, offered through the as part of the Mid-South NSF I-Corps Hub, is an intensive course focused on , which helps innovators and entrepreneurs test their ideas or products in the real world and see if they have what it takes to stick. The regular eight-week program is hybrid and offered in spring and fall, while the new three-session ‘short course’ is offered virtually and in summer.��

“Entrepreneurs and innovators are nimble — they need to move fast to get their ideas from mind to market,” said Jessica Sharon, UofL senior director of innovation and new ventures. “With this new, shorter program, we’re able to offer training and coaching through a more flexible format that helps them move quickly and fits into busy schedules.”��

LaunchIt’s curriculum, taught by experienced and successful entrepreneurs from both the Office of Research and Innovation and UofL College of Business, includes coaching, mentoring and lessons on customer discovery, product validation and other considerations when preparing for market launch. The program is open to anyone in the region working to develop a technology-focused product or company.

UofL piloted the short course in summer 2024. A total of 13 teams participated, including 11 from UofL and one each from Northern Kentucky University and University of Kentucky. Connor Centner, a post-doctoral researcher in the UofL J.B. Speed School of Engineering, used the course to help further a cutting-edge therapeutic ultrasound technology meant to destroy cancer cells and unlock the body’s immune system to fight tumors.

“The LaunchIt Short Course was an incredibly unique experience—it gave me the opportunity to dive into customer discovery and product-market fit with guidance from experienced entrepreneurs who’ve been through it all,” Centner said. “It wasn’t just about learning the basics; it was about gaining real-world experience that offered valuable insight into the market and helped me truly understand customer needs to determine how my idea or product could succeed.”

From the short course, some teams may choose to go on to the more comprehensive eight-week course offered twice a year, or some may choose to focus on additional customer discovery. All participating teams are eligible for microgrants to support customer discovery once they graduate the short course or the full course.

LaunchIt course director, Jamie Rush, said everyone can benefit from entrepreneurial training. With this new short course, the team hopes to expand access to people who may not be able to attend otherwise. For example, the short course is now offered to UofL students in a partnership with the new Bluegrass Biodesign program, where multi-disciplinary teams work to develop innovations that save and improve lives.��

“Whether or not you plan to launch a startup, you’re an entrepreneur and can use LaunchIt tools like customer discovery and market research to focus your research or idea and make it impactful,” Rush said. “We want to equip everyone — students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs, corporate business leaders — with tools that help them advance not only important new products, but new community projects, business initiatives and more.”��

The next full session of LaunchIt, beginning in spring 2025, is now enrolling through Jan. 24, 2025. More information and registration is available at . The next short course will be offered in summer 2025.��

LaunchIt, offered twice per year through the , is an intensive eight-week hybrid course focused on , which helps innovators and entrepreneurs test their ideas or products in the real world and see if they have what it takes to stick.

The program, taught by experienced and successful entrepreneurs, includes coaching, mentoring and curriculum including lessons on customer discovery, product validation and other considerations when preparing for market launch. The program is open to anyone in the region working to develop a technology-focused product or company.

Leads for the fourteen teams in the fall 2023 session were:

• Tom Alaimo: LifeStory Connection, software that personalizes the quality of care to their life and experiences, creating a person-centered approach to healthcare.
• Faisal Aqlan (J.B. Speed School of Engineering): A UofL data-driven interactive virtual reality clinic (IVRC) that enhances cognitive function provides an accurate assessment of dementia level to providers.
• Shavonne Bass: Loc’n Key, offering community driven products focused on sustainable, eco-friendly organic hair care products specifically designed for customers with locs.
• Zachary Fowler (J.B. Speed School of Engineering): A device for wearable continuous monitoring insulin biosensor to help physicians identify patients who are at risk for metabolic disease and Type II diabetes.
• Kelly Gibson and Jason Crist: Crison, an electrical infrastructure app for seamless integration of asset information and test result trending.
• Seokyoung Han (J.B. Speed School of Engineering): A smart device for interpreting dog behaviors combines imaging of the animal’s expressions with biometric data to relay accurate status to the owner.
• Arpan Jain: Jain Energy Co., a biofuel cell that promotes a neutral-carbon-based circular economy and reduces dependency on fossil fuels for electricity generation.
• Young Hoon Kim (J.B. Speed School of Engineering): Building construction materials that consume zero-water used in drought regions.
• Hallie Osborne (J.B. Speed School of Engineering): A device used for improved visualization when removing fluid from around the heart in emergent cardiovascular cases.
• Sumit Paul (J.B. Speed School of Engineering): A novel mechanical interlocking metamaterial that strengthens biomedical implants and increases durability after implantation.
• Farshid Ramezanipour (College of Arts and Sciences): A novel compound that efficiently generates hydrogen from water to provide a cheaper, environmentally friendly energy source.
• Nicolas Tehrani: Lode, a company creating full-flavor fermented non-alcoholic beverages for beer enthusiasts.
• Elton Thomas: Project Story ����ֱ��, a company using cutting edge biometric technologies to design and provide education, fitness and security solutions.
• Imelda Wright (School of Nursing): An assessment tool used in several high-risk industries by identifying weaknesses in their safety systems.

LaunchIt is offered by the team as part of its National Science Foundation program. All teams in this cohort received training, funding and other support from I-Corps to drive their innovation-backed technologies to market.

“LaunchIt was a window into the world of entrepreneurship,” said Ramezanipour, a UofL faculty member who participated as part of the I-Corps program. “It was a great experience and very helpful in understanding how to take your innovation to the next stage.”

UofL New Ventures works to launch and grow startups, and is supported in part by Amplify Louisville. LaunchIt coaches include the office’s Entrepreneurs in Residence, knowledgeable founders with an in-depth understanding of launching and growing a business.��

The next session of LaunchIt, beginning in spring 2024, is now enrolling. More information and registration is available at .

The startup, Immersive Hearing Technologies, is built on UofL research that uses VR to help patients test different models and program their hearing aids, all without leaving the comfort of the clinical setting.��

As one of just selected for this year’s Vogt class by the Community Foundation of Louisville, the Immersive team — co-founders Jeff Cummins and UofL researcher, Matthew Neal — received $25,000 in non-dilutive grant funding, participation in a 10-week startup accelerator program, coaching, mentorship, strategic introductions and recognition designed to boost the growth of their business.

Cummins, a seasoned founder who previously served as an entrepreneur-in-residence in the , said he was attracted to the technology and ultimately came on-board to launch the startup because it tackles a problem he himself has faced.��

“I wear hearing aids and I know the challenges faced by individuals with hearing difficulty,” he said. “The technology has an opportunity to be a platform that revolutionizes how hearing aids are provided by allowing patients/users to listen to the hearing aids before they purchase them.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, one in eight Americans over the age of 12 have some degree of hearing loss and about 28.8 million adults could benefit from using hearing aids.

With this tool, audiologists could use a VR headset, tablet computer or a wide screen display to demonstrate how specific hearing aid models and settings would perform in different, realistic environments, such as a school, noisy restaurant, grocery store or church. Neal and his research collaborators developed the technology to help patients find the right fit.

“We want to help people choose the hearing aid and get it programmed specifically for the specific environments where they have trouble,” said Neal, of the UofL School of Medicine. “With virtual reality technologies, you can do that without leaving your audiologist’s office.”

Neal and collaborators have worked closely with the UofL Office of Research and Innovation and its and teams, who help translate research into products and commercialize them by partnering with industry or launching new companies. The office provided support for intellectual property and product development, entrepreneurial training and coaching, and a connection to Cummins.��

As part of that support, the team participated in several of UofL’s innovation and new venture programs, including both the UofL site and prestigious national�� programs for technology-backed startups. They also participated in the Pandemic-Related Product Acceleration & Responsive Entrepreneurship Program, or��, which partners UofL researchers with companies and members of the community to scale up innovative ideas addressing health, economic and societal issues caused by pandemics.��

The team also completed��, UofL’s eight-week product innovation bootcamp, and received coaching from multiple UofL entrepreneurs-in-residence.��The entrepreneur-in-residence program is a partnership with , an organization working to grow Louisville’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, with funding from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.

“The support of these programs and the Office of Research and Innovation team was invaluable in developing the technology to this point,” Neal said. “We look forward to continuing to work with the team to further develop, and ultimately launch, this product that could really improve the lives of those with hearing difficulty.”��

The Mid-South , backed by a four-year grant from the National Institutes of Health, spans a four-state network of Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee and Virginia. The hub is led by Vanderbilt University, with UofL leading efforts in Kentucky to transform academic discoveries into real-world products that advance human health and catalyze a medical innovation economy.��

“UofL is a top-tier, Carnegie Research-1 university, and we are proud of our strong track record as a driver of health innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Kevin Gardner, executive vice president for . “We are excited to expand that work with the Mid-South Hub, joining our partner institutions to accelerate technologies and companies that can save and improve lives, creating opportunity here and throughout our region.”

NIH’s REACH program focuses on bringing basic science discoveries to market by providing entrepreneurial training for innovators on how to bring technologies to market; feedback from federal and industry experts; funding to support early-stage product definition studies; and project management support

UofL’s role in the new hub follows years of state leadership, since launching Kentucky’s first REACH program in 2015. The REACH efforts began at UofL and expanded statewide in 2019 through collaboration with KY Innovation, University of Kentucky and Kentucky Commercialization Ventures. Over nearly a decade, Kentucky REACH programs have coached more than 400 innovative faculty, staff and students across Kentucky public institutions and funded 45 technologies, leading to 18 new products and 11 patents filed.

“UofL has provided consistent leadership in driving these innovations from lab to market across the Commonwealth,” said Jessica Sharon, director of innovation programs and lead for the UofL Hub program. “Through this new Hub, we are very excited to work with our regional partner universities to train more innovator teams, helping them learn the product development process and lens.”

REACH is part of UofL’s unique suite of prestigious, grant-backed programs aimed at supporting the translation of research into viable commercial products. UofL is one of only a handful of universities in the country to host each of these innovation-associated programs — and it’s the only one to receive��all��of them.

With the new Mid-South REACH Hub, UofL will expand on this programming by leveraging already strong partnerships with regional institutions. Last year, UofL partnered with Vanderbilt on a $15 million effort backed by the National Science Foundation to launch a new regional hub aimed at accelerating product innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development. The resulting NSF Mid-South��Innovation Corps��(I-Corps) Hub, one of only 10 across the U.S., is part of the operational backbone of the NSF’s , which helps translate academic research for the marketplace while expanding access and inclusion.��

“Diverse perspectives are essential to turn university ideas into lifesaving tools in the hands of doctors,” said Vanderbilt lead, Robert Webster. “So many students and faculty share this vision—to their very core—but lack the business, legal and practical insights they need to get started…��We know what it feels like and what it takes, and we can’t wait to help others unlock the potential of their ideas–and themselves–as innovators and entrepreneurs.”��

NIH will contribute $4 million toward the Hub over four years, with more than $8 million in additional matching funds from partnering universities, state economic development entities and public-private partnerships.��Kentucky matching funds are supported by the state Cabinet for Economic Development’s KY Innovation, UofL and UK. In addition to Vanderbilt and UofL, the other partner institutions are, Jackson State University, George Mason University and UK.

Goldberg will serve as an entrepreneur-in-residence, or EIR, through the . In this role, he will work with UofL to connect inventions to industry and startups.

Goldberg brings nearly 30 years of experience as a medical doctor and C-suite executive, previously working for major brands and startups including ExpressScripts and Aetna Inc. Goldberg recently retired as Chief Health Officer of clinical laboratory Quest Diagnostics, where he also supported the enterprise investment fund and new ventures.

“UofL is doing some really interesting and impactful work in developing new diagnostics, treatments and therapies,” Goldberg said. “I’m excited to work with the team and with the university’s researchers to help drive those innovations to market and clinical settings, where they can help patients.”

Goldberg joins a class of EIRs that currently includes seasoned founders Alice Shade (healthcare), Tendai Charasika (software), Bill Dawson (health and biotech) and Chirs Bailey (manufacturing). Shade joined as part of the second round of EIRs in 2020, followed by Charasika in 2021 and Dawson and Bailey in 2023.

The EIR program is led by the Office of Research and Innovation’s UofL New Ventures team, which focuses on launching startups around research-born tech. The EIR program is in partnership with Amplify, an organization working to grow Louisville’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, with funding from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.

“We’re thrilled to have Dr. Goldberg join our team, and for the continued growth of the entrepreneurs-in-residence program in partnership with Amplify,” said Will��Metcalf,��a UofL associate vice president for research and innovation.��“Our EIRs bring incredible experience and connection to UofL – Dr. Goldberg is the perfect example of that, joining us through a connection with another EIR, Alice Shade. His experience in health and medical innovation is a powerful addition to our already strong team and will undoubtedly drive innovation forward.”

The companies have all been awarded Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants from the National Institutes of Health along with matching funds from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development��to support continued research and development work with UofL.��

The three startups are:��

• Degranin Therapeutics LLC: Degranin Therapeutics, founded by five UofL researchers and led by Kenneth McLeish (School of Medicine), is working to commercialize a UofL research-backed drug for acute respiratory distress syndrome, a rapidly developing, life-threatening lung disease occurring in more than 200,000 hospitalized patients in the U.S. each year. Degranin received more than $300,000 from the SBIR program for development, plus an additional $100,000 in SBIR matching funds from the state.��
• DesiCorp Inc.: is working to develop and commercialize a UofL-born method of freeze-drying blood to extend its shelf-life, which could have , including in the military operations, humanitarian aid or even space travel. The company is led by UofL alum, Brett Janis, and based on technology he developed with researchers Michael Menze () and Jonathan Kopechek (). DesiCorp received nearly $300,000 from the SBIR program, plus nearly $100,000 in additional matching funds from the state. ��
• WickedSheets: is a Louisville-based moisture-wicking bedding startup led by UofL alum, Ali Truttman. WickedSheets is working with UofL researcher Cindy Harnett (J.B. Speed School of Engineering) to develop the Wicked Smart Pad, washable bedding with sensors for the detection and mitigation of moisture events, which could help bedridden patients and home caregivers. WickedSheets received more than $340,000 from the SBIR program, plus nearly $100,000 in additional matching funds from the state.��

“These companies are all working to further UofL research and technology with the potential to save and improve lives,” said Jessica Sharon, director of innovation programs in the university’s . “I’m so proud of what they’ve accomplished, and each one is an excellent example of the strong infrastructure at UofL that supports this kind of innovation and entrepreneurship.”

In addition to being based on UofL research, all three technologies are protected through Office of Research and Innovation’s patenting and licensing team. All three also received coaching and training through the office’s entrepreneurial arm,����and its entrepreneurs-in-residence program, which brings seasoned founders to the university to help guide innovations to market. The program is supported by Amplify Louisville.��

WickedSheets and DesiCorp also received development funding through UofL’s suite of innovation grant programs, which support the translation of research into viable commercial products.��WickedSheets participated in PRePARE, which accelerates development of COVID-19 related technologies, and DesiCorp received funding through UofL’s innovation grants, and NIH REACH programs, which accelerate engineering and biomedical technologies. UofL is one of only a handful of universities in the country to receive each of these, and is��the only one to receive all of them.

The event, hosted by the UofL , honored faculty and staff from five schools and colleges for accomplishments in developing new technologies, working with industry and launching research-backed startups.

“We like to say UofL’s ‘igniting innovation’ — and that’s absolutely true,” said president Kim Schatzel, giving opening remarks at the event. “Since joining the UofL community, I’ve seen that our campus is full-to-bursting with creativity and ideas, some with the power to transform the way we live and work. If UofL is igniting innovation, our innovators are the spark, and the work they do has a lasting and positive impact here on our campus and well beyond.”

Six major awards were also presented, including Innovator of the Year. This year, that honor went to School of Medicine researcher Nobuyuki Matoba, recognized for his work to tackle devastating diseases, inflammatory bowel disease and cancer, through groundbreaking new vaccines, immunotherapeutics and treatments that leverage protein engineering and plant-based biotechnology.����

In addition to Matoba, major awards were also presented to:��

• • Dan Popa, of the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, who won the Catalyst Award for his work to build an environment that encourages innovation at the Louisville Automation and Robotics Research Institute (LARRI);
  • Geoff Clark, Joe Burlison and Kenneth Palmer, of the School of Medicine, who won the Industry Partnership Award for their longstanding commercialization relationship with Qualigen Therapeutics;��
  • Cheri Levinson and Christina Ralph-Nearman, of the College of Arts and Sciences, who won a Trailblazer Award for their work to develop novel virtual reality and personalized treatment tools for eating disorders and launch a startup, Awaken Digital Health Solutions, to drive them to market;
  • Kunal Kate, of the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, who won a Trailblazer Award in part for his work with the Kentucky MBDA Advanced Manufacturing Center to help minority-owned businesses leverage cutting-edge technology;��
  • Noppadon Sathitsuksanoh, of the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, who won the night’s final Trailblazer Award for his work to develop new ways of producing sustainable fuels and chemicals from waste materials;

Over the past two years, 57 of the honorees earned new patents, 28 had their technology optioned or licensed to a company and 68 were awarded innovation grants, such as or , aimed at driving technologies to market. In the past fiscal year, the work of these innovators led to one new startup, 319 agreements, 49 new patents and $15.6 million in innovation-related income.

UofL Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation Kevin Gardner, whose office organizes the event, said those numbers represent real-world impact — and more, impact that can save and improve lives.��

“The innovations our researchers are developing have the potential to diagnose, treat and cure disease and overall make the way we live and work better,” he said. “What we celebrate reflects what we value as an institution — and with awards like these, we show that we value entrepreneurship and innovation.”

The Louisville Entrepreneurship Summit, presented by the , brought together more than 300 innovators, entrepreneurs, investors and supporters from throughout the region for a fireside chat, startup expo, networking and signing of Case’s new book, “.”��

“Entrepreneurship and innovation is so core to what we do and who we are as a university, whether that’s by educating the next generation of founders, developing research-backed products or launching new companies,” said Kevin Gardner, UofL’s executive vice president for research and innovation, who leads the organizing office and gave opening remarks. “We’re proud to work with Case and our community partners to support startups here and beyond.”

In addition to Case, speakers included Elliott Parker, CEO of Indianapolis venture firm, High Alpha Innovation; Jonathan Webb, founder of Kentucky-born agtech startup, AppHarvest; and Monique Quarterman, executive director of KY Innovation. Selected entrepreneurs also participated in a roundtable and had the chance to pitch their ideas to Case’s venture capital firm, Revolution LLC, which invests in early-stage companies located outside of major startup hubs, like New York City or San Francisco.

This event, held at the university’s newly renovated Angel’s Envy Bourbon Club, marked Case’s third visit to UofL and the region; in 2016, he toured UofL engineering facilities and FirstBuild makerspace, and in 2018, he heard pitches from Louisville startups that resulted in a $100,000 investment in a company born from UofL research. Case said Louisville’s entrepreneurial ecosystem has huge potential.

“Louisville has so many of the right elements in place for a robust startup ecosystem, including a great research university,” Case said. “I’m excited by what I’ve seen here, and look forward to following the city’s startups and future success stories.”

At UofL, the Office of Research and Innovation has launched a number of key supports driving regional entrepreneurship. That includes , a new team led by Will Metcalf, associate vice president for research development and strategic partnerships, dedicated to launching and growing innovative new companies to move research-backed technologies to market.

“We’ve had a lot of success and built momentum with these efforts to spur entrepreneurship and innovation on our campus and beyond,” said Metcalf, who emceed the Louisville Entrepreneurship Summit. “Our work at UofL, and this event, are meant to accelerate that momentum throughout our regional ecosystem, creating meaningful impact through translational research, innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development.”

Metcalf said those seeking to become more engaged can contact the UofL New Ventures team directly or to learn more about resources for entrepreneurs, such as the eight-week product innovation bootcamp (enrolling now for the spring 2023 session).����

The Louisville Entrepreneurship Summit was powered by Donna and Charles Denny, the Dan Jones Family,��Frost Brown Todd,��AppHarvest, AMPED, PNC, Blue Sky Ventures and��UofL.

LaunchIt, through the , is an intensive 10-week hybrid course focused on . The program includes coaching, mentoring and curriculum including lessons on customer discovery, product validation, marketing and other considerations when preparing for market launch.

The nine innovators/teams in the spring 2022 session are:

• Michelle Browning Coughlin, founder of Invested in Equity Alliance, focused on helping businesses to make data-driven, strategic investments in policies and��practices to accelerate equity;��
• Amy Shah, who’s working on Brain Code, an app and website for��seniors who want to�� sustain their brain health by learning computer literacy��and computer��science;
• Tucker Jewell, student,��and Dennis Evans, a long-time UofL machine shop staffer who invented the DoorKeep, a lockdown device to ​prevent forced entry;
• Jane Applegate, founder of Exit Zero Communications, which helps companies with planning events, projects and programs;��
• Ian Norris, an American Council on ����ֱ�� Fellow at UofL who’s working on the Interactive Cycling��Route Planner, an app meant to facilitate route planning and logistics for adventure cyclists in the Appalachian region;��
• Karen Krigger, a UofL physician and faculty member, who’s working on Genesis, facilitating access to the internet for improved health outcomes;��
• Raven Williams, owner of Robust Marketing, who’s launching Gateway, a sponsored content marketplace for the cannabis industry;��
• Scott Ramser, who’s working on of Staylonger, a platform that provides older adults with information, resources and vetted professionals to help them age in place;��
• Saumya Gulati, a UofL chemical engineering student working with researcher Joshua Spurgeon to develop cleaner, hydrogen-based energy with water and sunlight.��

Karen Krigger, UofL’s Endowed Chair in Urban Health Policy whose background is in predominantly in medicine, said the program helped her to see her ideas through a business lens. Her idea was a good one, she said, “but I’m a doctor, and without having a business background, I didn’t really know where to start. I think the 10 weeks of going through LaunchIt helped me to work through those components, breaking it down into manageable pieces, and find a way to take my idea and make it fiscally sound, sustainable and scalable.”

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 office’s Entrepreneurs in Residence, knowledgeable founders with an in-depth understanding of launching and growing a business.��The program also taps into the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem for its speaker lineup, bringing in real-world experience and insights of local innovators, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.

“I’m extremely pleased with the bold ideas represented by this cohort, and the progress we’ve seen them make in this session,” said Will Metcalf, an associate vice president of research and innovation who leads UofL New Ventures. “This program creates important connectivity between industry and our campus, helping to launch new companies, ideas and economic development.”

The next session of LaunchIt, beginning in fall 2022, is now enrolling. More information and registration is available at .��