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 to help founders sharpen their skills and build connections
Kicking off on Oct. 5 and lasting through Oct. 8, StartupCincy Week will feature over 75 speakers across four days of programming. The event will be held at Union Hall — located at 1311 Vine Street — in Cincinnati’s historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Sessions will cover topics ranging from venture capital and artificial intelligence to biotechnology, franchising, marketing and workforce development, highlighting different facets of the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Kentucky founders and the entrepreneurial ecosystem will prominently featured in the event’s programming. Northern Kentucky, specifically, has played a substantial role in the ecosystem’s development, as Covington has emerged as a hub for startups and high-growth businesses within the state.
Several organizations based at Covington’s SparkHaus and OneNKY Center will be represented throughout the week, alongside founders and entrepreneurial ecosystem leaders from Louisville, Lexington and Northern Kentucky.
Below, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to when each Kentucky-based speaker will take the stage or host a session during StartupCincy Week. Click here to view the event’s full programming schedule.
Monday
Mitko Karshovski, Blue North and Cincy Scoop – Covington
Mitko Karshovski, general manager of SparkHaus in Covington, will lead a seminar on building personal and company brands. Karshovski is also the co-founder of Cincy Scoop, a weekly newsletter covering local news, events, restaurants, businesses and things to do across Greater Cincinnati.
Cincy Scoop boasts a sizeable online following, with over 12,000 newsletter subscribers and nearly 100,000 combined followers across Instagram and TikTok.
Kashovski’s seminar is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 5.
Stephanie Hockett, F & Goode Desserts – Covington
Stefanie Hockett started F & Goode Desserts as a way to share he love of baking with her community. What started as a baking wholesaler operating out of Newport’s Incubator Kitchen Collective morphed in a successful brick-and-mortar business.
Located at 222 W. Pike St. in Covington, F & Goode specializes in custom and wedding cakes, decorated cookies, specialty desserts, catering, wholesale pastries and other seasonal offerings.
Hockett will join three other entrepreneurs for the “Rooted and Real” panel, which will explore how brick-and-mortar businesses can leverage their direct impact on local communities as a competitive advantage. The panel is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 5.
John and Matine Yuksel, Beltways – Hebron
Brothers John and Matine Yuskel are set to launch their highly anticipated modular accelerator – a high-speed moving walkway they believe could transform pedestrian travel in large public spaces such as airports and convention centers.
Originally from Silicon Valley, the Yuksels relocated to Hebron in 2020 to launch Beltways. Home to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Hebron offered the brothers an affordable warehouse space, closer access to parts suppliers and greater opportunities for fundraising.
After years of preparation, the brothers are ready to demonstrate their walkway concept to the public. The invite-only demonstration, limited to 50 attendees, will take place at noon on Monday, Oct. 5, at the First Financial Center – 525 E. Elm St. – in downtown Cincinnati.
Bruce Seidel, eGateway Capital – Covington
Representing the venture capital sector, Bruce Seidel of Covington-based eGateway Capital will participate in “The Talent Engine Fueling Cincinnati’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem,” a discussion exploring the people and talent driving the region’s startup economy.
Seidel serves as eGateway Capital’s director of investments and capital allocation, helping oversee investment sourcing, underwriting and portfolio management while working with founders on growth strategy, capital planning and scaling their companies.
Before taking on his current position, Seidel spent three years with eGateway’s mergers and acquisitions advisory group, working on transactions involving retail technology, marketing, e-commerce and enterprise software companies.
The session is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 5.
Tuesday
Jake Rouse, Braxton Brewing – Covington
Jake Rouse is the co-founder of Braxton Brewing, one of Northern Kentucky’s most recognizable homegrown brands. Rouse and his brother, Evan, started the brewery in their family’s garage on Braxton Drive in Union back in 2013. Since then, Braxton has grown into a regional brewery with five locations across Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati.
Its flagship taproom on W. 7th St. in Covington’s Central Business District is of the city’s most heavily trafficked destinations.
Rouse will sit down for “Brewing Something Bigger: A Conversation with Jake Rouse,” where he will discuss growing Braxton from a startup into a recognizable regional brand, navigating changes along the way and lessons learned from the company’s development. The conversation is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Brett Jewell and Ethan Grob, Another Nine – Covington
Another Nine is one of the fastest-growing golf simulator franchises in the United States. Operating out of SparkHaus in Covington, co-founders Brett Jewell and Ethan Grob set out to make golf more affordable and accessible through simulators, offering an alternative to the cost and time commitments associated with traditional golf.
Another Nine offers customers access to private, 24/7 suites equipped with golf simulators. Since founding the company in 2019, Jewell and Grob have turned to franchising as a way to expand the business. Today, Another Nine has signed more than 70 franchise agreements, with eight locations already in operation.
Grob and Jewell will lead a seminar on ‘Entrepreneurship in Franchising,’ discussing how they have used the franchise model to expand the footprint of Another Nine. The co-founders are scheduled to speak at 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Mary Mason Boaz, Mary Mason Boaz Coaching & Consulting – Lexington
Mary Mason Boaz is a Lexington-based executive coach, consultant and talent strategist who advises founders as their companies scale.
Boaz’s work focuses on helping leaders develop organizational structures and workplace practices that can support growth without overburdening employees.
Boaz will lead “Stop Rewarding Your Best People With More Work,” a seminar examining what she calls the “Competence Tax” — the tendency for organizations to repeatedly place additional responsibilities on their highest-performing employees. The session is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Wednesday
Jill Morenz and Jasmine Hughes, Aviatra Accelerators – Covington
Jill Morenz is the executive director of Aviatra Accelerators, a Covington-based nonprofit that provides education, coaching, mentoring, networking and other resources to women entrepreneurs. An entrepreneur herself, Morenz established three businesses before moving into the nonprofit sector.
Jasmine Hughes, who heads marketing at Aviatra, focuses on digital marketing, branding and helping business owners effectively communicate their companies’ stories.
Morenz and Hughes will lead “The $5,000 Leap,” a workshop about how relatively small injections of capital can help businesses reach their next stage of growth, at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
They will also participate in the “Women in Entrepreneurship: Real Talk Lunchpad” at noon before leading a “Magnetic Communication” workshop at 1:45 p.m. focused on helping entrepreneurs improve their public speaking, pitching and networking skills.
Christin Godale, LifeSciKY – Covington
Dr. Christin Godale leads one of Kentucky’s most ambitious entrepreneurial support ventures. LifeSciKY is a nonprofit life sciences incubator and shared laboratory located inside the OneNKY Center in downtown Covington. LifeSciKY currently has four companies in residence: Clareo Biosciences, Simbryo Technologies, Pan Biologics and Mitsui Chemicals America.
Godale, who serves as the organization’s executive director, helps connect early stage life sciences and biotechnology companies with accessible laboratory space, shared scientific equipment and other vital resources needed to grow.
Godale is slated to participate in multiple StartupCincy events. First, she will join Flamel.ai founder Paul Ehlinger and other entrepreneurs for “Hot Wings & Hard Truths: Stop Waiting for Permission” at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Later in the day, Godale will participate in “Nobody Moves a Biotech Startup to Kentucky… Until They Do” at 1:45 p.m. Godale will also represent LifeSciKY during “Science on the Rocks” beginning at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8.
Paul Ehlinger, Flamel.AI – Covington
Paul Ehlinger is the co-founder and CEO of Flamel.AI, an artificial intelligence startup that helps multi-location businesses and franchise brands create and manage marketing content. Ehlinger has a professional background in biomedical engineering.
Flamel is headquartered at SparkHaus in Covington, where it is part of a growing cluster of technology startups operating out of the entrepreneurial hub.
Ehlinger will join LifeSciKY Executive Director Christin Godale and other regional entrepreneurs for “Hot Wings & Hard Truths: Stop Waiting for Permission.” The discussion will explore how founders can move beyond hesitation and build companies using the talent and resources already available in the region. The session is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Meisam Naeimi, CARTx Therapeutics – Covington
Dr. Meisam Naeimi is the founder of CARTx Therapeutics, a biotechnology startup developing gene-edited immune cell therapies for cancer and other diseases. The company opened its laboratory inside Covington’s LifeSciKY in February 2026.
Naeimi is also an associate professor of pediatrics and bone marrow transplantation at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati, where he serves as innovation director in Cincinnati Children’s Center for Cell and Gene Therapy. His research focuses on next-generation cell and gene therapies, including the use of gene-edited T cells and natural killer cells for cancer immunotherapy.
Naeimi will join LifeSciKY Executive Director Christin Godale, Clareo Biosciences CEO Melissa Smith, and others for “Nobody Moves a Biotech Startup to Kentucky… Until They Do,” a discussion focused on building life sciences companies in Kentucky. The panel is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Melissa Smith and Corey Watson, Clareo Biosciences – Louisville and Covington
Dr. Melissa Smith is the co-founder and CEO of Clareo Biosciences, a Louisville-based biotechnology startup she launched with fellow University of Louisville professor Corey Watson in 2024. Currently, the company has residency inside of Covington-based life sciences accelerator LifeSciKY.
Smith is an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at UofL’s School of Medicine, where her research focuses on genomics, immunology and the development of technologies that can provide a detailed understanding of the human immune system.
Smith will join LifeSciKY Executive Director Christin Godale, CARTx Therapeutics founder Meisam Naeimi and other life sciences leaders for “Nobody Moves a Biotech Startup to Kentucky… Until They Do.” The discussion will explore why life sciences founders are increasingly launching, relocating and growing companies in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, as well as the regional resources available to support them. The panel is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Julie Kirkpatrick, meetNKY – Covington
Tourism in Greater Cincinnati runs through Julie Kirkpatrick. She currently leads both meetNKY and Visit Cincy, the region’s two primary tourism and convention bureaus.
Kirkpatrick has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry. As president and CEO of meetNKY, she has helped lead efforts to market Northern Kentucky while promoting the Cincinnati region as a destination for visitors and conventions. In February, Kirkpatrick was also named interim president and CEO of Visit Cincy, expanding her role in shaping tourism strategy across both sides of the Ohio River.
Kirkpatrick will join Cincinnati Regional Chamber President and CEO Brendon Cull and Cintrifuse’s Abby Grimm for “Growing Our Region Through Bold Bets.”
The discussion will examine how regional collaboration around economic development, tourism, talent and entrepreneurship can support the region’s overall economic growth. The session is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Thursday
Zac Strobl, Northern Kentucky University’s INKUBATOR Accelerator – Highland Heights
NKU’s INKUBATOR Accelerator, housed in the Haile/US Bank College of Business, was co-founded by Zac Strobl, who is an entrepreneurship professor and director of the university’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Strobl, a veteran of Northern Kentucky’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, focuses on encouraging students to launch businesses, helping them turn early-stage ideas into viable companies and connecting them with resources inside and outside the university.
NKU’s INKUBATOR is a 12-week, pre-seed summer accelerator that provides entrepreneurs with startup education, one-on-one mentorship from experienced regional business leaders, seed funding, co-working space and strategy consulting. The program is designed to prepare emerging startups for entrance into the region’s broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Strobl will participate in “Startup Internships Demystified: Real Talk from Students and Educators,” a panel examining how students can find and succeed in startup internships and how universities can better connect students with emerging companies. The panel is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8.
Katie Stratman, Norse Ventures – Highland Heights
Northern Kentucky University senior Katie Stratman serves as a venture analyst for Norse Ventures, the university’s recently launched innovation fund.
The Norse Ventures Fund invests in early-stage, growth-oriented startups with ties to NKU or the Northern Kentucky region. Its investment focus includes companies founded by NKU students, faculty and alumni, as well as startups in sectors such as technology, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, logistics and supply chain.
In her role, Stratman has helped build the fund’s investment process from the ground up, developing its deal-flow platform and investment evaluation scorecard, while also recruiting students to participate in the fund.
Stratman will participate in “The Next Wave of Venture,” a panel featuring student-led venture funds from universities across the region. The discussion will examine how venture capital works, what investors look for in startups and the role student-run funds can play in developing future investors and entrepreneurs. The panel is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8.
