fund Road Tour, we'll be talking non-dilutive grant funding with Kentucky Science & Engineering Foundation's Maria Labreveux and KY Innovation's Kristine McNiel. Non-dilutive grant funding refers to financial support given to a business or individual that does not require the recipient to give up equity or ownership in their company. Join us tomorrow, Tuesday, May 21 at 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT to learn about the SBIR and STTR programs funding a diverse portfolio of startups and small businesses to stimulate tech innovation as well as the state matching funds for Kentucky recipients of federal funding. Register: https://lnkd.in/gCaNBfTt

We're kicking off the week by sharing some exciting news: we've been awarded a $1M NSF Engines Development award for our proposal to accelerate additive manufacturing in Kentucky and surrounding regions. Our project was previously recognized as one of 16 finalists from 188 national applications for an NSF Engines award. We'll be working with partners including University of Louisville and KCTCS to strengthen partnerships and proposed models in order to secure future NSF Engines funding. Learn more at https://amt.kstc.org