Keyhorse Capital, in partnership with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development’s statewide #KYInnovation program and as an initiative of Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC), has announced that its current quarterly investment cycle is open through June 30th for eligible companies.
The windows for each quarterly investment cycle are:
- January 1 - March 31
- April 1 - June 30
- July 1 - September 30
- October 1 - December 31
Through the Kentucky Enterprise Fund and KSBCI 2.0, Keyhorse Capital and the Commonwealth of Kentucky have been investing in the future of Kentucky since 2002, leveraging over $82.7 million to support 273 Kentucky companies.
These funds make early-stage venture capital investments in high-growth startups and entrepreneurs based in or interested in relocating to Kentucky. Companies must be in the process of building an innovative, technology-enabled product, process, or service; have developed a prototype, be seeking product-market fit, or entering an early growth stage of development; and present a well-articulated market opportunity with some level of customer validation and a strong founding team.
In the first investment cycle of 2025, Keyhorse Capital announced $5.5M of investments in companies that included:
- Beltways: Manufacturer of high-capacity last-mile pedestrian walkways and transit systems
- Blackbox Energy Systems: Developer of modern lightweight efficient electric motors and monitoring systems
- Cyndelos: Web app that identifies trackers/cookies/pixels/behavior events making it simpler to meet new healthcare compliance requirements and state regulations.
- EnVue Health: Telehealth platform providing primary care, behavioral health, and women's health care services to melanated patients.
- EZ-Chow: Multi-channel digital ordering platform for the restaurant and food service industry
- Gun Media Holdings: Interactive entertainment game development and publishing
- Hogshead: Developer of a B2B platform that connects buyers and sellers of barrel-aged spirits.
- J-1: Agency for recruiting international college students for the J-1 Visa program, providing resources and opportunities to program participants.
- Narratize: Developer of an AI-driven platform designed to enhance and streamline the creation of high-quality content for enterprises.
- Nichefire: Analytics software that helps companies identify new consumer trends to guide product development and marketing strategies.
- Scoop Tech (fka Yornest): Messaging platform designed to create close social groups for large or small audiences
- Sunflower Fuels: Developer of sustainable energy crops, particularly Miscanthus, to create renewable energy sources and address the demand for bio-efficient feedstock, with applications in renewable packaging and aviation fuels.
- Swell Health (Sage Health Labs): Developer of tech-enabled therapy for military families.
- The Nori Project: Developer of ultra modern Japanese inspired vending machines serving fresh meals
- To The Market (Survivor Made Goods): Information services platform providing sustainability and supply chain transparency data to businesses and retailers.
- Valent Systems (fka Devyze): A collaboration platform that empowers marketing and business development teams to collaborate on project proposals and RFP responses
- Value Buddy: Software platform for business valuation, benchmarking, and appraisal.
Keyhorse Capital and KSTC have partnered with KY Innovation and the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development to create an easy-to-navigate quarterly investment process for the state’s most promising startup companies. Together with an improved public application process and statewide communication strategy to increase access and the number of investment opportunities, Kentucky’s funds have seen a continued increase in award applications and reviews.
To learn more and apply for funding, visit: keyhorse.vc/
About Keyhorse Capital
Keyhorse Capital is a seed-stage venture capital firm focused on supporting a thriving community of entrepreneurs willing to go the distance to build and grow innovative companies. Keyhorse is focused on investing in early-stage companies based in Kentucky through a funding partnership with KYInnovation and KCED. Keyhorse Capital has provided financing to 273 companies. Their active portfolio of 151 companies has created more than 800 jobs and counting. Learn more at keyhorse.vc.
About KSTC
KSTC is a private, statewide non-profit corporation committed to advancing science, technology, and innovative economic development founded on Kentucky know-how. KSTC seeks to improve the capacity of people, companies, and organizations to build an innovation-driven economy in Kentucky. Learn more at kstc.org.
About KY Innovation
#KYInnovation is an initiative of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development (KCED) that targets resources to support startups, traditional small businesses, and innovation-driven entrepreneurs across the business life-span with the aim of dramatically improving Kentucky’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and significantly increasing the number of new company startups annually. More about the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s investment and support for innovation can be found at kyinnovation.com.
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