In this episode, we explore:

• How Kentucky Commercialization Ventures (KCV) is expanding technology transfer and commercialization opportunities across Kentucky’s regional universities and KCTCS through a statewide, collaborative model.

• How tech transfer turns university research into real-world impact, why intellectual property (IP) matters for economic development, and the often-overlooked work behind bringing innovations to market.

• Success stories from Kentucky, including startup launches, SBIR/STTR funding wins, and the NSF-funded Invent Fellowship, which provides commercialization training and paid internships for students.

• How partnerships across institutions—and even across state lines—are helping democratize access to innovation resources and strengthen Kentucky’s talent pipeline.

• Practical advice for economic developers on building intellectual property literacy, leveraging regional strengths, and collaborating to accelerate innovation-driven growth.

Quotable: “ Kentucky ideas will solve Kentucky problems, and Kentucky's problems are the world's problems.”

Resources and Links
Connect with Kayla Meisner on LinkedIn
Home | Kentucky Commercialization Ventures
Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation | KSTC
NSBE | National Society of Black Engineers
AUTM | The Nonprofit Leader in Technology Transfer
About NSF Engines - Regional Innovation Engines | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation
GAME CHANGE – Advancing carbon centric circular economy technologies for advanced manufacturing solutions (KY, TN)
Tennessee Technology Advancement Consortium (TTAC) - LaunchTN
Home - LaunchTN
Keyhorse Capital
FLC | Home
Launch Tennessee leads new national study to unlock heartland innovation, backed by Kauffman Foundation grant - LaunchTN
NCInnovation | Putting Innovation to Work for All of North Carolina
Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation
EPSCoR Jurisdiction Websites - Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation
BumptUp – For a healthy pregnancy & postpartum journey.
Innovator Spotlight: Dr. Jason Marion on Using Intellectual Property to Advance Water Quality Innovation
Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation
Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Northern Kentucky University, Greater Cincinnati Region
Innovation Fellowship | Kentucky Commercialization Ventures
KCV Launches Startup Internship Program in Partnership with NKU
Welcome | Kentucky Intellectual Property Alliance (KYIPA)
United States Patent and Trademark Office

Special Guest: Kayla Meisner, MEng, CLP.

Jenny and Chelsea share their paths from entrepreneurship to economic development and explain how their experiences navigating disconnected small-business resources led them to create HUUB, a digital platform launched during the pandemic to connect entrepreneurs with the right support. They discuss early challenges like relying on scattered online information and the importance of “one right person” in changing a business trajectory, shaping HUUB’s focus on vetted experts and tactical help. HUUB partners primarily with municipalities, often alongside chambers, nonprofits, and other ecosystem organizations, and offers one-on-one advising, an on-demand learning library, community board, aggregated funding and events, and ecosystem mapping—automating tasks that economic developers often do manually and providing continuity when staff turnover occurs. They emphasize equitable outreach through translation, UX design, demographic tracking, and representation among advisors, and note lessons from product development and from resisting traditional startup pressures, while urging greater technology investment and more thoughtful AI use.

In this episode, we explore:

• How Jenny and Chelsea’s entrepreneurial journeys and frustration with fragmented small-business resources inspired them to create HUUB, a platform that connects entrepreneurs with trusted support, funding, and expertise.
• How HUUB partners with municipalities and ecosystem organizations to centralize advising, learning, funding opportunities, events, and resource mapping—reducing manual work, improving continuity, and making it easier for small businesses to find the help they need.
• How intentional design, multilingual access, diverse advisors, and thoughtful use of technology and AI can expand access to resources and create stronger, more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Quotable: “ And that's the key thing that I kept seeing over and over as an entrepreneur. It just takes one person, one right person, to completely change your trajectory as a business owner.”

Resources and Links

Connect with Jenny Poon on LinkedIn

Connect with Chelsea Smith on LinkedIn

HUUB - Economic Development Tools for Small Business Support

Tools | HUUB - Economic Development Tools for Small Business Support

Special Guests: Chelsea Smith and Jenny Poon.