Middle Tech

Shane Howard is the founder of Custom College Recruiting and has recently launched a talent management and branding agency, Vision 154. We discuss Shane's experience of navigating "grind culture", the importance of self awareness, and his experience fund raising in Kentucky.  Apply for the Render Competition at render.capital/competition Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Twitter Instagram F...

The Middle Tech Weekend Reading: our blogs, read aloud. This weekend, we’re reading a piece by Jacqueline Benson from the Awesome Inc blog about spotting some common factors that cause bad design, and steps you can take to prevent them. Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn

Mark Franco is the President and CEO of MXD Process. MXD Process makes industrial mixing equipment, but our conversation with Mark focuses on the lessons he's learned from balancing his business while still growing in his faith and building a family. We discuss Mark's background, the role religion has played in his life, and how he finds work/life balance. Learn more about MXD Process at MixerDire...

The Middle Tech Weekend Reading: our blogs, read aloud. This weekend, we’re reading a piece by Nico Ferreyra that examines how the Midwest views failure compared to other startup hubs. We are sponsored! To learn more and apply for the Render Competition visit → render.capital/competition Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn

Tom Eade is the (newly) former Senior Vice President and CTO of LexMark. LexMark is a multi-billion dollar company based in Lexington, Kentucky that builds & maintains printers, but is also innovating in the space of "Edge Computing". This conversation provides an interesting look at a company that is not letting the decline of paper define their future as they grow their software and SaaS off...

The Middle Tech Weekend Reading: our blogs, read aloud. This weekend, we’re reading a piece by Evan Knowles that overviews the battle for dominance in the business chat market. To learn more and apply for the Render Competition visit → render.capital/competition Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn

Patrick Henshaw is the Managing Director of Render Capital, a VC firm with a focus on providing funding opportunities for entrepreneurs that are typically underrepresented when it comes to raising venture funds. We discuss Patrick’s journey to venture capital, expanding access to capital, and the Louisville startup ecosystem.  We also discuss Render Capital's upcoming Render Competition. The...

The Middle Tech Weekend Reading: our blogs, read aloud. This weekend, we’re revisiting a piece by Logan Jones that overviews the inequity of the poor internet services provided in Appalachia and other rural areas, why this inequity exists, and how Starlink will help even the playing field in the near future. Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn

John Mittle is the President and Co-Founder of Clear/Cut Phocus, a caffeinated sparkling water brand started in Louisville, Kentucky. Phocus combines natural tea caffeine with L-Theanine, a tea amino acid that is specially formulated to boost attention and focus. We discuss what it was like launching a company while in med school, creating a new beverage category, and growing the company in L...

The Middle Tech Weekend Reading: our blogs, read aloud. This episode is about getting back to normal, and different opinions on how businesses transition to more happening back in-person. Based on Evan Knowles's blog Virtual vs. In-Person Work . Let us know what you think at middletechpodcast@gmail.com! Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn

Kevin Flora and Josh Coppock are the cofounders of The Holler Creative, an Appalachia-based digital marketing agency in Corbin, Kentucky. We discuss their "Explore Appalachia" project they're doing in partnership with Ale-8 and SOAR, the challenges the region faces, the things that make the region special. Visit The Holler Creative at TheHoller.com Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Watch the epi...

The Middle Tech Weekend Reading: our blogs, read aloud.  This episode is about shareholder agreements, based on Tom Monarch's blog The Need to Know of Shareholder Agreements . Let us know what you think at middletechpodcast@gmail.com! Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn

Welcome to the Developer Deep Dive series! Sponsored by the Awesome Inc Developer Bootcamp and brought to you by Middle Tech. This Deep Dive series was created to shed light on the essential role developers play in the startup ecosystem. In this episode, we sat down with the founder of Sunjoined and Black Bitcoin Billionaires, Lamar Wilson, to discuss blockchain, being self-taught, local developme...

Masha Khusid is a Partner at Drive Capital, a premier VC firm started by former Sequoia Capital Partners and based in Columbus, Ohio. We discuss how Drive Capital has helped to build Columbus' startup ecosystem, why they see potential in the midwest, and the major opportunities midwest startup ecosystems currently have. Visit Drive Capital at DriveCapital.com Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com&nbs...

The Middle Tech Weekend Reading - our blogs, just read aloud for those who want to know what we're blogging about while on the go. This episode is a combo of two blogs: Evan Knowles' The Gender Gap by the Numbers and Tom Monarch's WIFL: How We, as Founders and Business Leaders, can Break the Gender Gap . Let us know what you think at middletechpodcast@gmail.com! Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com Twitt...

Adam Edelen is founder & CEO of Edelen Renewables, the former Kentucky Auditor, and former Chief of Staff to Gov. Steve Beshear. We discuss how his background in government prepared him to start a sustainable energy company, how Edelen Renewables is constructing solar arrays on abandoned coal mines, and what the future of sustainable energy in Kentucky looks like. Visit Edelen Renewables at Ed...

We're trying out something new: bringing you a reading from our blog on the weekend. This first episode was a blog originally written by Middle Tech team member Tom Monarch: The Power of Networking in Fundraising: Rule 506(b) Private Placements . Let us know what you think at middletechpodcast@gmail.com! Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn

Laura Halligan & Meredith Moore are co-founders of WIFL (Women Innovators, Founders, and Leaders) and both play important roles in the Lexington startup community. Laura is Executive Director of the Launch Blue accelerator program as well as New Ventures Manager for UK's Office of Technology Commercialization, and Meredith is Director of Operations and Community Partnerships at Base110 and fou...

We sat down with Keith McMunn, 5 Across emcee & Director of the Awesome Fellowship program, to recap the pitches from Awesome Inc's February 5 Across event. 5 Across is a pitch competition hosted by Awesome Inc, in which 5 companies pitch to a panel of judges for 5 minutes each for a $500 prize. The following companies pitched at the February event: Sploot.ai - A pet food bowl with computer vi...

On this week's episode, Nate, Evan, and Logan discuss questions submitted by our audience. The questions discussed are: I'm hearing a lot of buzz around high job demand for skills with Salesforce both nationally and here locally in Lexington. Are you all seeing this same trend? If so, why do you think the demand is so hot for these skills right now? It seems like there is a very low barrier of ent...

Welcome to the Developer Deep Dive series! Sponsored by the Awesome Inc Developer Bootcamp and brought to you by Middle Tech. This Deep Dive series was created to shed light on the essential role developers play in the startup ecosystem. In this episode, we sat down with the founder of Fresh Eyes Solutions, Kelly Wright, to discuss their product, technology stack, and development practices. Take a...

Jacob Huff is the Co-Founder and COO of FreshFry, a company that is changing the way restaurants handle their cooking oil through a new way to clean the oil. We discuss how FreshFry was started, how they dealt with a period of explosive growth, and how they navigated the pandemic as a company. Visit FreshFry at FreshFry.me Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Eva...

Wes Spencer is the CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) of Perch Security, a cybersecurity startup that was recently acquired for $80 million. We discuss what cybersecurity looks like in practice, how hacks happen, and how Perch was acquired after starting just 3 years ago. Visit Perch at PerchSecurity.com Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter...

Matt Jennings is Executive Chairman of Kingdom Trust, a financial services company out of Murray, Kentucky that was the first in the United States to legally custody Bitcoin for their clients. Currently, Kingdom Trust is building a platform called Choice that will be the first in the world to handle any asset in a retirement account. We discuss how Kingdom Trust came to be one of the most innovati...

Jai Malik is a Venture Capitalist out of Colombia, Missouri. Jai has recently founded Countdown Capital , a new Venture Fund that will have a focus on entrepreneurs building "deep tech" companies. We discuss the meaning of deep tech, why a commitment to ethics is critical when building a company, and investing in Middle America. Visit Countdown Capital at Countdown. Capital Visit us at MiddleTechP...