In late January, Shade started her term as an entrepreneur in residence, or EIR, through the UofL Office of Research and Innovation. In this role, she will work with inventors and the to connect UofL technologies to industry and startups.

“I’m excited to participate in this program and continue the momentum,” Shade said.Ěý“This program furthers the potential for impact to our communities and reflectsĚýthe amazing work being done at the University of Louisville.”

Shade is a veteran of the healthcare industry, having worked in both large companies and startups. But coming back to campus as an EIR brings things full-circle: the company she founded, Louisville-based SentryHealth, was born at UofL.

SentryHealth has customized corporate care management programs that help employees stay healthy while controlling health care costs for employers.

Shade’s hiring marks the second class of UofL Research and Innovation EIRs. Funding for the program comes from the , a public-private partnership led by UofL and backed by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, to grow Louisville’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.

The first round of EIRs, , included Josh Nickols, Jeff Cummins and Charley Miller. Nickols and Cummins will continue to serve as EIRs through summer 2020, while Miller is now focused on his new, Vogt Award-winning startup, Unitonomy.Ěý

The company is built around a , which Miller discovered and licensed while working with UofL. It’s the first license from the EIR program and the first from the UofL College of łÉČËÖ±˛Ą and Human Development.Ěý

“We’re very excited to have Alice join us as an EIR, and to benefit from her knowledge and experience in the healthcare startup space,” said Will Metcalf, UofL’s executive director of strategic initiatives and chairman of the LEAP board. “We had great success with the first round of EIRs, and with Alice on board, we’re sure to build on that momentum.”Ěý

“Together, we will commercialize university research, enhance the region’s reputation for innovation, grow jobs and economic development and build the next generation of leaders in the health care sector,” said UofL president Dr. Neeli Bendapudi.Ěý

The entrepreneur-led hub, dubbed the Louisville Entrepreneurship Acceleration Partnership (LEAP), is backed by a multimillion-dollar through the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. The award is $1.3 million per year for up to five years.

The LEAP effort joins several players in the Louisville entrepreneurship ecosystem — UofL, the and , along with support from GLI’s Enterprise Corp., the MED Institute and Techstars.

“It is inspiring to see the expertise of these partners come together for the common good,” said Will Metcalf, UofL’s executive director of and the principal investigator on the grant. “Together we are building a community that cultivates and supports elite entrepreneurs.”

LEAP has also hired a seasoned entrepreneur, Wendy Lea, to spearhead its programs and initiatives. Lea is the previous CEO of , a public-private partnership innovation hub focused on economic development and creating value for both startups and large companies.

“This RISE partnership will kick Louisville’s startup ecosystem into high gear,” Lea said. “I look forward to taking a promising ecosystem to the next level.”

The partnership will also include support from GLI’s Enterprise Corp, the entrepreneurial arm of the Louisville chamber of commerce, which will work with LEAP’s board on education and mentorship programs. Also, TechStars, a national tech accelerator, will support program initiatives.Ěý

Each partner brings its own expertise, and will contribute to programming that includes physical space, entrepreneurial training, building funding channels, forging connections between startups and big companies and other support.Ěý

“Through this collaboration, LEAP will tie together and evolve Kentucky’s existing entrepreneurial ecosystem to cultivate fast growth startup companies and attract the people and financial resources needed to create further innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Tammy York Day, president and CEO of LHCC.

Check out video from today’s announcement:Ěý