LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Community Foundation of Louisville is proud to announce the winners of the 20th annual Vogt Awards. The early stage companies selected each receive $25,000 in non-dilutive grant funding, participation in a 10-week lean startup education program, coaching from scalable startup CEOs, industry mentorship and strategic introductions.
The Vogt Awards are funded by the Vogt Invention and Innovation Fund at the Community Foundation of Louisville. This endowment fund was established in 1999 by Henry Vogt Heuser Sr. to strengthen Louisville’s economic health by supporting innovative startups and inspiring entrepreneurship.
“Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of any community. What a gift Louisville has in the Vogt Awards, a perpetual resource to grow, retain and embolden our inventors and innovators,” said Ron Gallo, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Louisville. “We all know what a challenging year 2020 has been. Nonetheless, there are amazing entrepreneurs in our region still growing ideas and starting new businesses. We continue to support their efforts through the Vogt Awards, especially now, as we embrace economic stability for our community.”
The recipients of this year’s Vogt Awards are:
BrainSTEM University is an EdTech startup that provides a virtual learning environment for students to access STEAM education through instructor-led courses and labs in computer science, engineering, robotics and digital media. Founder: Ricky Mason
Kare Mobile is a comprehensive dental services provider that brings treatments to patients through their unique compact mobile dental units, using a licensed model and increases access to those with fewer options to obtain oral health care. Founders: Kwane Watson and Brittany Becker
Level Up is a modern education company helping women gain skills and confidence through in-person and live online classes as well as a mobile platform delivering personalized burst style learning. Founders: Natalia Bishop and Hannah Estes
Moxie Girl improves the mental health of teen girls through an online goal-setting app, virtual near-peer mentors and a dashboard for pediatricians about their female patients. Founders: Lydia Henshaw and Heather Moster
RxLightning is a health tech company that simplifies and automates the specialty medication enrollment process for medical offices through a single comprehensive, user-friendly platform. Founders: Julia Regan and Brad Allen
Stuccco is an online home design platform that allows Realtors and homeowners to get any room professionally designed and virtually staged quickly, allowing homes to sell faster and at a higher price. Founder: Matt Langan
With the announcement of the 2020 winners, the Community Foundation of Louisville is honored to have supported 84 companies with $3.5 million in Vogt Award grants throughout the program’s 20-year history. Opportunities to meet the 2020 founders and share company pitches with members of the public will be offered in the fall.
“We were thrilled with the quality of applicants for this year’s awards,” said Maggie Galloway, Chair of the Vogt Awards Selection Committee. “While having so many great applicants made it challenging to select just six, we were fortunate to have an outstanding committee ask the tough questions to narrow our list to the final winners. Thank you to our committee members for their due diligence.”
2020 Selection Committee Members
• Jackson Andrews, Endeavor
• Tendai Charasika, SuperFanU
• Jonathan Erwin, Red e App
• Elizabeth Rounsavall, Rounsavall Investments
• Maggie Galloway, Inscope Medical Solutions
Mary Tapolsky Ph.D., UofL College of Business / Forcht Center
• Brit Fitzpatrick, Blue North
• Alli Truttmann, Wicked Sheets
• Stacy Griggs, El Toro
• Jennifer Williams, Cuddle Clones
• Angelique Johnson Ph.D., MEMStim
• Ross Jordan, Weller Equity Partners
• John Willmoth, Poplar Ventures
• Greg Langdon, Investor and Startup Advisor
• Phoebe Wood, CompaniesWood
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