Creative Capital: Finding Funding That Fits Your Business

Most founders hear about two ways to fund a business: a bank loan or venture capital. But plenty of strong, profitable Louisville companies don't fit either one. They stall, not because the business isn't good, but because the usual funding systems weren't built for them.
Creative capital is the wider set of options made for those businesses. It includes revenue-based financing, where you repay out of sales; contract financing tied to a purchase order or customer contract; community and angel investor networks; low-interest loan funds; loan guarantees; and deals that combine several of these into one funding package.
Louisville native Dr. Angelique Johnson has spent 2026 leading this conversation on the national stage. As director of InBIA's Creative Capital Access Collaborative, she hosts the Creative Capital Table podcast series, brings funders together from across the country, and trains the organizations that support founders. Now she's bringing the conversation to her hometown.
She opens with a plain-language walk-through of what creative capital is, how each type works, and how to tell which one fits your stage and business model. Then she leads a live conversation with local creative capital providers about what they fund, what they look for before they say yes, and how founders can prepare.
What you'll leave with

• A clear picture of the funding options outside of banks and VC
• How to match your business to the type of capital that fits it
• What local providers look for in an application
• A direct line to Louisville funders you can talk to this month