Fueled by new ideas, Kris Kimel began IdeaFestival and KSTC.
Kimel is the founder of the international IdeaFestival, which originated in Lexington, Ky. in 2000 and moved to Louisville in 2006. The festival is designed to stimulate ideas and innovations across a multitude of categories – from filmmaking to healthcare, sustainable farming and more. The core of the festival is the belief that individuals don’t have to be geographically or economically privileged to have breakthrough ideas and create positive change.
Kimel is also a leader and founder behind the development and successful implementation of Kentucky Space, Space Tango, and the Exomedicine Institute.
In 1987, he founded the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC). KSTC is an independent non-profit company with an international reputation for designing and implementing innovative initiatives in science, technology, entrepreneurship and disruptive innovation. He currently serves as the organization’s president.
Kimel holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Kentucky. As a student there, he was a 1974 recipient of the university’s Sullivan Medallion.