I’m happy to announce a startup-focused group that launched last night under the name Forge Louisville.

It’s my hope that this effort becomes a unifying body that brings the best entrepreneurs, investors, and service providers from the area under one roof on a regular basis. But I’ll be disappointed if that’s all it is, and confident given the turnout last night and incredible feedback that it will be something more. It might facilitate smaller working groups focused on new media, healthcare, general tech, etc. It might facilitate working space for entrepreneurs. It might generate educational, focused discussion, or peer mentoring sessions. In other words, it might be something useful.

Here’s the preface that went out to invitees:     

…for some time now, I’ve realized that there’s a lot going on in the startup community [here]. It’s happening in pockets.  Within a growing set that understands new media, within a crew that’s capitalizing on the city’s strong healthcare position via services and biotechnical innovation, within a cadre of service providers - investors, lawyers, advisors, and the like – that foster this activity.  There are little, high quality, fires all over the city, and it’s time, I think, to do something that pulls them together.

And more detail from last night’s opening remarks:

Hello, and welcome!

There are a few new faces for me tonight but most of you know me as the Louisville transplant who arrived three years ago to see what I could learn about venture capital at Chrysalis Ventures. That position has afforded me a bird’s eye view, however imperfect, of the startup scene here and I’ve gotten to know most of you through that work and a number of you more informally as friends and thought partners.

The job has also allowed me to see a bit of how other cities foster entrepreneurial efforts. I’ve had the pleasure of frequenting the Research Triangle in North Carolina, for instance, and have been impressed with the program of educational events, conferences, and gatherings their development group has pulled together. And every time I return, flying into Louisville, I’ve thought we need something similar. Something that pulls the startup community together and fosters its growth – I admit, a rather vague notion. And it took a while to develop. My first thought was born out of getting to know a number of spirited young media entrepreneurs in the city and thinking they needed a group office or at least a hang out spot to eat pizza, chat about the Internet, encourage each other’s work, and get out of the coffee shop work scene. And that became…well, maybe we can do something a bit bigger and accomplish the hang out space.

I decided I needed to just get a group together. Make it the best entrepreneurs, investors, and service providers that I know, give it an inspiring name, and just call it to order. And that’s what I’ve done.

…Here’s the thing: Louisville is not wanting for activity; it’s wanting for cohesion. It’s wanting for a fiery spirit of growth. Sure, we could use more Java or PHP or Ruby developers. We could use more entrepreneurs that have built $100 million businesses. Every city could use these things. Look around you. There are plenty of mavericks here and plenty of really promising little companies being forged as I speak. It’s my hope that this group, which is tonight almost exactly the number of civilians that first settled in Louisville in 1778, plays some small role in what’s to come.

If you’re in town and would like to be involved, please get in touch (hit the “Contact” link in this page’s header).  There are a number of initial projects that I’ll need help getting off the ground, some suitably audacious.

Stay tuned for a web presence.

And many thanks to Doug Cobb for an inspiring kick-off talk, to Chrysalis Ventures, Sedulo Group, Wyatt Tarrant & Combs, and Frost Brown Todd for sponsoring the event, Ashley Cecil for a fantastic logo, and Vik Chadha, Rob May, and Todd Earwood for helping pull together a wonderful cast of characters.