BrandFuel co-founders Marc Wendt and Stephanie Wright spent years developing a framework designed to help companies respond to changing consumer demands without sacrificing their core identities. BrandFuel is a Covington-based marketing and design firm that has worked with recognizable brands such as Cheez-It, Maker’s Mark, Nutri-Grain and Nissin, among others. Through its work, the firm […]
Author Archives: Kenton Hornbeck | Middle Tech & LINK Media
Kenton is a reporter for LINK nky.
Email him at khornbeck@linknky.com
Twitter.
Posted inBusiness
From near collapse to a vodka venture: PatientPoint’s Mike Collette reflects on the pivots that shaped his career
PatientPoint founder Mike Collette’s entrepreneurial journey took him from nearly losing the company he built to rescuing a struggling premium vodka brand. By any measure, Collette has succeeded as an entrepreneur. PatientPoint is a healthcare technology and advertising firm that operates a network of digital screens in doctors’ offices, waiting rooms and examination rooms, providing […]
Posted inBusiness
AI won’t replace the plumber. This venture capitalist wants to make their business better.
We often hear that artificial intelligence will replace white-collar workers. Less frequently discussed is how AI will affect blue-collar workers. Discussions about AI-driven job displacement in the skilled trades often conjure science-fiction images of humanoid robots performing household chores and manual labor. However, many blue-collar jobs remain relatively insulated from AI displacement, and workers in […]
Posted inElection NKY 2026, Elections, News, Top 3
Strange, Todd court Massie voters after Gallrein’s GOP primary victory
Thomas Massie won’t be on the ballot this November, but his voters could still shape Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District race. Nearly 48,000 Republicans backed Massie in his May primary loss to Ed Gallrein. Democrat Melissa Strange and Libertarian Jeremy Todd are trying to persuade some of those voters to cross party lines rather than support […]
Posted inBusiness
What 80 Acres’ Mike Zelkind learned from building, and losing, a unicorn
At its height, 80 Acres was considered a “unicorn” by startup analysts, a designation reserved for privately held companies valued at more than $1 billion. The Hamilton, Ohio-based vertical farming startup had expanded into multiple states and was supplying fresh produce to major grocery retailers like Kroger. Then, on Aug. 3, the company abruptly announced […]
Posted inBusiness
Why biotech founders are now betting on Kentucky
After spending much of her life on the U.S. coasts, Clareo Biosciences co-founder Melissa Smith felt Kentucky was the best place to grow her life sciences company. Smith co-founded Clareo Biosciences in Louisville in 2024. The company uses technology developed at the University of Louisville to analyze the immune system’s genetic characteristics, helping researchers better […]
Posted inBusiness
Hebron-based startup debuts highly anticipated modular people mover
Brothers John and Matine Yuksel want to make traditional people movers obsolete. Monday, their company, Beltways, moved one step closer to realizing that vision with the public debut of its modular accelerating people mover, which they hope can eventually become a primary mode of transportation for the “last mile.” The Beltways team unveiled the “M5 […]
Posted inBusiness
NKY oncologist looks to help doctors navigate AI through TensorBlack
Dr. Douglas Flora lost his mother to cancer when she was 38. Eight years later, Flora was diagnosed with kidney cancer, throwing his own life into flux as he fought the disease. Those experiences would eventually help shape Flora’s work not only as an oncologist, but as an entrepreneur exploring how artificial intelligence could impact […]
Posted inBusiness
Who to watch from Kentucky at StartupCincy Week
StartupCincy Week is celebrating a decade of bringing together founders, investors and entrepreneurial support organizations from across Greater Cincinnati. Serving both Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, StartupCincy Week was launched in 2016 with the intention of showcasing Greater Cincinnati’s most promising founders and companies. Its programming generally includes keynote speakers, upskilling seminars and networking events designed […]
Posted inNews
Boone County weighs street-legal UTV rules for public roads
What you need to know Boone County is considering a move that would allow street-legal UTVs on some public roads. On Sept. 24, Boone County Assistant County Administrator Matthew Dowling gave the fiscal court an overview of how street-legal UTVs could be regulated if the county chooses to allow them on public roads. “Really, it […]
