Launch Blue to Host 'Advancing a Startup Ecosystem' Discussion Featuring Capital Factory Chairman Gordon Daugherty

April 6, 2023

Lexington, KY (April 6, 2023): Launch Blue, an intensive accelerator for tech startups, is hosting a discussion with Capital Factory Co-Founder and Chairman Gordon Daugherty who will be sharing lessons learned from building the Austin, Texas startup ecosystem and how Kentucky, and the region, can become the next major technology hub.

The “Advancing a Startup Ecosystem” discussion is part of Launch Blue’s Investment Lab on April 14 at Copper Roux in Lexington, KY. The event is open to those who have an interest in developing and growing the region’s startup ecosystem. The ecosystem discussion starts at 11am ET. Tickets are free and available here.

Facilitating the conversation with Gordon Daugherty will be Ian McClure, Launch Blue Advisory Board Member and Associate Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact for UK Innovate at the University of Kentucky. Daugherty and McClure will discuss such topics as lessons learned from Austin’s development, the importance of local capital formation to the acceleration of a tech hub, and building an entrepreneurial culture.

Gordon Daugherty is a bestselling author, seasoned business executive, entrepreneur, startup advisor, and investor. He has made more than 350 investments in early-stage companies and has been involved with raising more than $80 million in growth and venture capital. From his 28-year career in high tech, Gordon has both an initial public offering and a $200-million acquisition exit under his belt. Now, as co-founder and chairman of Capital Factory and as author of the book “Startup Success," Gordon spends 100 percent of his time educating, advising, and investing in startups.

In his role at the University of Kentucky, Ian McClure leads efforts to translate UK discoveries for the public good, seek equitable returns on UK intellectual property, enhance UK’s investments in innovation, catalyze a culture and capacity for entrepreneurship, and expand industry and other collaborative research partnerships. He also serves on the boards of the Association of University Technology Managers, the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation, the Oak Ridge Innovation Institute, and Level Set Capital. In 2022, Ian was appointed to the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a federal advisory committee managed by the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

About Launch Blue

Launch Blue nurtures promising startup founders and university innovators through intensive accelerator and incubator programs. In addition to its accelerators and incubators, Launch Blue offers an annual Demo Day to showcase its participants and other events to contribute to the growing startup ecosystem in Kentucky and the region. Launch Blue has a long list of organizing partners including the University of Kentucky Office of Technology Commercialization, Awesome Inc., BaseHere, Bluegrass Angels, Bullard, Commerce Lexington, Kentucky SBDC, Marrow, and the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation. Its funding partners are the UK OTC, KY Innovation, and the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Learn more at LaunchBlue.org.