It’s the Friday before Halloween and it feels like everyone is enjoying the pumpkin carving, hiking among the trails of our beautiful mountains, cooking and eating delicious chili or soup, but most of all – getting to spend it with their families and communities.
On this happy note, let’s talk about what is happening in our Appalachian communities and what SOAR has in store for you all to be a part of.
DAV Patriot’s Pitch Competition
DAV Patriot’s Pitch is an online pitch competition for military veterans or spouses to showcase their business ideas to a panel of experts.
Inspired by the popular TV show “Shark Tank,” this dynamic event brings together a panel of accomplished veteran investors, industry experts, and successful entrepreneurs, who are eager to support and invest in veteran-led businesses.
So why don’t you join them and watch the four finalists selected from the DAV Patriot Boot Camp Fall 2023 cohort for their digital pitch contest!
Thursday, November 2, 2023
from
2 – 3 p.m. ET
Finalists include:
Rhonda Corey, The Branded Board
Fernando Fernandez, Phare Technologies
Mack Gadsen Jr., McAuthur Group Facility Assessments
Arthur Salindong, Trabus Technologies
Winners will receive $1,500, $1,000 or $500 through the generous support of the Patriot Boot Camp board of directors.
You can support your Veteran’s and their spouses by registering HERE.
Speaking of Pitch Competitions … we are beginning to accept applications for the …
2024 Startup Appalachia Pitch Competition
Do you have Appalachia Kentucky’s next big idea?
We want to hear it… and we want to fund it.
That’s why we’ve opened the application for the 2024 Startup Appalachia Pitch Competition, presented by Community Trust Bancorp.
Thanks to the generosity of Community Trust Bancorp, we will award nearly $20,000 in cash prizes with first-place taking home $10,000!
Finalists also get to take home $500.
Who is eligible for the competition?
The business must be a startup based in one of the 54 ARC KY Counties.
- A Startup is defined as a concept or existing business financed by its founders that is attempting to attract outside investment.
- An existing business cannot be more than 5 years old.
- Must have a product or service that has an e-commerce or exporting focus.
The competition is planned for April 11, 2024 and the location is yet to be determined (TBD).
But don’t let that date fool you, the deadline to APPLY is coming up soon!
The deadline to apply is December 31, 2023. We know that applying for a pitch competition can be a little intimidating. It doesn’t have to be and we are here to help.
You can apply HERE.
Somerset Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce Accepting Nominations for Business of the Year
Do you know a local business that has been doing some outstanding work over the past year in Somerset of Pulaski County? If so, please consider nominating them for a Business of the Year Award!
The Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce is currently seeking nominations for its 2023 Business of the Year Awards.
Nominate your favorite business or someone who’s making a difference in their community.
These are some of the categories: Non-Profit, Civic Club, Woman in Business Award, Rising Star Award, Special Event in the Community, Entrepreneurial Success Story, New Business of the Year, Excellence in Education Award
Deadline is Thursday, November 30, 2023.
It will be YOUR input that determines the recipients of these awards!
You can find the nomination form HERE.
USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) Offering Patent Bootcamp in Eastern Kentucky
Your brand. Your product and service. Your logo. Your colors.
It is all yours, but is it protected?
If it isn’t, it can easily be taken away!
That’s why we’ve partnered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to host a FREE One Day Patent Bootcamp on November 16, 2023, at the Gateway Area Development District in Morehead, Ky.
The Bootcamp is ideal for entrepreneurs to learn the best practices to protect their ideas, grow their businesses, and protect their brands.
Do you know what makes this boot camp even better? Breakfast and Lunch will be provided, and they’ll be plenty of time to network with other entrepreneurs from across the region making this Bootcamp an event you will not want to miss!
This is an in-person, single-day workshop for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and inventors covering tools, techniques, and resources to understand the patent application process.
Reserve your spot today!
Governor’s School of Entrepreneur (GSE) is Accepting Applications
The application for GSE’s Summer Startup program is now open until January 22, 2024!
All Kentucky 9th, 10th, and 11th graders interested in entrepreneurship are encouraged to apply for this free opportunity, and all GSE graduates qualify for millions of dollars in college scholarships.
Interested in applying?
Click HERE to register for a virtual info session or to start your application today!
Vision2Venture Workshop for 9th-12th Grade Students
Entrepreneurship is a great way for high school students to learn valuable skills, develop their creativity, and make a difference in the world.
For these reasons, we are inviting high school mentors, teachers, and educators to be a part of an amazing program opportunity: Vision2Venture!
Vision2Venture is open to all 9-12 educators within the SOAR Appalachian Counties of Kentucky who are interested in integrating entrepreneurial teaching and learning experiences into their classrooms.
During this program, participants will acquire the skills necessary to incorporate entrepreneurial concepts into their teaching methods.
They will then apply this knowledge in their own classrooms, collaborating with their students to create an innovative entrepreneurial “pitch.”
These pitches will be recorded and submitted to a panel of judges.
The top three pitches will be awarded cash prizes to support the realization of their entrepreneurial visions!
We are partnering with the following people to make this happen: Kentucky Educational Development Corporation, EntreEd, Southeast South-Central Educational Cooperative, Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative.
Registration is $25 per individual. Breakfast and lunch are provided.
You can learn more about the program HERE.
Second Round of Awards to Build Statewide Network of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
A second round of awards were awarded to developers to design, build, operate and maintain a statewide network of EV charging stations.
In the second round of funding, five developers are approved to build eight public charging stations along three interstate highways and parkways that have been designated as Alternative Fuel Corridor groups. The five developers collectively qualified for more than $4.5 million in formula construction funding under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.
This round of funding includes some Eastern Kentucky cities building chargers in Berea, Grayson, London, Richmond and Winchester.
Combined with the first round of awards, Kentucky has now approved 24 charging stations from seven developers along 16 corridor groups. Each station must have at least four charging ports of 150 kW each and be accessible around the clock.
You can learn more about these awards HERE.
Tennessee University Bringing Electric Vehicle Loaner Program to Appalachian Counties of Kentucky
EVOLE KY, is a non-profit advocacy group based in Kentucky that promote electric vehicle and EV charging stations in the commonwealth.
They have signed up to be the “arms and legs” for “Rural Re-imagined” – a program that is funded by the US Department of Energy grant that was put together by Tennessee Tech University.
Basically, they have purchased FOUR electric vehicles and are willing to let any resident within the ARC counties to have one of the vehicles for a free to use loan of up to two weeks.
The vehicles are: 2022 Chevy Bolt, 2022 VW ID.4, 2022 Ford Mache (Mustang), or a 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Pick-up.
You can learn more about the program and how you can sign up to get one of these electric vehicles to test out HERE.
First-ever Eastern Kentucky Diabetes Symposium
We are partnering with healthcare partners throughout Eastern Kentucky to host the first-ever East Kentucky Diabetes Symposium on November 3, 2023, in Hazard, Ky.
Some of you might or might not know, but type two Diabetes in Eastern Kentucky is a HUGE concern.
Our region has consistently ranked among the highest in the United States for diabetes prevalence, with factors like genetics, lifestyle, and limited access to healthcare contributing to this alarming trend.
Another big concern: The 5 Area Development Districts with the highest mortality rates related to Diabetes are in Eastern Kentucky.
So please join us as we feature presentations and interactive sessions from leading experts from the state of Kentucky, as well as healthcare providers across the region to find a solution to this diabetic issue.
Registration is $25 and includes programming and diabetic-friendly breakfast, lunch, and snacks.
Important Information:
Friday, November 3, 2023
8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Primary Care Centers of Eastern Kentucky
101 Town and Country Lane
Hazard, KY
You can read more about the symposium HERE.
Want to Submit to our Roundup?
Well, that is going to do it for this week’s Weekly Roundup don’t forget registration for the 2023 SOAR Summit ends Thursday, Sept. 28 – so you have less than a week now to register and get your tickets.
Know of a program that needs applicants from our region?
Do you know of a grant opportunity that one of our Eastern Kentucky non-profits could benefit from?
or just have good news from your town?
Email us at: roundup@soar-ky.org
Future events to add to your calendar:
November
- Brushy Forks Leadership Summit, Nov. 2 & 3
Brushy Fork Institute is excited to invite everyone to attend their 2023 Brushy Fork Leadership Summit: Leading Through Resilience: Imagining the Future, in Berea, Kentucky, on November 2 and 3. The two-day gathering will feature intensive workshop tracks, taught by regional leaders and will have prime content for non-profit development! Attendees choose one intensive, eight-hour track to attend over two days, plus full group keynote and other sessions.
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Apollo’s Corner 🐈
It’s my season! All these people have placed stickers, lanyards, cut outs, and banners with me, a cat! I love being praised, I love that these humans have realized who their empress is.
Toodle-doo!