Rural Built
Rural Entrepreneurship In Action
Across rural America, entrepreneurs are building innovative companies, solving real problems, and proving that big ideas don’t depend on big cities.
Rural Built highlights founders who are launching and growing tech startups from the small towns they call home. These entrepreneurs are creating new technologies, new opportunities, and new economic futures for their communities.
The founders featured in this series come from places across the country, from Kentucky to Vermont, and represent a growing movement of innovators choosing to build where they live.
Because when talented people have the support they need, rural communities become powerful engines of innovation.
Founder Stories
Meet five entrepreneurs building bold startups from rural communities across America. In these videos, founders from rural Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, and Vermont share how they are turning big ideas into growing companies—without leaving the places they love.
These founders represent a new generation of rural innovators who are proving that breakthrough companies can be built anywhere.
All of the entrepreneurs featured in this video competed in CORI’s 2025 Small Towns Big Ideas Rural Pitch Competition.
Callon B. Nanny | WholeNote
Paducah, Kentucky
Callon B. Nanny co-founded WholeNote to help independent musicians claim the royalties they’ve earned. The platform helps artists identify, track, and collect the payments they are owed, empowering creators to sustain their careers and get paid fairly for their work.
Check out WholeNote’s pitch deck to learn more.
Gretchen Heinen | AuthSnap
Marquette, Michigan
Gretchen Heinen’s company, AuthSnap, uses AI to automate the process of writing insurance appeal letters for denied medical claims. By helping hospitals challenge denied claims—often successfully—AuthSnap improves patient outcomes while helping healthcare providers recover critical revenue.
AuthSnap was the winner of CORI’s 2025 Small Towns Big Ideas Rural Pitch Competition.
Check out AuthSnap’s pitch deck to learn more.
Matthew Stone | Pathless Productions – Ludare
Portsmouth, Ohio
Matthew Stone is building new tools for the gaming industry through Ludare, a platform that allows indie game developers to launch and test games with real audiences. Developers can validate gameplay, improve performance, and even earn revenue based on how long players engage with their games.
Check out Pathless Productions’ pitch deck to learn more.
Leah Kyaio | RespexTech Inc
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
Leah Kyaio founded RespexTech to improve how people communicate. The company’s software analyzes how messages might be perceived and suggests alternative ways to express ideas clearly and respectfully—helping individuals and teams avoid misunderstandings and communicate more effectively.
Check out RespexTech’s pitch deck to learn more.
Joshua Spicer | Capnesity
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
Joshua Spicer’s company, Capnesity, is developing the first AI-enhanced capnography wearable designed to bring ICU-level respiratory monitoring into patients’ homes. The technology has the potential to dramatically improve early detection and patient outcomes for respiratory conditions.
Check out Capnesity’s pitch deck to learn more.
Discover the Momentum Behind Rural Entrepreneurship
The founders featured in Rural Built are part of a growing wave of innovation taking shape across rural America.
To better understand and measure that momentum, the Center on Rural Innovation, in partnership with the Capital One Insights Center, developed the Rural Entrepreneurship Index—a first-of-its-kind tool that maps entrepreneurial activity across rural communities nationwide. By combining multiple indicators of business creation, innovation, investment, and growth, the Index helps reveal where entrepreneurship is gaining traction and where new opportunities are emerging.
Dig into the data and see how rural communities across the country are building the foundations for the next generation of startups and innovators.
Explore the Rural Entrepreneurship Index →
Support Rural Innovation
Across the country, entrepreneurs are choosing to build their companies in rural communities—and CORI is working to ensure they have the support they need to succeed.
If you believe in a future where innovation and opportunity thrive in rural America, consider supporting CORI’s work.
Your support helps us empower entrepreneurs, strengthen local innovation ecosystems, and unlock new economic opportunities in small towns across the country.