Awesome Inc

Transylvania's president Brien Lewis and his right-hand man, Steve Angelucci, are paving new paths for liberal arts students in central America to pursue and grow as entrepreneurs.

Brien Lewis commenced his term as Transylvania University's 28th President in July 2020. He came to Lexington after serving eight years as President of Catawba College in North Carolina. His background includes practicing law in North Carolina and holding several teaching and administrative positions in higher education including as an Associate Professor of Business Administration at Winthrop University in South Carolina.   

Steve Angelucci, a Lexington native, came to Transylvania University in May 2019 as the Vice President for Advancement after a diverse career that included practicing dentistry, college athletics administration, and most recently serving as President of Lexington Catholic High School, After President Lewis's arrival in 2020, he transitioned to the role of Assistant to the President for Special Projects. His primary responsibilities include exploring and developing prospective new programs and initiatives for the university.

Evan Knowles is co-founder and CEO of Symba, which is a mobile-first platform for real estate agents that empowers them to manage and grow their business from their pocket.

Evan and his team launched at Startup Weekend 2019 and have since raised a pre-seed round and launched their product in the App Store (scan this link). Evan is passionate about startups, real estate, podcasting, and Lexington.

This episode is for innovators.

We dive deep into Kentucky's favorite drink with Jane Bowie, Master of Maturation, and Director of Innovation at Maker's Mark Distillery.

Maker’s Mark’s innovation has grown more organically than most with its products and inspirations coming from the people who make them and the land itself.  With the whisky landscape drastically changing over the last decade, whisky houses are pushing the boundaries of where to go and find flavor. Maker’s Mark, one of the industry’s most storied brands, established its innovation department 2 years ago to dream about what the future could hold for the brand while staying rooted in its founders’ vision.

Building on part one, Awesome Inc U's Director, Nick Such, goes into greater detail about the Bootcamp program. Students that are selected for each Bootcamp cohort learn how to become a Full-Stack Developer in just 16 weeks. Get a complete breakdown of the Bootcamp experience in just a few minutes, and head to Awesome Inc's website to apply.

Rave On is ALL about sports. A recent addition to Awesome Inc's Fellowship program, Rave On Sports' fan-focused app gives people a place to connect with other fanatics, cheer, and jeer as the action happens! Founders James Clark and Brittany Harris sit down with Garrett to chat about how it all started. From super fans to super founders, James and Brittany have built something worth rooting for.

Recorded October 20, 2021 - this will help with references to recent and upcoming collegiate and professional games.

Awesome Inc U wasn't the first venture that our team pursued. Over the years, various failed ideas and businesses led to its creation. Nick Such, the Director of Awesome Inc U, kicks off this series by sharing his own journey with programming and the inception of our coding school. 

Starting with one-day workshops across the midwest, Awesome Inc U has grown into a multi-program coding school that teaches technology and changes lives.

This episode is for innovators.

Few industries have had to innovate faster in 2020 than the restaurant industry. Curbside, contactless delivery, new payment methods... just a few examples of processes that are now standard. Liz Bazner, Senior Director of Marketing for A&W Restaurants, joins founder Mo Sloan of EZ Chow (former Awesome Inc Fellowship company), to discuss innovation within the restaurant industry from two different perspectives: big business and mom-and-pop stores.

This episode is for innovators.

The Synaptek team - Doug Van Pelt, Kate Van Pelt, and James McCollum - talks about their journey to bringing their startup idea to life and how they strive to provide the ultimate concussion care solution. 

Synaptek provides the concussion management solution clinicians have been looking for. An intuitive, mobile-first platform lets medical providers spend more time on athlete well-being, and less time managing data.

This episode is for innovators.

We didn't set out to find the textbook example of a company that re-imagined its future and re-prioritized its business model to foster innovation... but we found it anyway. President and Chief Operating Officer of KLH Engineers, Jim Tavernelli, tells the powerful story of how he and KLH leadership turned the ship around for their company.