User:Jacksonphillips23/sandbox

= Awesome Inc =

Awesome Inc
Awesome Inc is a company in Lexington, Kentucky that is dedicated to building and growing the tech entrepreneurship community in the Kentucky area. They act as a startup accelerator for tech companies, a learning tool for both kids and adults that want to learn about software development, a co-working space for those in Lexington that need it, and more.

History
Awesome Inc was founded in 2009 by Brian Raney, Luke Murray, Nathan Fort, and Rachel Cunningham, and now sits at 348 East Main Street in Lexington, Kentucky.

Awesome Inc has held strong its list of core values through the years that they’ve been in business. They are four statements meant to describe how each person should be; Be: Good, Be: Excellent, Be: A Friend, and Be: You. They stress the importance of these four statements in all of the work that they do.

Products and Services
Awesome Inc seeks to create and educate startups and technology across the state of Kentucky. They do this through a variety of initiatives.

Intro to Web Development
For anyone new to programming that is interested in learning, Awesome Inc teaches an Intro to Web Development course. This is a 9-week, part-time program where students learn the fundamentals of coding and front-end development. Students will end the class understanding the basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Bootcamp
Awesome Inc offers a full-time immersive web developer bootcamp for adults wanting to change career paths or simply enter the tech industry as developers. They take people from zero prior knowledge to employable software developers in only 16 weeks and guarantee job placement after graduation. Toting a 90% graduation rate over a 5-year period, the program has been a huge success for Awesome Inc.

Salesforce Career Accelerator
Awesome Inc hosts a part-time course designed to teach people the necessary skills to perform in the Salesforce ecosystem. Students work with the team at Awesome Inc to earn their first Salesforce certification in the 3-month class.

Week Of Code Camp
Awesome Inc puts on a camp during the summer meant to give kids a foundational understanding of computer programming skills. They teach the kids skills that include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Android, C#, and Unity 3D. They also promote unplugged activities and games to help increase creativity and problem-solving skills. Each camper will finish the week having built a website, a mobile app, and a video game.

The Awesome Fellowship
Awesome Inc offers a mentorship program for tech startups in the Kentucky area called the Fellowship. This program helps these startups grow and accelerate their journey in the tech industry. They introduce small cohorts of companies at a time, each cohort spending a year with the Fellowship, being given metrics accountability as well as an array of services that they might not have, including design, videography, development, legal, and accounting services.

Notable Fellowship Alumni Companies

 * Hippo Manager
 * Podchaser
 * GoodMaps
 * Forecastr
 * FreshFry
 * Cloverleaf
 * Virtual Peaker
 * Switcher
 * Sword
 * MobileServe

Coworking Space
At their office, Awesome Inc offers coworking space for people in the area to come and have a workspace while connecting with other members of the community. They also have a list of amenities for members including secure Wi-Fi, 3D printing, networking events, and more.

5 Across Pitch Competition
Awesome Inc has been putting on 5 Across Pitch Competitions since 2010. These are offered as a way for tech startups in the Kentucky area to both showcase their ideas and pitch skills, and compete for cash prizes. This is a huge community event for Lexington Entrepreneurship, and many participating companies have had continued success since competing.

Startup Weekend
Awesome Inc has served as a host for Startup Weekend events for several years. Startup Weekend is a three-day, immersive entrepreneurship educational competitive event. Teams form around a new business idea, and throughout the event, those teams try to build out a working prototype, demonstration, and VC presentation in hopes to win the competition.

A notable company that emerged from a Startup Weekend that Awesome Inc hosted is Symba, a mobile-first CRM for Real Estate Agents, which eventually took part in the Awesome Inc Fellowship program as well as a 5 Across Pitch Competition.

The Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame Ceremony
The Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame is a physical and virtual destination that shares and celebrates the stories of Kentucky’s most successful entrepreneurs. The event was started by Awesome Inc in 2010 and has since then honored over 50 Entrepreneurs of note from the Kentucky area by inducting them to the Hall of Fame.