Middle Tech

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 MixerDirect.com Learn more and apply for the Render Competition at render.capital/competition Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Watch the episode on YouTube Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter

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 offerings.  Also joining us for this conversation is Liz Brown Evans. Liz is the co-director of Venture Labs (you can learn more about Venture Labs on episode 95) and she brings her unique perspective from helping various corporates innovate through Venture Lab's programs. Learn more about LexMark at LexMark.com Learn more about Venture Labs at AwesomeInc.org/Venture-Labs Learn more and apply for the Render Competition at render.capital/competition Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Watch the episode on YouTube Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter

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 Render Competition invests $100,000 into eight companies each year, encouraging their growth within and beyond our region. Learn more and apply here → render.capital/competition Learn more about Render Capital at Render.Capital Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Watch the episode on YouTube Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter

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 Louisville, Ky. You can find Phocus at DrinkPhocus.com Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Watch the episode on YouTube Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter

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 episode on YouTube Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter

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 development community growth. Take a listen to learn more! Learn more about the Awesome Inc Developer Bootcamp at middletechpod.com/bootcamp Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn

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  Watch the episode on YouTube Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter 

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 Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn

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 EdelenRenewables.com Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Watch the episode on YouTube Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter

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 founder of Cultivated Creature & Shift Lexington. Our conversation centered around the purpose of WIFL and the importance of diversity and inclusion in startup ecosystems. Visit WIFL at their Facebook Group Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Watch the episode on YouTube Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter

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 vision ai that can tell your animals apart and dispense the correct food to the correct pet. Scentple Kiosk - A shopper engagement platform for the fragrance industry. Legal Gantt - A platform that streamlines communications between law firms and clients to increase client satisfaction. MentorVet - A program designed to support veterinary students experiencing burnout and depression. Vauntech - A platform aimed at tackling the homelessness problem through assisting in finding section 8 housing. Visit Awesome Inc at AwesomeInc.org Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Log

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 entry for people to get trained with these skills and take advantage of these opportunities. - Alex Fackler Should social media platforms such as Twitter have absolute discretion in creating their terms of service, thus giving them unlimited ability to censor speech? If not, who should regulate them? - Joseph Profancik How is understanding rapidly changing technology related to success in business? - Sam White If you guys could interview anyone in the world, who would it be? - Isaac Meisner Will AGI (artificial general intelligence) ever actually be achieved? - Trent Woods Thanks to all who submitted questions! If you'd

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 listen to learn more! Learn more about the Awesome Inc Developer Bootcamp at middletechpod.com/bootcamp Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn

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 Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter