Middle Tech has now released over 125 podcast episodes, hundreds of social media posts, and hours of blog content. This year alone, our team has more than doubled from four people to ten people. Middle Tech has begun forming partnerships with other Kentucky companies and is looking to continue to expand the content we produce. We have momentum to grow and plan to capitalize on it. And, although all of us at Middle Tech are entrepreneurs, none of us are in it for the money. So, if it is not the money, why are we doing what we are doing? Each of us loves Kentucky and wants to create a resource that advances the business ecosystem in this region by providing news, entertainment, and educational content related to startups, entrepreneurship, and technology. We believe media is essential when cultivating a successful startup ecosystem, and founders are the cornerstone of that ecosystem.
Founders first!
Each Middle Tech team member truly believes that founders from Kentucky, and all over Middle America, can achieve levels of success similar to what could be achieved in Silicon Valley or NYC if more people knew of the benefits this region has to offer. Put another way, Middle Tech believes that by creating a platform for founders in Kentucky and Middle America, we can legitimize the entrepreneurial ecosystem of this region as a competitor to the coastal entrepreneur ecosystems.
There simply is not a source of information that highlights the stories of entrepreneurs and founders in this region, which makes the ecosystem seem significantly more barren than it really is. A sad effect of this false view of barrenness is that the region’s founders and investors exit our ecosystem for those on the coasts, taking with them their talent, money, and jobs that would have come with their company or investments. No region can thrive when its talent, money, and economic opportunity leave it.
One of our co-founders Evan Knowles has personal experience with what our region faces when it comes to lack of awareness.
Middle Tech is working to reverse this effect by showing that there are many, many more successful companies in this region than one is led to believe. Kentucky has far more to offer than coal. Kentucky has far more to offer than bourbon or horse racing. Kentucky offers a developing ecosystem that is quickly being populated by tech-driven companies across all industries, especially those in agriculture and healthcare. Middle Tech is here to allow the ecosystem’s existing founders to share their success stories and put their businesses on the map. By showing that success can be had in this region, there is significantly less pressure for this region’s talent, money, and economic opportunity to be taken elsewhere.
On top of highlighting the success stories of this region, Middle Tech also allows founders to share their failures, mistakes, and shortcomings. There is an information desert surrounding the process a founder should follow in middle America, which oftentimes varies significantly from the process that would be taken in Silicon Valley or other coastal entrepreneur ecosystems. This lack of information puts founders in our ecosystem at an extreme disadvantage trying to maneuver their way from an idea through their business’ exit. Middle Tech is creating a resource of information that can help illuminate the path founders can take to reach.
Middle Tech is here for the advancement of the founders of this region. Middle Tech is here to inspire future founders to create in this region. Middle Tech is here to give founders guidance as they try to build a successful business. Middle Tech is here to give them a platform to share their success. Middle Tech is here to help this region we all believe in so much.
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