STAFF REPORT

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Awesome Inc. will kick off its Startup Weekend on Friday, a three day workshop devoted to young entrepreneurs.

Upon arriving at the workshop Friday afternoon, participants will network with guest speakers and pitch ideas to mentors and judges, including Bruce Walcott, an electrical engineering professor who is also sponsor of UK’s Entrepreneur Club. Walcott has been to every Startup Weekend event in Lexington since it began in the mid 2000s.

After the pitches, the young entrepreneurs go into a “54 hour frenzy” of business model creation, design, coding, and market validation.

Awesome Inc. strives to “create and grow high tech startups,” according to its website. It also hosts community events, leads technology education courses and offers a shared work space environment.

The company has various other projects throughout the year relating to startups and entrepreneurship. The “$5 Pitch Contest” is 5 minutes per pitch with a $500 prize, though it does require a $5 admission fee. Dates for this event have not yet been posted.

The company also hosts an “Awesome Fellowship Program,” a mentor-driven program designed to boost start up ideas. The program is tailored to specifc ideas and the team’s schedule, with support for up to one year.

Teams are accepted on a rolling basis. The application can be found on Awesome Inc.’s website.

Awesome Inc.’s office located at 348 E. Main St. in downtown Lexington. It is also a founder of the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, which honors Kentucky’s most successful entrepreneurs.