There’s a familiar story among Kentuckians who travel abroad: tell someone you’re from Kentucky and they either have no idea where it is, or they immediately reach for one of a few familiar reference points — horse racing, bourbon or Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Personally, I love those associations. But they’re only part of the story.

Here at Middle Tech, we want to add another reference point to that list: innovation.

Middle Tech is a multimedia company dedicated to providing our audience with exclusive insight into Kentucky’s most creative entrepreneurs and cutting-edge companies, with an emphasis on high-growth businesses, emerging technology and entrepreneurship through acquisition.

In the national startup landscape, states like California and Texas have long been viewed as destinations for founders looking to launch and grow new companies. These states have emerged as juggernauts in the startup world, fueled by greater access to financial and intellectual capital, favorable business regulations and an established culture that fosters innovation, particularly within the technology sector.

But states like Kentucky are challenging the notion that transformative companies are built only in the country’s most famous startup hubs.

Entrepreneurship has long been central to the American economy and identity. Groundbreaking ideas — and the founders who bring them to life — are not confined to a handful of places on the map.

Through targeted investments from state government and key private-sector stakeholders, Kentucky is building its own startup ecosystem designed to support entrepreneurs in every corner of the Commonwealth.

And there are signs of momentum.

The Kauffman Foundation, a nonprofit focused on advancing entrepreneurship, found that Kentucky’s monthly rate of new entrepreneurs increased from 0.26% in 2019 to 0.34% in 2025, according to its annual research on early-stage entrepreneurship. Kentucky’s 2025 rate also exceeded those of neighboring Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee.

To support that growth, Kentucky is home to six entrepreneurial support hubs serving the state’s major cities and regions. Each provides current and aspiring entrepreneurs with resources, guidance, coaching and networking opportunities to help turn promising ideas into viable companies.

From founders building startups from the ground up to entrepreneurs acquiring and growing established companies, Middle Tech provides an inside look at the people, ideas and investments shaping Kentucky’s evolving business landscape.

Kentucky is writing a new chapter in its entrepreneurial story, and Middle Tech will be there to tell it.

Operated by entrepreneurs Logan Jones, Evan Knowles, TJ Barnett, Middle Tech has chronicled the stories of hundreds of startups and the founders behind them through its flagship podcast of the same name.

Middle Tech is here to show Kentuckians that the state’s business landscape extends far beyond bourbon and horse racing. While those industries remain important parts of Kentucky’s economy and identity, the state can also be home to the next trailblazing tech startup — one capable of making a tangible difference in people’s lives.

Now, in partnership with LINK Media, Middle Tech is entering its next chapter with the launch of a newsletter dedicated to Kentucky’s startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Alongside weekly episodes of the Middle Tech podcast, readers will get original reporting on the people, companies and investments shaping Kentucky’s startup world, including:

The reporting will be led by LINK Media Business Editor Kenton Hornbeck, who has covered Northern Kentucky’s business and innovation ecosystem for more than three years.

Like many of the promising young companies Middle Tech covers, LINK Media itself began as a startup. Kenton’s reporting experience, combined with his firsthand experience working within a growing startup, gives him a unique understanding of the companies and founders he will cover.

Kentucky’s startup ecosystem is growing, and there are countless stories still waiting to be told.

Join us as we embark on this new project and shine a light on the ambitious founders, innovators and changemakers helping shape not only Kentucky’s future, but the country’s.

Welcome to Middle Tech.