SOAR's Business and Innovation team are boots-on-the-ground providing services to help businesses launch and existing businesses scale up. Their approach is focused on clients who are currently in or desire to be in a digital space to reach customers beyond their front door (if they have a door at all). They do this by building meaningful relationships with stakeholders in communities who work as advocates for SOAR’s organization and help unearth ideas and potential opportunities. As a collective impact organization, SOAR assists clients in navigating the region’s robust and well-established network of technical assistance providers to meet clients where they are.

SOAR Innovation’s technical assistance partnerships include Kentucky Small Business Development Center, Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corporation (SKED), Mountain Association, Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation, Invest 606, Kentucky APEX Accelerator, Advantage Kentucky Alliance, Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (KCARD) and Kentucky Commercialization Ventures. The organization has also established connections to all of the region’s public and private colleges and universities.

SOAR has also created The Complete Guide to Entrepreneurship in Eastern Kentucky as the A-to-Z resource for small businesses. It includes templates, tools, and local resources to give entrepreneurs in our region a leg up. With support from the SOAR Innovation team, the guide can help entrepreneurs to plan, launch, grow and operate their business, as well as to foster consistency in operations.