Awesome Inc

Awesome Inc is a startup accelerator and technology hub based in Lexington, Kentucky, founded in 2009. Its principal vehicle, the Fellowship Startup Accelerator, has accelerated nearly 100 companies, which have between them raised more than $240 million in outside investment and created upwards of 1,000 jobs. The organisation describes itself as community-oriented, with a stated "give-first" orientation and a focus on growing the technology and startup ecosystem across Central Kentucky.

Its activities extend well beyond programme delivery. The 5 Across Pitch Competition gives entrepreneurs five minutes or less to present business ideas to a public audience, while Awesome Inc U runs coding education for both youth and adults, including a Web Developer Bootcamp with guaranteed job placement and a reported 90 per cent placement rate. APAX Software, the organisation's software arm, undertakes custom web, mobile and application development for external clients.

Physically, Awesome Inc occupies an 18,000 square foot collaborative workspace in downtown Lexington, accommodating entrepreneurs, innovators, learners and builders. The combination of accelerator, education, software services and workspace in a single regional hub is comparatively uncommon outside major metropolitan venture markets, and positions the organisation as one of the more established nodes in the Kentucky startup ecosystem.