And the winner is...Enepret!

Chase Kempinski, co-founder of recent UKAccel graduate company Enepret, recently won the 5 Across Pitch Competition for entrepreneurs. UKAccel partner Awesome Inc hosts the competition in its Main Street facility every other month. The format is 5 pitches, 5 minutes each, starting at 5:00pm, for a $500 cash prize, with a $5 entry fee.
 
According to Chase, "Enepret is a new start-up enterprise that is working to commercialize the reliable, robust, and renewable production of naturally-limited specialty oils. The technology that gives us our edge was developed in Dr. Joe Chappell’s laboratory at the University of Kentucky and is co-founded by Dr. Chappell, Dr. Mark Nielsen (a previous UK faculty member with successful entrepreneurial experience), and myself."
 
Chase says, "while I have helped to develop these production capabilities during graduate school in Dr. Chappell’s lab, we have been actively pursuing commercialization over the past year, which has been very educational in its own right. Opportunities to participate in programs like UK’s Entrepreneurial Bootcamp and UKAccel, an NSF I-Corps cohort, and 5 Across have been incredibly helpful in informing our thinking on critical business aspects that may not be apparent from the laboratory. Winning at 5 Across helps us realize that we are addressing the right points when discussing Enepret’s plans and position, and will help us continue flushing out the important business facets that are necessary for us to reach commercialization. A big thank you to 5 Across, Awesome Inc, and the Lexington entrepreneurial community for the chance to pitch and hear about Enepret’s big goals!"