As a first-year student at the University of Louisvilleā€™s , Turner was invited in 2019 to climb aboard , a five-day tech boot camp and startup pitch competition that nurtures would-be entrepreneurs on a road trip/crash course. These ā€œbuspreneursā€ pitch an idea, quickly moving to research, building, testing and ultimately selling the product or service.

That first trip as a StartupBus passenger traveling from Akron to New Orleans led Turner to be recruited as a lead conductor for the competitionā€™s Advancing Black Entrepreneurs (ABE) bus in July 2022. She functioned as a coach and leader for 30 aspiring Black entrepreneurs as they traveled from her Cincinnati hometown to Austin, Texas. Since that time, she spent a year living in Silicon Valley while doing three internships at tech companies, created her own startup company, . UofL News recently caught up with Turner to hear about her experiences.

UofL News: Your start-up company, RoadPitch, has been called ā€œAmazing Race Meets Shark Tank.ā€ How would you describe the mission and vision of your company?

Turner: RoadPitch’s mission is to mobilize Black tech founders across the country, facilitating access to capital for their companies. We’re like the Amazing Race for entrepreneurs, with determined founders living out of their suitcases for a week to meet numerous investors, similar to Shark Tank. During our tours, we hold three pitch demos daily in each city, visiting five to six cities in a week. Our intense tours aim to maximize capital opportunities, connecting founders with angel investors, corporate venture arms and venture capitalists.Ģż

UofL News: What are the most significant challenges faced by Black founders in seeking success in entrepreneurial enterprises?

Turner: In 2022, Crunchbase reported that startups with Black founders received only 1.9% of deals and 1.2% of total venture funding in the U.S. One major challenge for Black founders is the mismatch between the abundance of recommended programs and the scarcity of actual capital. Many founders are recommended to take part in various programs like accelerators and workshops, which consume time but often don’t lead to meaningful connections or funding. This gap between programming and capital hinders their startup growth, even when they’ve proven their worth.Ģż

UofL News: How has the University of Louisville and its resources and networks provided opportunities and support for your goals?

Turner: I’m immensely grateful for my undergraduate education in engineering at the University of Louisville. The mandatory were pivotal in shaping RoadPitch, as they allowed me to spend a year in San Francisco, where I attended approximately 100 startup and tech events, forging crucial connections in Silicon Valley in preparation for our west coast tour. Despite my physical absence from the state, the proved invaluable in supplying resources for RoadPitch. Our soft launch during Startup Week Louisville in September 2022 marked a significant milestone, with support from Natalia Bishop, the director of innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Louisville, who played a pivotal role in securing funding for our very first pitch competition.
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UofL News: Which large tech companies did you engage with during the tour?

Turner: We had interactions with four founders who were working on AI and Web3 projects as well as connecting with companies that have procurement departments and venture arms focused on investing in innovative enterprise solutions. Our founders had the opportunity to pitch their ideas to AWS Startups, Accenture Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and the Slack Fund. Our journey also included visits to key tech hubs, such as Amazon headquarters in Seattle, Accenture’s office in Salesforce Tower in San Francisco and Microsoft’s office in Los Angeles.

UofL News: How do you attract investors to attend your pitch demos?

Turner: We conduct extensive research on the local startup ecosystem, focusing on the relevant industry and stage of funding. We reach out to potential investors through LinkedIn and email, offering flexible pitch demo schedules. Our public evening events include mixers, fireside chats featuring local leaders and pitch competitions featuring our traveling founders alongside five local Black tech founders. This comprehensive approach is designed to foster connections between local founders and investors in their own cities, with a specific emphasis on aligning industry and funding stage preferences.

UofL News: What have been the most gratifying or rewarding experiences youā€™ve encountered since starting RoadPitch?

Turner: RoadPitch has brought about numerous positive outcomes. Our inaugural cohort of founders for the Northeast tour reported raising an impressive $166,000 post-tour, reflecting the tangible impact of our initiative. Weā€™ve also built a strong sense of camaraderie among Black founders who spend a week together in a region where they initially lack connections, leading to ongoing support and promotion of each other’s companies on social media and with investors they meet.

The travel and interaction with strangers’ aspect of RoadPitch is a personal favorite, especially considering the cost-effectiveness and convenience of public transportation for a group of founders. In Las Vegas where we ended our West Coast tour, our team received Certificates of Special Congressional Recognition from Senator Jacky Rosen and Congressman Steven Horsford, highlighting the excitement and recognition our work in the tech and entrepreneurial space has garnered. When startup ecosystems amplify us in their communities and invite us to come back, that feels pretty special and signifies that we’ve added value to their ecosystem.Ģż

UofL News: What are your anticipated plans post-graduation?

Turner: RoadPitch will have completed the Midwest and Down South tours prior to graduation. Post-graduation, I have engineering opportunities available, but my focus is not solely on building a traditional career. Instead,ĢżI’m naturally inclined towards exploring new endeavors and collaborating with creative minds. My priority is to build a life that brings freedom, joy and adventure. Stay tuned!

Click to see a video of Meaganā€™s RoadPitch tour.

LaunchIt, through the , is an intensive eight-week hybrid course focused on . The program includes coaching, mentoring and curriculum including lessons on customer discovery, product validation and other considerations when preparing for market launch.

The eight innovator team leads in the spring 2023 session were:

• Leanne Bledsoe, a researcher at Western Kentucky University, who works with fluorescent dye tracing products and services for investigating potential contamination to groundwater.*
• Rachel DeWees, a doctoral student at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, whoā€™s developing lightweight, long-lasting lithium-ion batteries meant to improve the mileage capability electric vehicles.*
• Saba Gray, founder of BioGLITZ, whoā€™s developed a biodegradable, hemp-based glitter, while exploring her product application for environmentally-conscious textile manufacturers, artisans and consumers.
• Candace Harrington, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing whoā€™s developing “iCanDriveSafely”, an AI-driven mobile app helping those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias make smarter driving choices.*
• Caleb He, an undergraduate student whoā€™s developing a tool to help doctors in developing countries with an easy and reliable way to provide quantitative measurement of tissue rigidity for earlier detection of breast cancer.*
• Laura Leon Machado, a researcher at UofL’s Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, whoā€™s developing a pediatric postural control chair meant to improve spinal conditions.*
• Ryan G. Nazar, a neurosurgeon, developing a software application, Practical Healthcare, creating a community of health care consumers to empower a patient-first approach to health care engagement.
• Melissa Smith, an assistant professor in the UofL School of Medicine, whoā€™s developing genomics and bioinformatics tools for predicting individual responsiveness to viral vaccines or infectious disease.*

Starred participants received LaunchIt tuition funding and support through UofLā€™s NSF I-Corps site program, which pairs innovative UofL faculty, staff and students (undergraduate and graduate) with entrepreneurial mentors to drive research-backed technologies to market.

Harrington, who had no business experience prior to LaunchIt, said the experience changed her perspective on the potential impact of her research.

ā€œI started LaunchIt with a good idea and no business knowledge,ā€ she said. ā€œOver eight weeks, I developed the acumen to pitch a business and commercialization plan to over 100 people, with potential investors expressing interest in supporting our innovative start-up!ĢżWhat an amazing program!”

The LaunchIt program is offered by , a group within the UofL Office of Research and Innovation that works to launch and grow startups, and is supported in part by Amplify Louisville. LaunchIt coaches include the officeā€™s Entrepreneurs in Residence, knowledgeable founders with an in-depth understanding of launching and growing a business.ĢżThe program also taps into the regionā€™s entrepreneurial ecosystem for its speaker lineup, bringing in real-world experience and insights of local innovators, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.

ā€œThe participants in this cohort represent such a breadth of industries, each working to turn a good idea into a good product,ā€ said Will Metcalf, an associate vice president of research and innovation who leads UofL New Ventures. ā€œIā€™m proud of their progress this session and the connectivity this program creates between industry and our campus, helping to launch new companies, ideas and economic development.ā€

The next session of LaunchIt, beginning in fall 2023, is now enrolling. More information and registration is available at .

Watkins ā€™06 is doing his part to help fellow Black Americans with access to affordable education that could propel them to business opportunities and generational wealth.

After earning his UofL electrical engineering bachelor’s degree, Watkins started the speakersā€™ bureau Great Black Speakers and other entrepreneurial ventures, also adding a Cornell University MBA to his resume.

He co-founded in 2016 and is vice chairman of The Black Business School, an education and training platform to provide Black students with culturally relevant, practical instruction in areas from investing to personal finance to entrepreneurship.

Watkins also co-founded the Black Experts Empire for professionals and publishes the Black Business Daily newsletter with articles pertinent to business and investing.

Cornellā€™s SC Johnson College of Business highlighted his success story of entrepreneurship during Black History Month.

After graduating with a bachelorā€™s of science in exercise science, Jamie moved to Gainesville, Florida, to get his masterā€™s in exercise physiology until his path changed course.

Jamie enjoyed cooking and initially thought it to be a hobby. Once he got his first job in the kitchen, he realized his hobby was quickly turning into a passion. During that time, he began thinking out of the box when it came to cuisine.

ā€œOne night, with a buddy of mine, I said, ā€˜No one is microbrewing soy sauce in the U.S.,’ and it turned out to be a true statement,ā€ Jamie said.

In 2005, Jamie moved back to Louisville and continued his research about microbrewing soy sauce. As a self-taught chef, Jamie learned everything about cooking on his own, but once he got the idea of his business, he enlisted the help of others.

ā€œI used every free service available to me, including the University of Louisvilleā€™s entrepreneurial studies program,ā€ Jamie said. ā€œI had never written a business proposal before, but was so blindly passionate about this idea that I had that I was not going to be told I couldnā€™t do it.ā€

His perseverance created Bourbon Barrel Foods and Bluegrass Soy Sauce. Bluegrass Soy Sauce is Jamieā€™s true passion, and Bourbon Barrel Foods is a business that has many bourbon-based products.

ā€œBourbon Barrel Foods was a company meant to pay for my passion of soy sauce,ā€ Jamie said. ā€œIn 2006, we had our first products on the shelf, and it was around a time that the state was really trying to push for tourism with the bourbon business.ā€

Bourbon Barrel Foods grew as bourbon tourism grew and almost every year since, the company has experienced growth. The businessā€™s growth is in many ways due to Jamieā€™s idea of what products should be created.

ā€œOne of the first products we started making was bourbon-smoked sea salt,ā€ Jamie said. ā€œAnd in my house, you didnā€™t ask for the salt without getting the pepper, too, so we did bourbon smoked pepper.ā€ Now, Bourbon Barrel Foodsā€™s salt and pepper are part of more than 100 products.

Since the beginning of Bluegrass Soy Sauce, Jamie had the opportunity to help others who are looking to pursue the same passion.

ā€œIā€™ve been pretty open about how we make soy sauce and our story, and now other people around the world are doing it,ā€ Jamie said. ā€œAn owner of a business from the Netherlands wanted me to show him how to make soy sauce. He made five trips to Kentucky. We showed him everything we do, and now theyā€™ve been Europeā€™s only micro-brewed soy sauce for the last six years.ā€

Mentoring others in the process of microbrewing soy sauce is not his only path of helping others. While Jamie initially never planned on having a business that employed others, Bourbon Barrel Foods employs 35 people.

ā€œWeā€™ve grown because my employees all embrace the brand and what it is that we do,ā€ Jamie said. ā€œYou canā€™t ask someone to love the brand, but my employees do, which is really cool and a big part of our company.ā€

Looking back, although Jamie is proud of where he has come from, he has no plans of slowing down.

ā€œGrowth and fulfilling the visions of where I want the company to be is something that keeps me going,ā€ Jamie said. ā€œWhenever I find myself going into the warehouse on my own, itā€™s like wow, everything Iā€™ve dreamed of is becoming true, but I see so much more that this company can do.ā€

Bourbon Barrel Foods does have a lot more it can do, and with an exciting expansion, Jamie believes there is a lot more room for growth.

ā€œWe are doing an expansion in our warehouse, from 1,000 square feet to a 21,000-square-foot facility,ā€ Jamie said. ā€œThereā€™s a dedicated room for smoking products. I used to smoke in a smoker the size of a small fridge, and now we have six smokers the size of pickup trucks.ā€

As an entrepreneur, Jamie gets to continue creating and growing Bourbon Barrel Foods. With expansion, that will mean many other people will get to experience this Louisville product.

ā€œItā€™s exciting for me, and creating a sense of community around something like that is fun,ā€ Jamie said. ā€œIā€™m fortunate enough to have been the first, but now we want to continue and strive to be the best.ā€

Nominations for the 31^st annual award, presented by the UofL Equine Industry Program, are being accepted through Oct. 30.

The award is named for the late John W. Galbreath, the first person ever to breed and race Kentucky Derby winners (Chateaugay and Proud Clarion) and an English (Epsom) Derby winner (Roberto). He received Eclipse Awards as racingā€™s ā€œMan of the Yearā€ in 1972 and as the countryā€™s outstanding breeder in 1974. Galbreath was heavily involved in importing top Thoroughbred stallions from overseas, including Ribot and Sea-Bird II.

Galbreath built a small local firm into an international real estate/project development company. His interests included the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team and Darby Dan Farm, a Thoroughbred breeding and racing enterprise that won stakes races on three continents. He also served for many years as chairman of Churchill Downs.

Recipients of the Galbreath Award demonstrate original and creative techniques or approaches to business, a willingness to take personal or career risks, forward-thinking and visionary management planning, an ability to render a business firm or organization more effective and profitable and the respect of peers as evidence of character and integrity.

Previous awardees include John A. Bell III, Cothran ā€œCotā€ Campbell and Judith Forbis. The 2019 winner was B. Wayne Hughes, who re-established Spendthrift Farm as one of the largest stallion stations in the world through innovative marketing techniques such as the ā€œShare the Upsideā€ program.

The 2020 awardee will be announced in late fall and honored at a dinner in Louisville. More information is available online.