Awesome Inc in 2026: Programs, Momentum, and What’s Ahead

Awesome Inc exists to help people pursue their definition of Awesome.

Since 2009, we’ve been working to create and grow high-tech startups, support builders and founders, and make Lexington a place where big ideas can actually take root. Along the way, we’ve become a startup accelerator, a coding education hub, a home for entrepreneurs, a workspace for teams, a storytelling platform, and a connector for communities across Kentucky.

That mission still feels the same in 2026. The momentum around it just keeps growing.

What We’re Building

Awesome Inc works to create and grow startups and technology across Kentucky. Some people come to us with a company already in motion. Some are just starting to explore entrepreneurship. Some are students trying to figure out what’s possible. Some need a place to work, a stage to pitch on, or a community that gets what they’re building.

Wherever someone is in the journey, we want to be a friend and a resource.

5 Across Entrepreneur Pitch Competition

5 Across is our Shark Tank-meets-pep rally pitch competition, and it continues to be one of the most fun and accessible ways to experience entrepreneurship in action.

Founders get a platform to pitch. The community gets a front-row seat to new ideas. And everybody leaves a little more plugged into what’s being built here.

In 2025, 5 Across Finals became the largest startup event in Kentucky history. We’re carrying that momentum into another big year, and we’ve got another major event coming in 2026.

Want to stay close to the action? Check out our upcoming events here: 5 Across Events

The Awesome Fellowship

The Fellowship is Awesome Inc’s startup accelerator for high-growth tech companies in Kentucky. Through mentorship, accountability, services, and community, we help founders grow their companies while staying connected to the people and resources that can move them forward.

Fellowship works best when it feels like more than a program. It should feel like momentum. Like relationships. Like clarity. Like real support while you’re building something hard.

We’re also looking for a new Program Manager to help lead the next chapter of Fellowship. If helping founders grow from the inside sounds like your kind of work, check out our careers page here: Awesome Inc Careers

Awesome Fund

The Awesome Fund is a $5 million pre-seed and seed-stage fund investing in promising startups across the region.

The goal is simple: provide capital and support that help founders scale to the next level.

As of 2026, Awesome Fund has invested in 13 companies. That number matters, but what matters more is what it represents: more support for ambitious founders, more belief in what can be built here, and more shots on goal for startups across Kentucky and beyond.

Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame

The Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame shares and celebrates the stories of Kentucky’s most successful entrepreneurs while encouraging others to pursue similarly ambitious endeavors.

It remains one of the clearest ways we honor the people who helped shape what entrepreneurship looks like in the Commonwealth.

This year’s induction event is coming up on November 4. It’s a chance to celebrate entrepreneurial legacy, recognize leaders who’ve built something meaningful, and gather with people who care about where Kentucky business is headed next.

If you’d like to partner with the Hall of Fame, get involved, or learn more, email ky@entrepreneurhof.org and visit the events page here: Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame

Corporate Innovation

A healthy startup ecosystem needs more than startups. It also needs companies willing to think entrepreneurially, test new ideas, and stay open to change.

That’s where Corporate Innovation comes in.

Through workshops, leadership development, and conversations with corporate teams, we help organizations build a stronger innovation mindset and stay connected to what’s changing in business and technology.

If that sounds like something your company wants more of, get involved with an upcoming Corporate Innovation Roundtable and connect with our team here: Awesome Inc

Workspace

Awesome Inc’s downtown Lexington workspace is built for collaboration, community, and real day-to-day momentum.

It’s home to coworking members, startup teams, remote workers, tech groups, and small businesses, and it gives Fellowship companies full access to the space as part of the program.

Right now, our private offices are sold out. If you’d like to join the waitlist, email space@awesomeinc.org.

In the meantime, coworking memberships, conference rooms, and the broader community are still very much open for business.

Innovation Hub

As the Central Kentucky Innovation Hub, Awesome Inc works with partners across the state to promote and support entrepreneurship in the Commonwealth.

That means connecting communities, resourcing entrepreneurs, and helping make sure builders across the region have stronger networks around them.

We care a lot about making entrepreneurship feel possible, not just in one city, but across Kentucky.

E-Clubs Across Kentucky

One area we’re especially excited about is our work to help create and strengthen Entrepreneurship Clubs across the state.

These E-Clubs are about more than campus programming. They’re about helping student founders find community earlier, build confidence faster, and see entrepreneurship as something they can actually pursue.

We believe the next generation of Kentucky founders is already here. Sometimes they just need the right room, the right people, and a little encouragement to get started.

Awesome Inc U

Awesome Inc U is our education arm, and it exists to help people of all ages learn to code, build real skills, and explore what a future in tech could look like.

We continue to offer Intro to Web Development for adults looking for a beginner-friendly path into coding, along with youth programs like Week of Code that introduce students to programming through hands-on learning and creative problem-solving.

It’s one more way we’re helping people move from curiosity to capability.

Digital Offerings

Not everything we do happens in a room. Some of it happens online, and we’re continuing to invest in that side of the work too.

Through our social media, blog, and YouTube channel, we’re telling higher-quality stories about founders, events, students, and the people building momentum across Kentucky.

That means more content that actually shows what startup community looks like here. More founder stories. More event recaps. More videos worth watching. More proof that there are talented, ambitious people building cool things in Kentucky every day.

APAX Software

Our sister company, APAX Software, continues to serve organizations through custom software development, web and app design, and long-term technology partnerships.

It remains an important part of the broader Awesome Inc story and a strong example of what it looks like to build meaningful tech work from Kentucky.

Still Beyond Awesome

Awesome Inc is here to be a friend and a resource at any stage of the journey.

Whether you’re building a startup, learning to code, looking for community, supporting founders, or just trying to get a little more plugged into what’s happening in Kentucky, we’d love to connect.

Learn more at awesomeinc.org or reach out to us at info@awesomeinc.org.