Shaping Our Appalachian Region, Inc. (SOAR) was a proud partner of the Appalachian New Business Competition.  The event is sponsored and organized by the Kentucky Innovation Network in Pikeville, a Blueprint Partner of SOAR. Other partners for this year’s competition was Kentucky Oil and Gas Refining Company and AT&T.

This year’s competition featured six teams and awarded a $5,000 prize for first place, $3,000 for second place, and $2,000 for third place.  K2 Medical won the first-place prize. Lifetime Learner was the second-place winner, and Pikeville Counseling Center finished third.

The competition aligns with SOAR’s Regional Blueprint goal of creating more or expanding small businesses within the region by taking full advantage of the digital economy.  The Kentucky Innovation Network Pikeville office is located at the University of Pikeville.