26
AUG
Speaker
Semester Kickoff — Big Speaker
Evening Classroom 191
High-energy kickoff to set the tone for the semester. Featured guest speaker (TBD), Q&A, and an intro to what eClub is all about. First-time attendees welcome.
Est. 2021 · Gatton College
Where Wildcat
founders are made.
Ambitious UK students turning ideas into real businesses — through bi-weekly meetings, speakers, workshops, and the annual Pitch Competition.
Wed
Bi-weekly · 6:30 PM
$3,500+
Awarded in 25–26 pitches
All
Majors welcome
/ About the club
A student-run home for
Wildcat founders.
The UK Entrepreneurship Club (eClub) is the central hub for entrepreneurial-minded students at the University of Kentucky. We're a community of doers — students who want to build companies, launch side projects, and figure out how the real business world actually works.
We meet every other Wednesday evening for speaker events, hands-on workshops, pitch challenges, and networking with founders, investors, and Lexington's startup scene. Membership is free and open to every major, class year, and background.
Whether you already have an idea, a running business, or just curiosity — you belong here.
/ Fall 2026 schedule
A full semester of eClub meetings and Awesome Inc partner events.
09
SEP
Workshop
Solve Problems, Make Profit
Evening Classroom 191
Hands-on workshop: identify everyday problems, brainstorm products, build a sales pitch in teams, and compete for prizes. Leave with a real idea you could test.
09
SEP
Awesome Inc
5 Across September (Awesome Inc)
Evening The Mane on Main — 201 E Main St, 15th Fl, Lexington
Monthly pitch night hosted by our partner Awesome Inc. Five founders each get five minutes to pitch, five judges give feedback, and the crowd votes. Great first exposure to Kentucky's startup community.
16
SEP
Challenge
Lemonade Stand Week
All week Across campus
A practical execution challenge. Members go test a simple business idea in the real world — pricing, customers, marketing, profit. Learn by doing.
23
SEP
Workshop
Build a Business Out of Your Dorm
Evening Classroom 191
How to start small with limited money and space. Business models overview, real examples from VACE and eClub founders, and refining ideas into repeatable models.
30
SEP
Panel
VC Panel
Evening Classroom 191 / Woodward Hall
Panel with VC, startup finance, and investor voices (5across, Keyhorse, LaunchBlue, VACE). Understand how funding works and what investors actually look for.
14
OCT
Speaker
David Bay Speaker Event
Evening Woodward Hall / 191
Founder talk on real-world entrepreneurial experience — execution, risk, failure, and growth. Practical advice for student founders ahead of the pitch comp.
14
OCT
Awesome Inc
5 Across October (Awesome Inc)
Evening The Mane on Main — 201 E Main St, Lexington
Another round of 5 Across at The Mane on Main. Bring an idea to pitch or come to watch, network, and connect with Lexington founders and investors.
28
OCT
Competition
Elevator Pitch Competition
Evening Woodward Hall
Pitch your business idea to judges and the crowd. Pre-revenue and revenue tracks, fast-paced format, prizes for the top ideas. Bring your best concept.
04
NOV
Awesome Inc
KY Entrepreneur Hall of Fame Induction
Evening Central Bank Center — 430 W Vine St, Lexington
The 2026 Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame induction dinner, hosted by Awesome Inc. A celebration of the founders shaping Kentucky's economy — one of the biggest nights on the state's startup calendar.
11
NOV
Networking
Guest Speaker @ Speakeasy
Evening The Speakeasy
Casual, conversational founder talk followed by open Q&A and networking. Build real connections and walk out with mentorship or follow-up opportunities.
18
NOV
Showcase
Final Collab / Showcase
TBA TBA
End-of-semester showcase and collab event. Details coming soon — stay tuned via Instagram and GroupMe.
02
DEC
Awesome Inc
5 Across December Finals (Awesome Inc)
Evening The Kentucky Theatre — 214 E Main St, Lexington
The 5 Across year-end finals pitch competition at the historic Kentucky Theatre. Winners from every 5 Across of the year face off for the annual title.
/ Startups
Real companies from Wildcats.
Student-founded ventures, officer-run companies, pitch competition winners, and startups from the broader UK community.
Officer-founded
BreathylBox
Sean Short • University of Kentucky
A safety-focused hardware startup developing intelligent storage devices that unlock only after the user passes a breathalyzer test and, optionally, a secondary authentication method such as a passcode. Designed to help prevent impaired access to car keys, firearms, medications, and other valuables — advancing from prototype toward commercialization.
Pitch competition
LOTWAYS
Muhammad Qasim • 2025 eClub Pitch Competition Champion
A smart parking startup reimagining how drivers find and reserve parking. Through a mobile platform and its autonomous LOTBOT concept, users can pre-book parking spaces before arriving — reducing congestion and eliminating the uncertainty of the search. Founded during Awesome Inc.'s Startup Weekend in 2025, LOTWAYS went on to take first place at the UK Entrepreneurship Club Pitch Competition.
/ Leadership
The people running the show.
The student officers and advisor keeping eClub moving. Reach out to anyone — we actually want to hear from you.
Per our constitution, the President is elected yearly by club members and the rest of the executive board is selected each spring. Officers maintain good academic standing and a 2.0+ GPA.
President
Jack Gatlin
Vice President
Alexander Dilger
Treasurer
Miles Davis
Event Coordinator
Sean Short
Director of Marketing Operations
Aubrey Gehrke
Director of Resources
Reece Carlton
EMS Contacts
For event management & room logistics, reach out to Jack Gatlin or Sean Short.
/ Partnerships
Backed by Kentucky's builders.
We team up with the organizations moving the Bluegrass startup ecosystem forward.
Presenting partner
Awesome Inc
A multi-year partnership backing the club through programming, mentorship, and startup resources.
Want to partner with us?
We're always looking for Lexington-area companies and investors who want to support the next generation of Wildcat founders.
Get in touch →/ FAQ
Real questions from real Wildcats.
Can't find your answer? Email ukyentrepreneurshipclub@gmail.com and a real officer will get back to you.
No. The club is open to students of any major — engineering, arts, sciences, whatever.
/ Stay connected
Pick a channel. We're there.
Slide into our DMs, drop into the GroupMe, or just shoot us an email. All of it goes to a real student officer.
/ Send a message
Got a question? Drop us a line.
Fill this out and we'll open your mail client pre-addressed to the club inbox.
/ Join us
Ready to build
something real?
Membership is free for all UK students. Apply once, stay forever. Drop your info and we'll send you the next event invite.
- Bi-weekly meetings every other Wednesday at 6:30 PM
- Speaker series with founders and investors
- Workshops & seminars on building real businesses
- Eligibility for the annual Pitch Competition
- Networking with Lexington's entrepreneur community
- GroupMe community of UK student founders
- Voting rights & eligibility to run for office as an active member
General Member
Open to all UK students, faculty, and staff. Attend events, vote on club matters, and run for officer roles.
Associate Member
Open to the broader Lexington community. Attend events and join the conversation (non-voting).
Active status = attend at least three meetings per semester and participate when you can.
/ Membership
Join through BBNvolved.
We manage our roster through UK's official student org platform. Hit the button below, sign in with your linkblue, and you're in — takes about 30 seconds.
Join on BBNvolvedOpens uky.campuslabs.com in a new tab.