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Indy Chamber, Chase collaborate on grants for new export efforts
JPMorgan Chase provided $200,000 to fund the chamber’s GoGlobal Export Acceleration Grant program, which will target smaller companies and provide up to $5,000 in matching funds to cover business and marketing costs associated with new export activity.
Not everyone in tech wants venture cash
It’s immensely difficult for tech firms to quickly build and sell technology software or hardware without a sizable venture war chest. Nevertheless, at least a few central Indiana firms have managed to grow at a healthy pace without trading equity stakes for cash.
Bank loan activity rising, but small-biz lending lagging
According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., at the end of 2008 Indiana financial institutions had $4.6 billion in small-business loans on the books that originated for less than $1 million. That figure stood at $3.8 billion this past June, about 17 percent lower.
Indy Chamber beefs up its microlending territory
The U.S. Small Business Administration blessed the Chamber’s microlending division with a new designation, giving it more cash to deploy and a bigger geographical footprint.
Research shows benefit of women in startup management teams
Recent research has found that high-growth startups with women on their management teams outperform those with all-male teams—a discovery that has spurred several central Indiana organizations to step up efforts to boost gender diversity.
SBA loan approvals resume after Congress lifts lending limit
Loan approvals resumed after going on hold Thursday, when the SBA reached its $18.75 billion annual limit for loan guarantees.
Report: Hoosier firms raised $17.5M in VC for first quarter
The investment was in line with comparable quarters in recent years, but there’s evidence that at least one significant deal didn’t make the list.
$840K raised for Indiana pizzeria that backed religious law
A crowdfunding campaign for an Indiana pizzeria that came under fire after its owners said their religious beliefs wouldn't allow them to cater a gay wedding has raised more than $840,000.
Electronic rubber duckie boasts smartphone smarts
Two Carmel-based entrepreneurs created Edwin the Duck, which they bill as the world’s first interactive rubber duck. The prototype has already piqued the interest of Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond and other retailers, the inventors said.
Carmel click-bait giant ZergNet nabs $3.2M in private equity
The Internet company that claims Dallas Mavericks owner and “Shark Tank” dealmaker Mark Cuban as its seed funder has added more financial backers.
Fishers tech startup lands $1 million in seed capital
A Fishers-based tech startup in the home-services industry said Tuesday that it has raised $1.03 million in venture capital, including seed funding from a pair of well-known Indiana investment groups.
MORALEZ: Hoosier angel investment needs further shots in arm
When I started my first company, Bio-Storage Technologies, back in 2002, raising angel capital was time-consuming and inefficient, and the results were mixed at best.
Chicago-made medical gel wins Innovation Showcase pitch contest
The Indianapolis-based expo for featuring innovations and courting potential investors crowned an unusual winner of its pitch contest on Thursday.
Ex-Hoosier funnels millions back home to local tech firms
West Coast investor Parker Hinshaw and his wife, Jean Balgrosky, in 2012 founded San Diego investment firm Bootstrap Incubation LLC and in 2013 the Bootstrap Venture Fund, which have funded three Indiana companies in less than a year. A fourth deal is about to close.
Breweries turn to outside investors to underwrite growth
Six breweries and two distilleries in Indiana have sought outside investments since January 2013, a few of them multiple times, federal records show. That’s up from just one brewery in both 2009 and 2010.
Investment firm ties crowd-funding to traditional fundraising
The online investing marketplace Localstake brokered a little more than $1 million in private investments for an Indiana distillery and a solar-heating startup in 2013, through crowd-funding. Instead of receiving a T-shirt or other novelty for their money, as with typical crowd funding, contributors received an actual stake in the business.
Indiana-born coat-checking firm gains steam after ‘Shark Tank’ appearance
Derek Pacqué, who started CoatChex in 2010, appeared a year ago on the ABC show in which entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to prominent investors. Billionaire Mark Cuban offered to invest but wanted a large ownership stake. Pacqué said no, and has since grown his company.
But really, he said, the company is doing just fine without the billionaire.
Chamber’s microloan program swells to $2M after grant
Business Ownership Initiative, a unit of the Indy Chamber, launched its microloan fund last September to help small business owners in Indianapolis.
Angel-investing event may bolster startups
An emerging network of angel investors from around the state will team with Indiana University next month on a workshop that will put them in the same room with entrepreneurs who’d like their backing.