{"data":{"type":"company_profile","id":139313,"entity_id":"wefunder:company:139313","attributes":{"canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/the.ky.hug","generated_at":"2026-06-19T19:15:20Z","updated_at":"2026-06-19T05:01:05Z","entity_ids":{"company":"wefunder:company:139313","slug":"wefunder:company_slug:the.ky.hug"},"profile_visibility":{"owner_published":true,"public_search_results":true,"site_search_listed":true,"privacy_mode":"promote","invite_only":false},"provenance":{"source":"wefunder_public_company_profile","as_of":"2026-06-19T19:15:20Z","claims":{"total_amount_raised":{"source":"FrontCompanySummary#amount_raised","last_verified_at":"2026-06-19T05:01:05Z","as_of":"2026-06-19T19:15:20Z","confidence":"high"},"total_investors":{"source":"FrontCompanySummary#number_of_investors","last_verified_at":"2026-06-19T05:01:05Z","as_of":"2026-06-19T19:15:20Z","confidence":"high"},"active_raise_states":{"source":"Fundraise.visible(nil, nil)","last_verified_at":"2025-02-06T01:17:55Z","as_of":"2026-06-19T19:15:20Z","confidence":"high"},"latest_fundraise_state":{"source":"Fundraise.visible(nil, nil).order(funding_started_at)","last_verified_at":"2025-02-06T01:17:55Z","as_of":"2026-06-19T19:15:20Z","confidence":"medium"}}},"company":{"id":139313,"entity_id":"wefunder:company:139313","slug":"the.ky.hug","name":"The Kentucky Hug","tagline":"Bourbon Experience Marketplace and Booking Platform","story":"Lets make small town America more accessible!SB11's passing in 2016 allowed Kentucky distilleries for the first time to provide alcohol to a tourist on property. The industry was worth 3.1B in annual revenue in 2016 and at the end of 2022 was 9.2B. With this incredible 220% growth in popularity, coupled with the inadequate off the shelf booking systems filling the gap--it has caused a major marketplace frustration for both the tourist and distillery. Before Development we interviewed 40 tourists and 7 distilleries ranging from the front line employee to ownership because every voice matters when crafting a solution for this industry. Here are some of the key takeaways:The main issue with the tourist is that Google is the primary research method used which takes hours. For the Distillery the issue is their booking systems only capture credit card holder information. This means for a group of 20 people arriving at the distillery they may only have information on one of those visitors. Keep in mind almost every Kentucky Distillery was operating off of paper reservations in 2016. Our solution the Kentucky Hug is the first ever centralized platform allowing a tourist to research, plan, and book multiple live ticketed experiences, saving them hours of time in research and thousands of dollars spent. The Kentucky Hug stands alone as being both affordable to book and easy to use for both the tourist and the distillery. This is our MVP and we are already running circles around every competitor in this market. Our longer term goal is to provide a new way to book a complete multi-day trip in a single platform and purchase. We aim to make small town America more accessible through smart technology and bringing greater visibility into what is available. Distilleries are where we are starting as alcohol spirits tourism is one of the fastest growing markets and one of the largest drivers of American tourism. Our name 'The Kentucky Hug' will change to accommodate each state's name as we launch in those new markets. We rolled out our marketplace here in Kentucky first to prove the model to the industry. When launching in new states we will onboard distilleries to our booking system first then once we have enough partners we will launch a marketplace to make the region more accessible. Below is a quick video of The Kentucky Hug team at the Vogt Awards Demo-day hosted by the Community Foundation of Louisville at the Kentucky Derby Museum. Further Reading below and more detail on previous slides.","location":"Louisville, KY","website":"https://kyhug.com","total_amount_raised":94500,"total_investors":48,"is_funded":true,"is_active":true,"quality_score":2,"related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/the.ky.hug","https://kyhug.com"]},"media":{"share_image_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/header_media_photo/139313/xxl_blob.jpg","logo_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/logo/139313/large_blob.png","header_media_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/header_media_photo/139313/standard_blob.jpg","cover_photo_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/header_media_photo/139313/standard_blob.jpg"},"links":{"company_url":"https://kyhug.com","linkedin_url":"https://linkedin.com/company/the-kentucky-hug/","facebook_url":"https://facebook.com/thekentuckyhug","instagram_url":"https://instagram.com/the_kentucky_hug/","youtube_url":"https://youtube.com/channel/UCzIwpq-V5XTMjlRPxn1hsig"},"highlights":[],"quick_facts":[{"index":1,"claim_id":"claim-fact-1","value":"Launched KYHug.com, the first ever Bourbon tourism marketplace on August 1st."},{"index":2,"claim_id":"claim-fact-2","value":"Working with multiple distilleries to create industry specific ticketing system to manage inventory."},{"index":3,"claim_id":"claim-fact-3","value":"Planned mobile app will create first 1-to-1 marketing channel between distilleries and tourists."},{"index":4,"claim_id":"claim-fact-4","value":"CEO has over ten years of experience creating and managing a Bourbon tourism company."},{"index":5,"claim_id":"claim-fact-5","value":"Software development team has over 18 years building software products."},{"index":6,"claim_id":"claim-fact-6","value":"Currently working on contracts with 17 of the largest brands in the Kentucky Bourbon industry."},{"index":7,"claim_id":"claim-fact-7","value":"Ticketing solution being built to scale to the additional 33 whiskey trails outside of Kentucky."},{"index":8,"claim_id":"claim-fact-8","value":"Received the Vogt Award winning a $25,000 non-dilutive grant and completed a 10 week accelerator."}],"team":[{"id":3734403,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:3734403","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:4138631","role":"founder","name":"Eddie Fieldhouse","title":"Cofounder and CEO","bio":"Created, and for over 10 years has managed and grown a bourbon tourism business.","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/3734403/square_blob.jpg?1706284699","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/eddie.fieldhouse","linkedin_url":"https://linkedin.com/in/eddiefieldhouse/","related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/eddie.fieldhouse"]},{"id":3734404,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:3734404","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:3767201","role":"founder","name":"David Galownia","title":"Cofounder and CTO","bio":"Founded, and for over 18 years has led a software development 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valuation"}},"recent_posts":[],"q_and_a":[{"id":273662,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:273662","question":"If its KYhug now, what will it be when your target goes outside of KY?","author_name":"Aaron Boyles","votes":1,"created_at":"2024-01-11T17:14:31Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/the.ky.hug#question-273662","answers":[{"id":273667,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:273667","answer":"Hi Aaron- Thank you for your question. Our strategy will be to implement the booking system first when we enter new regions. Once we reach a threshold of 6-10 partners we will launch the marketplace to assist tourists in booking a complete trip to that state/region. The marketplace will then have the states name once we reach that point. So if we had 10 partners onboarded in Tennessee we will then launch the \"Tennessee Hug\" marketplace as the front facing portal to that area. Due to the nature of the distilleries here in Kentucky-many have parent companies that own brands in other states. This to say there will be a handful of partners this year who have brands in states outside of Kentucky that will be onboarded as we work with Kentucky brands. We have already started conversations with a few whiskey trails outside of Kentucky due to the follow on from brands we are currently working with. Bourbon's birthplace is here in Kentucky which is why we are starting here but this is only the beginning.","author_name":"Eddie Fieldhouse","votes":0,"created_at":"2024-01-11T18:21:29Z"}]},{"id":264949,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:264949","question":"It looks like investors here have no voting rights - why is that?","author_name":"Oliver Gray","votes":1,"created_at":"2023-10-09T21:40:56Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/the.ky.hug#question-264949","answers":[{"id":265040,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:265040","answer":"Hi Oliver, Thanks for your question. Only Class A investors have voting rights. We have purposely done this so as founders we can maintain control and do what's best for the business and the community partners we are aligning with. While Class B shareholders do not have voting rights they have down-round rights, and additional rights to cash out first in the event of dissolution. Class B shares also have the ability to be sold after 2 years, while class A do not. Class A shares also do not have anti-dilution rights nor dissolution protection so there is a balance here that we feel is fair and protects the best interest of the company. I hope this helps. Dan","author_name":"Dan Murphy","votes":0,"created_at":"2023-10-10T15:45:41Z"}]},{"id":263648,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:263648","question":"Hi there, a) What is your most recent monthly burn rate? b) What is your most recent monthly cash on hand? c) Are you raising a parallel angel or VC round simultaneously? If yes, who is investing in this round?","author_name":"Teddy Lyons","votes":1,"created_at":"2023-09-28T20:23:43Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/the.ky.hug#question-263648","answers":[{"id":264082,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:264082","answer":"Thanks for the questions, Teddy. Can you email me directly so I can answer these questions. dan@kyhug.com","author_name":"Dan Murphy","votes":0,"created_at":"2023-10-04T13:28:34Z"}]},{"id":257520,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:257520","question":"I saw it in the pitch on the screen but wanted to understand the plan regarding providing booking for hotel, meals, transportation (including to/from airport), that would be the full experience if you think about all that a consumer is interested in. The SAFETY aspect around the transportation should not be undersold, it is a key part of the experience given the alcohol consumption. Also the logistics of booking a multi day tour was very difficult and could use assistance there too.","author_name":"David Kaplan","votes":1,"created_at":"2023-08-08T12:17:20Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/the.ky.hug#question-257520","answers":[{"id":257598,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:257598","answer":"Hey David, thanks for the inquiry. There are a lot of ways we could streamline lodging, restaurant reservations and travel and we haven't flushed out those details yet. Our main focus is onboarding new bourbon experiences as we continue to evolve the user experience of the marketplace and start development of the distillery ticketing system. That system should roll out later this year. Your comment about travel is spot on and something we're taking very seriously. We think our marketplace could change the way consumers engage with local travel companies in a big way and we want to work with all providers. Our marketplace is the first of it's kind in the distilled spirits world so we are trying to learn as much as possible. All this learning will infer how we move forward and we are very excited about the opportunity we have to create something awesome. We appreciate your interest and support. Be well. Dan","author_name":"Dan Murphy","votes":0,"created_at":"2023-08-08T21:34:52Z"}]},{"id":330155,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:330155","question":"Are there any exit plans?","author_name":"Katina Washington","votes":0,"created_at":"2026-04-06T13:00:15Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/the.ky.hug#question-330155","answers":[]}],"faq":[{"question":"I saw it in the pitch on the screen but wanted to understand the plan regarding providing booking for hotel, meals, transportation (including to/from airport), that would be the full experience if you think about all that a consumer is interested in. The SAFETY aspect around t...","answer":"Hey David, thanks for the inquiry. There are a lot of ways we could streamline lodging, restaurant reservations and travel and we haven't flushed out those details yet. Our main focus is onboarding new bourbon experiences as we continue to evolve the user experience of the marketplace and start development of the distillery ticketing system. That system should roll out later this year. Your comment about travel is spot on and something we're taking very seriously. We think our marketplace cou..."},{"question":"Hi there, a) What is your most recent monthly burn rate? b) What is your most recent monthly cash on hand? c) Are you raising a parallel angel or VC round simultaneously? If yes, who is investing in this round?","answer":"Thanks for the questions, Teddy. Can you email me directly so I can answer these questions. dan@kyhug.com"},{"question":"It looks like investors here have no voting rights - why is that?","answer":"Hi Oliver, Thanks for your question. Only Class A investors have voting rights. We have purposely done this so as founders we can maintain control and do what's best for the business and the community partners we are aligning with. While Class B shareholders do not have voting rights they have down-round rights, and additional rights to cash out first in the event of dissolution. Class B shares also have the ability to be sold after 2 years, while class A do not. Class A shares also do not ha..."},{"question":"If its KYhug now, what will it be when your target goes outside of KY?","answer":"Hi Aaron- Thank you for your question. Our strategy will be to implement the booking system first when we enter new regions. Once we reach a threshold of 6-10 partners we will launch the marketplace to assist tourists in booking a complete trip to that state/region. The marketplace will then have the states name once we reach that point. So if we had 10 partners onboarded in Tennessee we will then launch the \"Tennessee Hug\" marketplace as the front facing portal to that area. Due to the natur..."}]}}}