Awesome Inc

Garrett Fahrbach and Kevin Mansur of Awesome Inc talk about their team's core values: BE Good, BE Excellent, BE a Friend, BE You. Awesome Inc's core values keep its team and organization in alignment. After laying these out, the conversation moves to define "luck" and how we are actually able to create our own.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

• Garrett Fahrbach on Linkedin

• Kevin Mansur on Linkedin

• Awesome Inc's core values pdf

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Cameron Lippert, Ph.D., co-founded ElectraMet in 2014. He is currently leading the implementation of ElectraMet's business development and metals recycling strategy. Since its founding, ElectraMet's technological achievements have continued to receive recognition, including the CleanTech Open Water Award, CleanTech Open Best Business Model Award, and the 2018 BlueTech China Most Innovative Technology Award.

Cameron is co-founder and CEO of PowerTech Water. PowerTech Water is a clean tech company building an electrochemical platform to tackle all aspects of water purification in a sustainable & environmentally friendly way. We use advanced carbon materials and electrochemistry to deliver specialized solutions for targeted water treatment.

Powertech Water won the 2021 Global Impact Award at the University of Kentucky's 2021 Patent Palooza event. One of their biggest recent milestones was to close on a $6 million series B round of funding (that can be read here).

Cameron's entrepreneurial journey started at 5-Across in 2013 when he pitched his idea for an anti-hangover concoction. PowerTech 5 Across Finals pitch 

Keith McMunn is the Director of Entrepreneurship at Awesome Inc and serves entrepreneurs through the 5 Across Entrepreneur Pitch Competition and Awesome Fellowship Accelerator. 

Keith is proudly a Kentucky transplant after having settled in Lexington after his time studying Accounting at the University of Kentucky. He believes that the best way to develop a bright future for Kentuckians is to invest in entrepreneurs and startups.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

October 2021 companies:

borderless -- website

borderless on Linkedin

Raffi Kayat on Linkedin

Legal Gantt

Pav*r

Adam Bledsoe on Linkedin

Jessica Bledsoe on Linkedin

Rave On Sports

James Clark on Linkedin

Brittany Harris on Linkedin

April 2021 companies:

Symba -- website

Evan Knowles on Linkedin

Synaptek -- website 

Doug Van Pelt on Linkedin 

Kate Van Pelt on Linked

James McCollum on Linkedin

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Raffi Kayat is the CEO of borderless, a global payouts API that powers payments to 120+ countries for a flat low rate.

Raffi has taken borderless from an idea to an award-winning Fintech company. He has been featured as a speaker in New York Fintech Alley, The Power of PrePaid, and Money 20/20. In his free time, you can find Raffi searching for the best burger, playing soccer, and watching football.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

borderless -- website

borderless on Linkedin

Raffi Kayat on Linkedin

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Adam and Jessica Bledsoe are the Co-Founders of Pav*r, a time management, and digital calendar analytics app. Pav*r helps business owners and busy people align their time with their priorities. Launched in 2020, Pav*r has experienced explosive growth as teams continue to work remotely and currently serves users in 22 countries around the world.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Pav*r

Adam Bledsoe on Linkedin

Jessica Bledsoe on Linkedin

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Kyle Raney is the Director of Youth for Awesome Inc U's Coding School. Awesome Inc U inspires the youth to learn to code and create amazing things by flipping the classroom so that students have the ability to be creative and learn at their own pace. Coding may seem daunting at first, but Awesome Inc U exists to show that anyone can learn to code.

Stephen Ruh is the Marketing Director for Awesome Inc U's coding school. He loves to watch and encourage students on their "hero journey" as they go from aspiring coders to full-stack developers who crush it in the world of tech.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Awesome Inc's Kids Camps

Awesome Inc's Youth Coding 

Awesome Inc Web Developer Bootcamp

Kyle Raney on Linkedin

Stephen Ruh on Linkedin

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Justin Hall was born in Pikeville, KY in 1974. His parents had a Bluegrass Band and his father was an artist. Even though he grew up in the hills of eastern Kentucky where coal was king, it never interested him.

He loved the mountains, history, and heritage, but he had other interests.

Hall graduated from Elkhorn City High School in 1993 and Pikeville College (now UPike) in the summer of 1997. Shortly after graduating from UPike, he discovered an interest in web design and development.  The web held his attention and captivated his imagination.  

In 2017, Justin was chosen as one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business for teaching a coal miner how to code and helping start Bit Source, a company located in eastern Kentucky that employs former coal miners as coders.  Currently, he is the Lead Instructor for Awesome Inc's Web Developer Bootcamp in Lexington, Kentucky.

He's also involved in several startups and entrepreneur efforts across the Commonwealth.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Justin Hall on Linkedin

Justin Hall's website

Awesome Inc Web Developer Bootcamp

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Joshua Reid is the Founder and CEO of Inphlu, and winner of the 2021 5 Across FINALS pitch competition. 

Inphlu offers employers a simple way to amplify their brand and drive recruitment by sharing corporate-approved content through the social media channels of their employees. Joshua and his team launched in January 2020 and have since oversubscribed their $500,000 pre-seed round and have expanded into both the enterprise and collegiate markets. Joshua is passionate about helping companies solve two of their biggest problems, talent acquisition, and customer acquisition.

The 5 Across Finals is the culmination of a year-long series of pitch competitions and highlights some of the most exciting tech companies to be growing in Kentucky. 5 Across is Kentucky's premiere pitch competition. If you've ever seen NBC's Shark Tank then you'd enjoy 5 Across.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Inphlu

Josh Reid on Linkedin

Kinetic by Windstream - 5 Across' 2021 Title Sponsor

Airwing Ventures - 5 Across FINALS' Presenting Sponsor

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Steve Pottinger is a multi-state real estate investor and owner/ operator in several past and present businesses. He was one of the 1995 founding members of the Greer Companies Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchens. They sold the restaurants in 2017.

Before working with the Greer Companies, Mr. Pottinger practiced law with a focus on employment law. Pottinger holds BA from the University of Louisville, and a JD from Western Michigan Cooley Law School.

Today, Pottinger is a partner who oversees operations in the Greer Companies Taco Tico enterprise, Infinity, and ItalX, and a partner in the City Center Marriott/ Residence Inn, Offices, and Penthouses in downtown Lexington, KY.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Taco Tico - Steve Pottinger interview

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Hishem Alsalman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Legal Gantt, which provides law firms with an online platform to facilitate status updates, safer communication, and improved workflow with their clients through a mobile and web application. 

Hishem and his team launched an MVP into the market that is currently being used by lawyers and their clients across the US, Canada, and Australia. Hishem is passionate about law, startups, and helping the under-represented communities across the country.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Legal Gantt

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Connect with Us: 

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