Middle Tech

Logan and Evan cover the Department of Energy’s announcement on achieving net gain nuclear fusion, Trump releasing an NFT, SBF getting arrested, Elon suspending accounts under a new doxxing policy, and a review of the SPAC market over the past few years. Thanks to all who listened throughout the year - we’ll be continuing to create content similar to what’s on the Friday Update, but it will be on our Monday episodes instead. See you all in 2023! Today's Friday Update is sponsored by KY Innovation Visit us at MiddleTech.com

For the final episode of season 5 of the Middle Tech Podcast, we wanted to stick with the tradition of getting the team together to talk about the past season's successes/failures, what we learned over the past year, and our plans for season 6. Season 6 will kick off on January 9th, 2023 - we hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

Tj recaps how Middle Tech's first event went: from the logistic planning to the conversation itself. Middle Tech socials: Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Visit us at MiddleTech.com

Logan and Evan cover the antitrust investigations around Ticketmaster/Live Nation in the wake of the Taylor Swift debacle, as well as Microsoft's attempted acquisition of Activision, plus the latest AI model from OpenAI - ChatGPT. Watch Middle Tech's Friday Updates LIVE at 8:30am EST on Instagram every week! @MiddleTechPod Today's Friday Update is sponsored by KY Innovation Visit us at MiddleTech.com

On today’s episode, Evan sits down with Adam VanWingerden, CEO and Founder of Lexington AgTech startup, Silver Fern Group, to cover the details reported in the Lexington Herald Leader’s recent article on AppHarvest. The article, covering AppHarvest’s recent disclosure alerting investors that it’s running out of cash, comes after a rough year for the Lexington-based startup. Through their financial disclosures, it became evident that the massive investment in the future of AgTech was having difficulty producing a sustainable business model and burning through cash at an alarming rate. In addition to their business woes, Evan and Adam discuss the shadiness of some of AppHarvest’s investors that also were involved in other high-profile startup failures, how the ESG movement has allowed this failure to happen, the dark side of SPACs, and more. Visit us at MiddleTech.com Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Logan's Twitter Evan's Twitter Middle Tech is proud to be supported by: Our presenting sponsor, KY Innovation

Danny reviews a new, unique path in computer engineering: coding for art and creativity. Middle Tech socials: Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Visit us at MiddleTech.com

Evan and Logan discuss the protests happening in China and Kanye getting banned from Twitter...again. Watch Middle Tech's Friday Updates LIVE at 8:30am EST on Instagram every week! @MiddleTechPod Today's Friday Update is sponsored by KY Innovation Visit us at MiddleTech.com

Today’s episode is from Middle Tech’s first in-person event, held on November 9th in Louisville, Ky. The panel discussion centered around how Financial Technologies are democratizing finance and empowering the next generation of software. Our panelists included Raffi Kayat, founder of Borderless, Demetrius Gray, founder of Captian, and Evan Knowles, founder of Symba. Our discussion dives deep into some key topics around Financial Technologies, such as how fintech is democratizing finance, empowering financial equity, and enhancing financial literacy at a rapid pace. Visit us at MiddleTech.com Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Logan's Twitter Evan's Twitter Middle Tech is proud to be supported by: Our presenting sponsor, KY Innovation Endeavor Midwest

As we begin to wrap up 2022, Nate reflects on two past episodes that are worth another listen. Listen to some wise words from TJ Barnett and Evan Knowles on this week's episode of Weekend Thoughts Middle Tech socials: Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Visit us at MiddleTech.com

Dr. Eric Monday is the Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration at the University of Kentucky. Throughout his career at UK, Dr. Monday has helped spearhead the introduction of the university’s e-sports program, the UK Invest program, and various other Smart Campus initiatives. Our conversation primarily focuses on the newly announced UK Invest program that aims to help students build a foundation of financial literacy — allowing them to achieve greater financial security, career readiness, and well-being. Throughout our conversation with Dr. Monday, we also dive into the overall mission of UK’s Smart Campus initiatives and how university leadership approcahes building a thriving college community. Visit us at MiddleTech.com Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Logan's Twitter Evan's Twitter Middle Tech is proud to be supported by: Our presenting sponsor, KY Innovation Endeavor Midwest

On this week's episode of Weekend Thoughts, Nate speaks on how quantity is being put over quality within the professional entertainment industries. Movies, music, shows, just aren't the same anymore all thanks to The Content-ization of Entertainment. Middle Tech socials: Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Visit us at MiddleTech.com

Logan, Evan, and Nate discuss more details emerging about FTX's collapse and the chaos at Twitter after Elon gives employees an ultimatum. Watch Middle Tech's Friday Updates LIVE at 8:30am EST on Instagram every week! @MiddleTechPod Today's Friday Update is sponsored by KY Innovation Visit us at MiddleTech.com

Wesley Belden is the founder and CEO of Raise Financial. Raise Financial is a Nashville-based startup building a platform that is taking a unique approach to providing access to longer-term, higher-yielding financial vehicles by providing access via subscription. By subscribing to one of their programs, Raise Financial invests an initial lump sum of their money, proportionate to the user’s subscription, into index funds and bonds. The subscription entitles you to 100% of the returns of the investment and allows for easier access to the power of compounding. Our conversation covers the challenges younger generations are facing when it comes to long-term investment vehicles, why financial literacy is critical for the long-term stability of our economy, and how Nashville is positioning itself as a great homebase for founders that need to visit different markets frequently. Learn more about Raise Financial at RaiseFinancial.com Connect with Wesley on LinkedIn Visit us at MiddleTech.com Twitter Instagram Facebook

On this week's episode of Weekend Thoughts, Logan uses Descript's overdub feature, in conjunction with Open A-I's GPT-3 to demonstrate the power of machine learning and artificial intelligence.  Middle Tech socials: Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Visit us at MiddleTech.com

Logan and Evan discuss: - FTX's crash and burn - Weekly Twitter update

Haley Zapolski (Zap) is the Managing Director of Jumpstart Foundry, a Nashville-based healthcare pre-seed fund. Prior to joining Jumpstart Foundry, Zap made a name for herself in Nashville through her community building skills, often hosting dinners with founders in the ecosystem and providing introductions to help facilitate new connections. Our conversation with Zap focuses on how she leveraged her networking skills to build community and opportunity for herself, what makes Nashville an attractive city for healthtech startups, and the fund she is raising to invest in healthcare companies. Learn more about Jumpstart Foundry at jsf.co Connect with Zap on LinkedIn Visit us at MiddleTech.com Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Logan's Twitter Evan's Twitter Middle Tech is proud to be supported by: Our presenting sponsor, KY Innovation Endeavor Midwest

The Middle Tech team is proud to announce our first live event! We'll be hearing from a panel of local FinTech leaders who are empowering the next generation of software. Moderated by the co-host of Middle Tech, Logan Jones, the panel will consist of local leaders such as Demetrius Gray from Captain, Raffi Kayat from Borderless, and our very own Evan Knowles from Symba. The event will be held at the main branch of Chase Bank in downtown Louisville on November 9th at 7:00 PM. Register for Middle Tech's first live event! Middle Tech socials: Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Visit us at MiddleTech.com

Nate, Logan, and Evan discuss: - Falcon Heavy launches again after a 3 year hiatus

Andy Eastes is the co-founder of SkuVault, a Louisville-based inventory management software for e-commerce companies. We originally had Andy on the podcast for episode 87 back in February of 2020 and wanted to bring him back on to give us his perspective of SkuVault’s recent acquisition. SkuVault has been acquired by the private equity firm Marlin Equity Partners, in a deal to merge the company with one of their existing portfolio companies, Linnworks. Our discussion is a deep dive into Andy’s experience going through a private equity acquisition, touching on Andy’s learnings from the deal, what it means for the future of SkuVault and himself, and the significance of successful exits for startup ecosystems. Learn more about SkuVault's acquisition here. Visit us at MiddleTech.com Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Logan's Twitter Evan's Twitter Middle Tech is proud to be supported by: Our presenting sponsor, KY Innovation Endeavor Midwest

There's some hard knocks when it comes to fundraising... On this episode of Weekend Thoughts, Evan chats about the tough times that oftentime come with a fundraising campaign. Just keep on truckin'! Middle Tech socials: Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Visit us at MiddleTech.com