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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Ky. venture-capital firm ends energy-entrepreneur boot camp; application deadline for next one is Aug, 25

A nine-month "boot camp" for energy entrepreneurs in part of Appalachian Kentucky concluded yesterday with a showing of their wares to potential investors at a symposium in Somerset. The program is sponsored by Kentucky Highlands Investment Corp., a venture-capital firm that was created during the War on Poverty and now serves 22 counties in southern and southeastern Kentucky.

“We're hoping to come out of this boot camp program with some new companies that will be in Appalachian Kentucky and try to access the energy market and be the solution to our nation's energy problems,” KHIC President Jerry Rickett told Kimberly Burcham of Hazard's WYMT-TV. (On-screen identifications of Rickett and consultant Bob Wilson were transposed in the report.)

Burcham had a sound bite from the owner of a lubricating-oil firm and reported, "Wind power for electricity and coal ash for ceramic additives in cars are just some of the other ideas presented at the symposium." To watch Burcham's report, click here. To read it, click here.

The deadline for applying for admission to the second boot camp is Aug. 25. KHIC calls it an "intensive, performance-based entrepreneurial training and mentoring program" that "focuses on helping energy-related researchers, inventors and entrepreneurs create a fundable, sustainable and profitable business model that will help create jobs in the region." For details, go to www.khic.org.

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