Blue North

A heartfelt thank you to the Truist Foundation and RC Durr Foundation for empowering Northern Kentucky's entrepreneurs! Your support of the NKY Entrepreneur Fund through the Main Street Ventures and NKY Small Business Grants fuels dreams. Congrats to the latest grant winners! Excited for #nkysmallbusinessgrant announcements on Small Business Saturday!?#kyinnovation #supportlocal #TruistFoundation #RCDurrFoundation Truist

This month, we're supporting small businesses across Northern Kentucky, such as Ape Made It! We encourage you to shop small to help support our friends and neighbors across the community as you buy gifts this holiday season. Thank you to Spectrum News 1 Kentucky for highlighting a local small business, and thank you to our partners Aviatra Accelerators, Blue North, Incubator Kitchen Collective and the Kentucky Small Business Development Center for supporting this effort with us!

In this month's Resilience Accelerator, Dr.?Ehlinger discusses the psychological effects of social comparison on founders and how?to re-focus on personal growth.

Congratulations to our Executive Director, Dave Knox, for being named Mentor of the Year for 2024 by the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame! Read more in this LinkNKY Article https://lnkd.in/gqBNYbCj #kyinnovation #mentoroftheyear #KYEHOF Dave Knox

Join us tomorrow, November 19th at 10 am for KY Innovation's Monthly Startup Resource Series! At this session: "Manufacturing Resources for Early-Stage Companies", Scott Broughton, executive director, will discuss the Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership (KY-MEP) and its new Catalyst Equipment Program. Plus, hear Emily Wehrle, director of operations at Awesome Inc., present updates from their innovation hub. Register now using the QR code or this link https://lnkd.in/gCaNBfTt KY-MEP is a statewide, nonprofit organization that offers assistance and training to help manufacturers of all sizes expand, enhance their manufacturing and business strategies, adopt advanced technologies, boost productivity, reduce costs, and improve competitiveness. Discover how their expertise and bridge capital can help your startup clients save both time and money. Join us each month for informative updates and conversations about what is happening in the entrepreneurial ecosystem across Kentucky. KY Innovation, in partnership with KSTC, and six regional KY Innovation Hubs, will share timely information on resources available to entrepreneurial service providers and their clients, as well as upcoming events and other ways to stay active in the ecosystem. The webinar will provide time for a Q&A. #startups #kentucky #kyinnovation

A little over two years ago, Blue North helped incubate a concept around Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) for our region. Fast forward to today and CincyETA (Entrepreneurship through Acquisition) has nearly 150 members interested in the concept of purchasing a small business. If that concept intrigues you, join us on December 4th at Braxton Brewing Cincinnati for our first Rolodex Event. #StartupCincy #KYInnovation #ETA #NewKentuckyHome

Our next NKY small business highlight of our Shop Local in November series is Better Blend! Better Blend is a company focused on wellness and changing how people eat healthily with nutritionally complete smoothies. Isaac founded Better Blend in 2018, setting out to offer its community fast, healthy options, that taste good but are nutrient-rich and made with clean ingredients. Much of Better Blend’s success is attributed to a strong internal culture. It’s about building a culture where the team operates with empathy. Better Blend received a grant from the NKY Entrepreneur Fund in 2023 which helped to fuel their Ambassador Program and feed hundreds of people while also giving them the opportunity to create inspiring content that helps their neighbors also eat healthy. Better Blend is opening its Highland Heights location (2885 Alexandria Way, Highland Heights, KY 41076) this Saturday, November 16th! You can also find Better Blend at multiple locations across Kentucky and Ohio! Here are a few you can visit in NKY: - Fort Mitchell (2510 Dixie Hwy, Fort Mitchell, KY 41017) - Florence (8181 Mall Road, Florence, KY 41042) - Independence (2044 Harris Pike, Independence, KY 41051) - Hebron (1990 N Bend Road, Hebron, KY 41048) Check out their website to find more locations! #ShopLocal Aviatra Accelerators INCUBATOR KITCHEN COLLECTIVE CO Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Kentucky Small Business Development Center U.S. Small Business Administration Better Blend Isaac Hamlin

We’re excited to highlight some of Northern Kentucky’s incredible small businesses during our Shop Local in November campaign, in partnership with Northern Kentucky business resource organizations Aviatra Accelerators, Incubator Kitchen Collective, the NKY Chamber of Commerce, and the Kentucky Small Business Development Center. Our first small business highlight is Golden Gelato! Golden Gelato is a small business located in Covington that makes all of its ice creams from scratch. Their gelatos are 100% natural and sorbets are 100% natural and vegan. Golden Gelato received a grant from the NKY Entrepreneur Fund in 2023 to purchase a new authentic Italian gelato cart for events and catering. Visit Golden Gelato in Covington to support NKY small businesses this November! Whether you’re holiday shopping or enjoying a night out, remember that every dollar spent locally makes a difference—did you know that 68% of money spent at small businesses stays within the community? Support businesses owned, operated, and fueled by our neighbors! Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Kentucky Small Business Development Center Aviatra Accelerators INCUBATOR KITCHEN COLLECTIVE CO #ShopLocal

Honoring the brave men and women who have served our country. Thank you, veterans, for your courage, sacrifice, and unwavering dedication. We are forever grateful for your service. @[DAV (Disabled American Veterans)](urn:li:organization:48969) @[Hiring Our Heroes](urn:li:organization:12628931) @[Alexander (Alex) Mumma](urn:li:person:Ix_JEh6NGQ) @[DAV Patriot Boot Camp](urn:li:organization:9303459) #thankyouveterans

Did you know that next week is National Veteran Small Business Week? We want to spread the word about the vast network of local resources available for our nation’s veteran and military entrepreneurs. Check out all the exciting resources for military entrepreneurs at https://lnkd.in/eZxXGcS. #VetBiz #NVSBW24 #NVSBW U.S. Small Business Administration