Business Services

The eMerging Ventures Center for Innovation leads Owensboro’s drive to encourage business innovation and promote technology-driven and research-intensive industries.  Emerging Ventures focuses on increasing the quality of investments flowing to knowledge-based firms and on services to existing businesses, startups and the investment community.

SBIR/STTR Matching Funds Program

The Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Matching Funds Program, the first of its kind in the nation, matches both Phase 1 and Phase 2 federal awards received by Kentucky-based small, high-tech businesses.

eMerging Ventures Fund

A seed capital fund was created by the City of Owensboro for investment in scalable knowledge-based business startups in the Owensboro region.

Small Business Development Center

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has been assisting the Commonwealth’s small business community for more than 35 years. Hosted by leading universities, colleges, state economic development agencies and private sector partners, SBDC provides essential consulting and training services that help existing business owners and potential entrepreneurs succeed.

Services offered by SBDC Business Coaches include topics such as business planning, accessing capital, marketing, regulatory compliance, technology development, international trade and much more.

Services offered by SBDC Business Coaches include topics such as business planning, accessing capital, marketing, regulatory compliance, technology development, international trade and much more.

Visit the SBDC website here.

Development of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Cluster

The region’s infrastructure supports industries engaged in bio-sciences.  These types of companies are emerging within the region developing a biotechnology and pharmaceutical cluster.

Kentucky BioProcessing operates as a subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc. and focuses on expression, extraction, purification, and production of plant-made pharmaceutical proteins.  The company is a world leader in using innovative plant-based technology to manufacture high-value proteins and developing processes to manufacture them.  The facility provides contract services for bench scale, pilot, and manufacturing process development of clinical grade biotherapeutics in plants. This competitive advantage is driving the development of the emerging plant-made pharmaceutical industry in Owensboro.

Kentucky Life Science Council – provides advocacy and innovation services that promote the life science community in Kentucky.

High Tech Firms

These high-tech firms have located in Owensboro because of the eMerging Ventures program:

  • Hollison – food safety technology
  • AIM – immunization management firm
  • Intrucept – plant pharmaceutical firm