by Amy Higgs | Mar 5, 2020 | Uncategorized
At our April lunch, Katie Grant Blakeley, discussed her entrepreneurial journey with PetFirst, including the path to its recent acquisition by MetLife. She shared that with nearly $75 billion spent on pet care annually in the United States, PetFirst is filling a...
by Amy Higgs | Feb 17, 2020 | Enterpreneurship, Venture Sharks
Applications for the 11th annual Venture Sharks business pitch competition are now open! Early-stage companies and entrepreneurs are invited to compete for a $5,000 cash prize and thousands of dollars of in-kind services. Venture Connectors has partnered with Open i...
by Amy Higgs | Feb 6, 2020 | Uncategorized
At Venture Connectors’ February lunch, Rabbit Hole Distillery Founder & CEO Kaveh Zamanian shared how the company has become one of the fastest-growing American whiskey brands in the United States. He talked about his strategic partnership with Pernod...
by Amy Higgs | Jan 9, 2020 | Uncategorized
Our first lunch of 2020 featured Mayor Greg Fischer, who talked about how Louisville is working with national and local partners such as Microsoft, JP Morgan Chase, Jefferson County Public Schools and University of Louisville to grow the city’s tech workforce...
by Amy Higgs | Dec 5, 2019 | Enterpreneurship, Venture connectors news
Our December lunch featured an insider’s perspective on the business of horse racing from two leaders in the industry. Mike Ziegler, executive director of racing at Churchill Downs Inc., and Richard Rigney, co-owner of Rigney Racing and principal of Clarendon...
by Amy Higgs | Nov 11, 2019 | Enterpreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship, Urban development, Venture connectors news
At our November lunch, Portland Investment Initiative founder Gill Holland gave an update on the historic neighborhood, including an announcement about a 24-unit affordable housing project called Montgomery Street Apartments that will be opening soon. Holland also led...
by Amy Higgs | Oct 4, 2019 | Enterpreneurship, Restaurants, Venture connectors news
Ben Self Louisville is known as a great city for bourbon, but our craft brewery scene is just as vibrant. It’s about to get even better with the addition of West Sixth Brewing, a Lexington company that’s turning a 120-year-old carriage house in NuLu into a...
by Amy Higgs | Sep 5, 2019 | Enterpreneurship, Venture connectors news
What are the challenges and opportunities in our city‚Äôs tourism industry today, and what does the future hold? Venture Connectors’ September lunch featured three tourism experts ‚Äî Cleo Battle, Chief Operating Officer for Louisville Tourism (formerly the...
by Amy Higgs | Aug 8, 2019 | Enterpreneurship, Technology, Venture connectors news
At our August lunch, Carla Dearing, founding CEO of Sum180 and head of product for FlexWage Solutions LLC, shared how she won big by getting the small details right. Her talk focused on how and why she launched financial technology (FinTech) startup with the express...
by Amy Higgs | Jun 6, 2019 | Enterpreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship, Venture connectors news
At our June lunch, Fund for the Arts President and CEO Christen McDonough Boone and Metro United Way Chief Development Officer David Lopez talked with a “room of disruptors” about how their organizations are leaning into the changing business landscape in unique...
