The Distill - H1

Pioneers,

“There are no silver bullets. Only lead bullets.” -Ben Horowitz Hard Things about Hard Things,

At KYX, we’re firing a lot of lead bullets.

Six months ago, we launched with a simple thesis: show up, build together, and earn respect. Because what Louisville lacked was clear — hunger, density, and follow-through.

Six months in, that thesis is paying off. We’re not just making noise — we’re building a culture where action spreads. Founders & Builders are showing up, learning from each other, moving faster. And the signal is clear: presence and momentum compound.

“South Korea had no resources that would help us catch up to advanced nations. We only had the strengths and determination of our people…With sheer force of will, we made it. ” - Chung Ju-Yung, Founder of Hyundai, Born of this Land

What we’ve done is a testament to our two most important resources: work ethic and willpower.

H1 Recap

🔥 Fire & Ice

We started the year with sauna and cold plunges. Half trauma, half therapy. Somehow it became a cornerstone.

💻 HackKentucky

The first hackathon in Louisville since 2018. One of the most electric weekends we’ve ever had. 200+ participants. Demos > decks. Always. 48 hours of technology and 33 demos. BONUS: Multiple job offers received.

🏗️ Build n Chill

A chilled down version of HackKentucky. 8 hours of people building and chilling.

🧊 Punch & Plunge

A twist on Fire & Ice, we switched sauna for Rumble boxing.

🃏 Poker (& Vibe Code)

Rachel booked a “get-shit-done” hangout. Dan locked in Poker Night—same night, same venue. Whoops. We didn't fold, we shoved: let the crowd decide.
48 hours, 2 links, 1 leaderboard. VCN claimed the most names, the event erupted and KYX learned competition is a feature, not a bug.

Both nights lived to tell the tale and are now fixtures on the KYX calendar—pick your arena.

📦 Capstone Project

KYX partnered with University of Louisville Speed School Capstone Program to study Louisville’s demographic changes.

🌆 Vision Louisville

We’re building the table for those to sit around. If the city wants to grow, it needs to start listening to builders, not consultants.

Crew Updates:

👋 Farewell Otavio

One of the best operators we’ve had. Quiet force. Huge impact. He’ll be missed, but we know he’ll be back.

💸 DueGooder Funded! We threw a dinner

Student Founder, Killer & KYX fam Nate was funded. We took him out to dinner —great way to celebrate the next generation.

🌊 Swell Raise & Growth

Swell oversubscribed their round, hired 2 more team members (both imported into Louisville — one from Austin, one from Cincy), secured their first paid ($25K) pilot for their new Self-Guided product, and rebuilt their entire platform from scratch.

🤝 Regional Builders

We’re not alone. Met with teams from Chattanooga, Birmingham, Indianapolis, Chicago, Nashville, Cincy and more… Everyone’s building towards the same goal. We’re sharing notes and lessons.

📩 Y Combinator Letter

They reached out. Respectfully. We’re having the conversation. The work we’re doing is starting to register. That’s a good sign.

Big thanks to KSTC, Amplify Louisville, Vik, DJJ, Gill, Signarama Downtown, Prof Jeffrey Squyres, Wild, HogsHead, PayFWDs, and all of our supporters.

A special thank you to Story Louisville for serving as our home and event space.

An extra special thank you to Garrett French, our continuous ecosystem sponsor and backer, thank you for all your crucial early support and helping get the ball rolling.

Much, much more to come. Stay tuned.

Know someone who should read this? Forward it, or send them this link.

That’s a wrap 🎬
Keep showing up 💪
Keep shipping 🚢
Peace pioneers ✌️