2015
Back to the future
The inaugural Innovation Issue was an exploration of the inventions and advancements in Indiana’s past and present with a look ahead at what might be coming down the road. In this look back, we’re checking in with the group of innovators in business and the arts we profiled in 2015. Also, we have a story about what has happened to coding academies, a nod to a column in the 2015 issue from Eleven Fifty Academy founder Scott Jones.
Where are they now?
Checking in with 2015’s Champions of Innovation
2016
Creative Thinking
In 2016, IBJ didn’t attach a theme to the Innovation Issue. Instead, it was a bit of a free-for-all look at where tech firms were locating, how to confront the obstacles to innovation and when to take risks. We revisit the issue by looking at how tech firms work today and by checking in with scientist Richard DiMarchi, who was working on GLP-1s a decade ago. And on page 29A, read about one tech gamble that didn’t pay off.
A tech hub less traveled
Monument Circle shines bright, but therein lies opportunity again
To groundbreaking obesity treatments and beyond
Entrepreneur Richard DiMarchi stays locked in as the market for blockbuster drugs evolves
2017
Ever more connected
When we focused the 2017 Innovation Issue on the internet of things, editors had to explain the term internally several times. Today, we generally use the term “smart” to describe internet-of-things devices. Here we have the latest about the proliferation of connected products, and we check in with the IoT Lab in Fishers. Plus we see how the city is using smart technology and have the latest on serial entrepreneur Don Brown’s newest startup.
Back from the future
IoT device growth turned out slower than expected
2018
Behind-the-scenes tech
Blockchain and virtual reality were the themes of the 2018 Innovation Issue — and neither has been as impactful as analysts predicted then. But both technologies are in use, often behind the scenes. We look at how banks are using the blockchain (and offer a graphic explaining the technology) and explore who is using VR.
Testing the waters
Many banks are exploring blockchain’s potential, but few are using it
2019
Beyond science fiction
In 2019, AI was just moving in the public consciousness from science fiction to reality. Fast forward to today: More than half of Americans say they have used AI at work. Below, an educator details the opportunities and challenges of AI. Read about the practical ways execs from Lilly and Colliers are using it.
How an expert on AI uses the technology in the classroom
Executives go all-in on AI
In IBJ’s 2019 Innovation Issue, Mickey Shuey profiled three data scientists who were helping to implement AI to improve products and better serve customers.
This time, we’re visiting with a real estate leader and pharmaceutical executive to learn about the practical and surprising ways they’re using AI in their fields and what the future might look like for AI and their industries.
By the numbers: AI in the workplace
2020
Designed to succeed
In 2020, IBJ explored whether design thinking could spur innovation, an issue columnist Salena Scardina updates. Plus, we talk with Martin Low about his collaborations with his brother Philip Low, a Purdue University researcher who recently died. And we have the latest on the Battery Innovation Center.
Building on a brother’s legacy
Great Indiana innovations
In the first Innovation Issue in 2015, IBJ featured several Indiana innovations. We’re revisiting some of those and introducing a few more worth mentioning.
2021
Lasting impacts?
The triple whammy of COVID-19, resulting supply chain issues and the killing of a Black man in Minneapolis by police led to big changes across the U.S. — some of which have been reversed. We’re catching up on some of the changes, includ-ing new money for domestic tech production, DEI programs and telehealth.
CHIPS on the table
Indiana was a top recipient of federal program’s funding
2022
A sector in transition
Just as we sent the Innovation Issue to the printer in 2022, Stellantis NV announced plans for a $2.5 billion electric-vehicle battery plant in Indiana. That was appropriate given the issue was focused almost entirely on energy: solar, an EV evolution, battery storage and more. In this lookback, we check in on Stellantis and profile a battery manufacturer. The issue also included a story about NFTs.
Charging forward
Battery-maker EnPower sees big opportunities ahead
Solar capacity continues to grow
In the 2022 Innovation Issue, IBJ reported that Indiana ranked fourth nationwide for projected growth in solar power over five years. The result is that Indiana now ranks 11th in the nation for total installed solar capacity with 6.5 gigawatts. That’s up from 3 gigawatts just one year ago.
2026 facts
6.5 gigawatts
Solar installed
11th
National ranking
(3rd in 2025 additions)
770,052 homes
Enough solar installed to power
6.49%
Percentage of state’s electricity from solar
12.4 GW
over five years
Growth projection (4th in the nation)
$8.4B
Total solar investment
10,748
Number of installations
12,357 MW over the next five years
Growth projection (ranks 4th)
Source: Solar Energy Industries Association
2023
Seeds of opportunity
If the term agriculture conjures up images of farmers on combines, you just haven’t been paying attention. Today’s food and ag industry is driven by the latest technology, includ-ing artificial intelligence, DNA editing, robots and drones. In 2023, we tackled some of the biggest issues in ag-tech. Here we’re updating stories about seed-editing startup Inari and the evolving demand for ethanol and featuring a new AI-powered app from Beck’s Hybrids.
Corn-fueled
Indiana ethanol industry looks to aviation, marine industries to grow
2024
Tech in demand
In 2024, Indiana was right in the middle of the world’s Fourth Industrial Revolution, known then as Industry 4.0. Now, we’re checking in on the state’s Manufacturing Readiness Grants program, which reached 772 awards across 85 counties before funding ran out. And we hear from a grant recipient.
Grant program
boosted sector
By the numbers: Manufacturing in Indiana
$133.8 billion
Value added to the economy, reflecting 24.3% of Indiana GDP
518,800
People employed by more than 8,000 Indiana manufacturers
$105,837
Average annual earnings for manufacturing employees
$59.3 billion
worth of goods exported from Indiana in 2025
Top export destinations for Indiana’s manufactured goods
2025
The next great idea
In 2025, we dedicated the Innovation Issue to startups with a story about the definition of a startup and offered tips from an entrepreneur and a Q&A with a founder. But the high-light was our list of 20 startups to watch. This year, we check back in with six of them to see what’s new.
Startups to watch
Progress, pauses and partnerships
