All Things Startups - Weekly Digest

Greetings, Pioneers, 👋

Stacked lineup of updates, highlights, and events this week—so the hot takes will have to wait... for now. 😈

🎧 Startup Spotlight: Immersive Hearing Technologies

Immersive Hearing Technologies is changing the way hearing aids are sold and fitted—with a modern, immersive twist.

Their in-clinic demo software uses either a tablet or VR headset to simulate real-world environments with 360° spatial audio, letting patients instantly hear the difference with and without hearing aids. Customers can test different hearing aid brands, while loved ones can try a hearing loss simulator to better understand and advocate for the purchase. The result? More engagement, more clarity, and higher conversion rates for clinics.

🚀 In 2024, Immersive brought in $500K+ in revenue, partnering with the largest hearing aid manufacturer in the world, who owns 3,600 clinics globally.

📈 They’re currently raising a pre-seed round to finish development and scale globally—and have already secured $250K in matching funds from Keyhorse Capital.

📬 Want in? Reach out to Jeff at [email protected] to learn more.

🚨 Swell is hiring a gritty, high-agency Head of Marketing to do one thing:

Grow Swell.

Double the user base in 10 weeks.
Then double it again.

If it sounds impossible, it’s not your role.
If it sounds like ear ecstasy — you’re the archetype. 🎯

⚡️ The Archetype

You don’t just move fast — you iterate fast.
You see the problem, solve the problem, then solve it better — again and again.
Just you? That’s enough. You don’t need a headcount to get traction.
You turn small wins into momentum — and momentum into compounding growth.
You’re not here to “run marketing.”
You’re here to build the engine and drive it through a wall.

No red tape.
No big-team layers.
Just you, the work, and the impact.

💰 Side note. Big note:

This role is performance-based — with no bonus caps.
High Agency. Full Ownership. Bat Signal. 🦇
Blow it up and your equity — and bank account — will follow suit.

🧠 About Swell

Swell is a mental health startup solving the access crisis.
They’re fast, mission-first, and scaling with purpose.
Venture-backed. Revenue-generating. Scrappy by design.

🧬 Culture

Biased toward action. Take responsibility. Lean into the things that are hard and necessary. Care deeply about people and the work we do together. Believe that every thing has a path to working – that every thing can be figured out.

🧨 You want the real ROI? Working with Rachel

Rachel Edenfield — Absolute Force.
A force in the startup scene.
A force behind KYX.
And — by all accounts — a force in everything she touches.

Position yourself next to her and your work, your career, and your character will only go up. 📈

Apply Here

the clock is ticking.

KYX 🤝 Sandbox

We’re hosting an event to connect founders, operators, and talent-hungry leaders with the next wave of high-agency talent coming out of the University of Louisville’s Sandbox program.

Sandbox is an entrepreneurship curriculum with a track record of producing YC companies. Learn more here: sandbox.ing

Sounds familiar.

Track Record:

• Six Sandbox companies have been accepted to YC

• Sandbox companies are collectively valued at 149M

• Sandbox alums who don't continue with their startups make 25% more in starting salary than non-sandbox grads

• Venture backed startups from Sandbox: Buster, Cheers, Devote, Lovage, Mindsmith, Stratus, Zaymo

📍 Location:
University of Louisville – College of Business
110 W Brandeis Ave, Louisville, KY 40208
Room BS123

🗓️ Date: Monday, April 28
🕕 Time: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM

🍕 Event will be catered

👉 Register here: lu.ma/gcqz4dpo

If you’re hiring, building, or looking to connect with sharp people—join us.

KYX 🤝 UofL

KYX partnered with the University of Louisville’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering on a Capstone project to explore how Louisville has grown over the past 30 years.

Big Props to The Builders:

• De'Onna Brammer

• Holland Emmick

• Samina Wayland

• Sydney P.

And to Jeffrey Squyres and Sai Nethra for running the program

Check out their work - https://pop-dot-map.vercel.app/

So—Is Louisville Growing?

Yes. Wider.

Since 1990, we’ve marginally added population—at the expense of suburban sprawl and a depopulated downtown.

That’s not the future we want.
Let’s build things that pull people into our city—not out of it.

➕ Bonus Tracks

Founders N' Funders: VC Reverse Pitch (Louisville, KY)

 📍 Louisville, KY
🗓️ Wednesday, April 30 | ⏰ 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Roles Reversed: VCs pitch you.

Join a curated group of founders for a reverse pitch event where top-tier venture capitalists from across the country will deliver rapid-fire insights on their investment theses, ideal check sizes, founder preferences, and the exact sectors they're looking to back in 2025.

💎 Why it’s different:

• Hear what VCs are actually looking to fund next year

• Learn the insider criteria that drive investment decisions

• Connect face-to-face with decision-makers controlling millions in capital

• Network with other Seed and Series A founders

• Walk away with tactical insight to sharpen your fundraising strategy

💼 Bonus:
All attendees get a digital resource pack with VC contact info, pitch deck templates, and funding readiness checklists.

📝 Application Deadline: April 29, 2025
Limited spots available. Early applicants receive priority.

🚨 Note: This event is highly curated. Preference is given to Seed and Series A founders actively raising. You’ll be notified by April 29 if accepted.

📍 Exact location will be shared upon approval.
Sponsored by Forecastr, Fidelity Private Shares, & CapSoft.

Sloss Tech Pitch Competition

📍 Birmingham, AL | 🗓️ June 25, 2025

Whether you’re building in agtech, biotech, mobility, or emerging tech, this is your chance to put your startup on stage—literally.

The Sloss Tech Pitch Competition is offering up to $50,000 in prizes, access to professional coaching, media features, and direct exposure to investors and decision-makers across the Southeast.

🏁 What You Get as a Finalist:

• Pitch your startup live at Sloss Tech

• Network 1-on-1 with VCs, industry leaders, and execs

• Complimentary access to all Sloss Tech programming

• Professional pitch coaching to sharpen your story

• Compete for $50,000+ in cash and mentorship

💰 Prize Breakdown:

• 🏆 $5,000 for each Category Winner

• 🎉 $10,000 People’s Choice Award

• 💎 $50,000 Best in Show Grand Prize

📥 Deadline to Apply:

🗓️ Friday, April 25, 2025 @ 11:59 PM CT
🔗 Apply Here

KYX Events

Velocity Pitch Competition - Tuesday, Apr 29th @ Story (Derby Week)

HackKentucky - Fall 2025 - Oct 4th @ Story

Rally Road Trip - Sept 24th, INDY

Sandbox Networking - April 28 @ University of Louisville - College of Business

Game Night - Thursday, April 24 @ Story

That’s a wrap. 🎬
Keep showing up. 💪 
Keep shipping. 🚢

Peace, Pioneers. ✌️