The Tech Tribune staff has compiled the very best tech startups in Lexington, Kentucky. In doing our research, we considered several factors including but not limited to:

1. Revenue potential
2. Leadership team
3. Brand/product traction
4. Competitive landscape

Additionally, all companies must be independent (unacquired), privately owned, at most 10 years old, and have received at least one round of funding in order to qualify.

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1. MakeTime

Founded: 2014

“MakeTime streamlines the procurement and production management of CNC machined parts. Powered by data and the nation’s largest network of qualified suppliers, MakeTime radically compresses the manufacturing timeline. This creates a reliable path to prototyping, production and aftermarket CNC machining that is fast, intuitive and cost-competitive. By keeping it easy for manufacturers to get parts from U.S. machine shops, we’re making it easy to keep manufacturing in America.

MakeTime employs over 50 people in Lexington, KY in the heartland of American manufacturing.”

2. Fooji

Founded: 2015

“Fooji is an experiential technology company that uses on-demand delivery services to power experiential marketing campaigns that acquire and engage fans for big brands.

By bringing together social and chat networks with on-demand delivery services, Fooji allows big brands to start a fan interaction online and finish it offline with an instant physical delivery. This results in a meaningful interaction with the fan and great earned and organic media for the brand.

The Fooji Fan Experience Platform is used by some of the world’s most beloved brands: ABC, Adidas, Amazon Studios, Budweiser, Disney, FOX, GSK, Paramount Pictures, Patron, Pepsi, Sony Pictures, Toyota, Turner Broadcasting, Verizon, and Warner Bros.

Fooji has 3 global offices: Lexington, KY (HQ), Los Angeles, CA, and Lisbon, Portugal.”

3. Xooker

Founded: 2017

“Founded in 2013, Xooker (pronounced “Zooker”), is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. The Xooker app launched Oct. 1, 2015, as a next-generation merchant and consumer engagement platform that is mobile, location-aware, personalized and fun. Xooker overlays analytics with a powerful combination of engagement tools that includes messaging, deals, coupons, automatic check-in, games and rewards. This unique mobile-first consumer engagement platform enables local and national merchants to both get new clients, and keep them as profitable repeat customers. The platform includes a suite of games that can be branded so even local, independent merchants can keep consumers engaged in a fun way.

Xooker is the tech company behind a unique, fun, interactive, next-generation mobile app and platform for merchant and consumer engagement. Conrad R. Carney II developed the intellectual property for Xooker in 2007 and launched the company in 2013. The pilot program kicked off Oct. 2, 2015, in Lexington, Kentucky, with planned roll outs in other markets in 2016, and nationwide in 2017.”

4. Space Tango

Founded: 2014

“Space Tango Inc. utilizes the unique environment of space to discover, design and commercialize solutions for applications on Earth. In late 2015 the company’s first platform, TangoLab-1, will be installed on ISS that allows over 20 separate CubeLab experiment to be run independently and networked to the ground where customers will be able to monitor their experiments in near real time. Based in Lexington Ky Space Tango also serves as the commercialization arm of Kentucky Space.”