(And Who We Are Now)
Who We Are
Acture (previously known as the Inventors Network KY) is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to helping everyday people take their great idea, the right opportunity, then mix that with sound wisdom to give them the ability to turn their ideas into real products and businesses. We carry out our mission in a number of unique and distinctive ways.
Our Vision, Our Mission
Our Vision it to help anyone with an idea for a product or business thrive and prosper, without the "unicorn lottery" mindset, without having to rely on the enabling of Big Venture, Big Corporate or Big Anything Else, nor giving them the power to decide the fate of a true innovator or entrepreneur. We believe that behaviors can and should play a major role in their formula for success. We believe in discipline over motivation, in starting where you are, using what you have and doing what you can. We truly believe it's not about the money, but about using lean strategies to bootstrap scalable product or business ideas so that they can help other people (customers), and embracing the mindset of knowing those people they helped are saying "thank-you" by sending them "certificates of appreciation" called dollar bills.
Our Mission is to reach, teach, coach and guide these individuals in a variety of ways including training, teamwork, camaraderie, and "in-real-life" types of exercises, not teaching them in theory but in actual realistic activities programmed to create, test, learn and refine their ideas into real products and businesses.
Meet Our Team
Don Skaggs is an inventor, entrepreneur, speaker, author, and consultant to a wide range of businesses. His experience includes bootstrapping startup companies from initial idea to successful exit, developing products, creating and implementing new marketing strategies, helping small companies move forward, and successfully launching new products.
Leo York is an inventor, technical writer, copywriter, content strategist, as well as the only commercial copywriter to use evolutionary behavior to determine marketing factors for both content and strategy. He provides holistic consulting for inventors on strategy, branding, and miscellaneous pain points regarding their entrepreneurial endeavors.
Eugenia Kelley is an inventor, entrepreneur and healthcare strategy professional. She is actively involved in assisting in several programs at Acture, including a part in the Inventor Friday Livestream, and our funding protocols.
George Moulder is an inventor, computer technician, field service engineer and prototype machinist. He is also an avid collector in the field of geology. George is actively involved in assisting Acture’s media and technical areas.
Our History
Don West, Our Original Founder
Don West, one on the team of inventors that created the ink-jet printer, founded the Central KY Inventors & Entrepreneurs Council in 1996.
Don Skaggs became part of the leadership in 2004. After a decade of growth and expansion across the state, in 2015 we became the Inventors Network KY.
We continued to grow and expand well beyond KY and with an expanded focus on entrepreneurs and small business,
and in 2026 we became known as ACTURE.
For 30 years we have been helping folks with ideas turn them into real products or businesses.
Don West, Our Original Founder
Meet the Inventor/Entrepreneurs
Meet the folks who took their great ideas, the right opportunity, and combined it with sound wisdom to turn them into real products and businesses
Bennett Gatto,
CEO of Kinevate
Creator of Balance Briefs
What are balance briefs? They’re a solution to the problem we all face- aches, pains, and general physical discomfort.
Whether you’re experiencing back pain, knee pain, or hip pain, balance briefs offer a solution to the posture and stance that directly contribute to physical issues.
Dave Mead
Mead Archery
High performance, unique primitive bows at an affordable price from a name you can trust.
Highly efficient, fast, powerful, and comfortable to shoot. Stable, accurate, and smooth to draw.
Very compact with no stack, finger pinch, or hand shock.
Dave builds each and every bow as if it were his own.
Primative Technology with Modern Performance
Bob Hawkinson
Recede Bioplastics
Weed Recede® ....Soil and water biodegradable weed barrier mulch bags and agricultural film. Eliminates plastic bag waste, helps block weeds, and reduces herbicide needs. Back Yard Compostable Weed Barrier bags help Reduce herbicide usage, Retain Moisture, and Block Weeds. Powered by Recede BioPlastics™ which can be used to do coatings, extrusions, film etc etc.