Angie’s List shuffles brass, names third tech chief in two years
Chief Technology Officer Robert Wiseman has decided not to relocate permanently to Indianapolis, opening the door for former ExactTarget executive Darin Brown.
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Startup car wash chain aims for high-end splash
There’s no shortage of car washes around Indianapolis. But the owners of Prime Car Wash think the competition has missed a spot—both here and around the country.
Upstart advertising agency attracting national notice
The Basement boasts a client list that includes K-Mart, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Procter & Gamble, NCAA and Simon Property Group Inc. The firm’s year-over-year revenue in 2014 has grown at better than 25 percent, hitting $2 million.
After victory in London, cake baker opens local shop
Gwendolyn Rogers achieved her goal last month of owning a bakery by opening the Cake Bake Shop in Broad Ripple. The former Little House gift shop space now sports cases full of tasty treats that include her popular cakes, as well as pies, eclairs and other goodies.
Veteran Indy convention planner launches new division
One of the city’s best-known corporate meeting and convention planners, Meeting Services Unlimited Inc., is launching a division focused on smaller, high-end private parties.
Self-compacting garbage bin has myriad uses–thanks to Internet
Entrepreneur Grant Jenkins’ PowerBin can hold three times the amount of the average public trash bin, and can transmit data to municipal and other managers about when it’s full. It can also serve as a Wi-Fi hot spot, relay information about reported crimes, and display advertisements.
Angie’s List agrees to pay if jobs promise falls short
If Angie’s List fails to live up to promises fueling a taxpayer-subsidized headquarters expansion, the company will pay an undetermined amount into an escrow account for the city’s benefit.
Three village hubs marked for investment
Great Places 2020 targets intersections that can anchor city’s next walkable villages.
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.
Investors find value in entrepreneurs who fail
While Midwest venture capitalists are still relatively conservative compared to those on the coasts, failure is increasingly carrying more of an edge and less of a stigma.
Non-industrial users have little clout on electricity prices
Manufacturers and other big users band together to lobby, but the vast majority of businesses have no collective ability to drive down their electricity costs.
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.
Up-and-coming app elbows way into noisy music field
West Lafayette-based Caktus Music Inc. has developed a smartphone application that allows access to music content from multiple sources, including streaming services and personal music libraries, all integrated into one place.
Green BEAN Delivery expands to Kokomo
Indianapolis-based Grean BEAN Delivery will serve Kokomo through a partnership with Delphi Electronics and Safety.
Online retailer helps mom-and-pop running-shoe stores compete
To address a troubling trend he noticed while operating running retailer Blue Mile, Bob Kennedy launched Indianapolis-based eRun Solutions LLC to help the mom-and-pops of the running world go toe-to-toe with their larger retail rivals.
Locally based Wine & Canvas grows to 48 locations nationwide
The husband-and-wife-owned Wine & Canvas has grown from two to 347 employees in just four years with profitability increasing at a double-digit clip, 48 locations coast to coast and plans for international expansion.
Investments pick up in Holy Cross neighborhood
Decades-old barriers to development are beginning to fall in Holy Cross, attracting more residential and commercial construction.
Chamber steps up microloan ambitions
A division of the Indy Chamber is applying to become a U.S. Small Business Administration-affiliated microlender, a move aimed at boosting its available capital and expanding its territory in a wide-open frontier of finance.
Museum keeps historic trains rolling through central Indiana
Founded in 1960, the Indiana Transportation Museum has been working for decades to preserve the Nickel Plate Railroad’s legacy by offering guests what it calls “moving experiences”—literally.
UPDATE: Angie’s shares fall 18 percent after Wall Street miss
Angie's List Inc. continued to lose money in the third quarter and failed to meet Wall Street expectations. However, the loss was smaller than a year ago, and revenue jumped 24 percent.