AI startup moving to Kentucky and creating nearly 200 jobs with $5M investment
An artificial intelligence software company is keeping Kentucky top of mind.
Vsimple, a technology startup behind an AI-powered workflow management platform, is investing more than $5 million in a new Kentucky office where it plans to scale up its business and create 194 local, full-time jobs.
The company’s move from Southern Indiana to Louisville comes as the city continues to be the recipient of investment and job creation in the manufacturing industry.
In August alone, Ford Motor Co. said it was putting $2 billion into its Louisville Assembly Plant for electric vehicle production and part of GE Appliance’s $3 billion American manufacturing investment included putting nearly $500 million into its Appliance Park in Louisville.
“We want to be a catalyst for technology specifically in this region and we feel like we can do that,” Vsimple founder and CEO Buddy Bockweg told the Herald-Leader Aug. 27.
“We have this perfect opportunity, this perfect storm of gigantic investment and reshoring, manufacturing and distribution, and now it’s a matter of making sure that they have the technology necessary to achieve and exceed their goals.”
In May, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority gave preliminary approval for a 10-year incentive agreement with the company through its Kentucky Business Investment program. Vsimple stands to get $1.5 million in tax incentives once it creates 194 local, full-time jobs over the next decade with an average hourly wage of $72, or almost $150,000 per year.
The AI software company, Vsimple, routinely updates its digital work management software. Like some AI services, the platform integrates a workplace’s processes into a digital assembly line. It puts everything in one place, centralizing data to make it easier to get things done.
The program targets manufacturing, construction and distribution industries, and Brockweg said some of the company’s existing customers include ProLift Toyota Material Handling, East & Westbrook Construction, Winnebago and others.
The company, founded in late 2020, raised $7 million during a Series A funding period ending in April of this year. Series A is typically the first venture capital fundraising period for a startup where investors give a company money to help the business scale up in exchange for some sort of equity.
The funding round followed the company’s announcement it was making another platform, vAI. It’s a tool in addition to Vsimple’s main platform that uses OpenAI to summarize emails, documents and spreadsheets and identifies performance indicators.
“The charge was, ‘Here’s capital. We love what you’re building. Build it faster, do it for more people,’” Bockweg said. “And so part of that is identifying where we wanted to do that. Not only are we developing and building faster, growing the team larger, it’s like, ‘Where do we actually want to build this business?’”
Bockweg said in the software industry, engineers can work just about anywhere. But he and his staff of about 25 want to plant roots. And as the team grows, Bockweg, who is a Kentucky native, said Louisville is a good place not just for business, but for people he’s intent on hiring.
“Now’s the time. And I think it’s only going to continue to compound,” Bockweg said. “Louisville is quickly becoming that hub for advanced manufacturing and distribution, and that’s our customer base. ... And we want to be right in the middle of it.
“We want to be leading the charge from an AI perspective so that these companies, not only do they feel confident and comfortable investing in this city, in this region, but also know that there are technology companies that are doing the same.”
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said the investment is “a major win” for the area’s economy and for the growing tech community. It shows to prospective businesses, he said, Louisville has talent and infrastructure “to power the next generation of innovation.”
Getting Vsimple to cross the Ohio River into Kentucky was Louisville Economic Development Alliance CEO Trevor Pawl’s first project. He took over the city’s public private economic development partnership in February 2025 and said Thursday in Louisville Vsimple’s relocation is not just a consumer advantage.
He said the move is an important investment for the entire ecosystem because the software is actually being made in Louisville.
This story was updated at at 5:20 p.m. on Aug. 28 with additional commentary from Pawl, LEDA’s CEO, and to correct the spelling of Bockweg’s last name on two references. It may be updated again.
This story was originally published August 28, 2025 at 2:59 PM.
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