2024 KY Inno Madness Finals: Down to two as a pair of Louisville startups fall
After a month of bracket battles, we have come to this: the finals of the 2024 KY Inno Madness competition — and neither are based in Louisville. Stephen P. Schmidt has the details. The 2024 KY Inno Madness competition has gone to the finals, with two Louisville startups, Better Blend and BlackBox Energy Systems, competing in the same round. Better Blend, the no. 1 seed out of Region C, won 51% of the vote, while Black Box Energy Systems came in second with 53% of votes from gin-based ready-to-drink product Rivergreen Cocktails. The winner will be announced on April 1. Voting is currently open until 11:59 p.m. on March 31. The final round will be held on March 1. Both companies expressed their pride and excitement about their participation in the competition.
Publié : il y a 4 semaines par Stephen P. Schmidt dans Business
After a month of bracket battles, we have come to this: the finals of the 2024 KY Inno Madness competition.
After a month of bracket battles, we have come to this: the finals of the 2024 KY Inno Madness competition.
And to the possible surprise of many, neither one of the finalists is based in the Louisville metro area. We have Covington, Kentucky-based Better Blend, the no. 1 seed out of Region C, going up against upstart No.7 BlackBox Energy Systems of Owingsville, Kentucky.
Better Blend, the health smoothie store setup, was able to squeak by another upstart, No. 8 Dais out of Louisville, by getting 51% of the vote.
BlackBox Energy Systems had a close call with another Louisville startup as well, by taking 53% of the vote from gin-based ready-to-drink (RTD) product Rivergreen Cocktails.
It should be noted that we had a record-high 1517 votes in this round, so a tip of the cap to everyone who voted!
Oh, and more thing: Voting is OPEN NOW for the FINALS! Voting will be allowed until 11:59 p.m. on March 31. We will then announce the winner on April 1.
Ahead of starting the final round, I reached out to both finalists to gather their thoughts on the journey so far.
"We are honored to be among the top contenders in the KY Inno Madness competition," Better Blend Founder Isaac Hamlin said via an email statement. "Making it to the finals is not only a testament to the strength of our idea but also to the dedication and passion we have poured into this young company. This experience has been both rewarding and validating, and we are excited to see where this journey takes us as we expand across Kentucky and other states."
According to its website, Better Blend has four locations in Kentucky — including one in the St. Matthews area of Louisville that opened recently — and four in Ohio. It also has four listed as coming soon, all of which are in the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati metro.
Hamlin added that his company would be be opening up two more locations in Louisville and three in Lexington "in the future."
Note: My counterpart at Cincy Inno, Liz Engel, has written about Hamlin and Better Blend on several occasions.
You can find additional information on Better Blend and Hamlin in a Q&A, which was composed when Hamlin was named as one of 2023 KY Inno Fire Awards under the category of “On the Rise.”
Elijah Jensen, the co-founder and CEO of BlackBox Energy Systems, said that he initially did not know about the contest in the first few rounds. When others in Louisville and Frankfort told him about it, the company made a social media push.
“All quite fun actually and I think we had many people voting in Eastern [Kentucky] and even some friends in our network around the world!,” Jensen said via email.
Founded in 2020, the startup was created to commercialize high tech motor and generator technology. The company currently has a headcount of 10 people, including contractors.
Recently the company was one of four in the commonwealth to receive a collective $449,000-plus in grant funding from Kentucky’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Matching Funds Program.
Les sujets: Startups