Contest aims to find next hot ‘foodpreneur’
About 60 aspiring food-business operators entered the Hottest Kitchen Entrepreneur Challenge in hopes that they have the next big idea.
Startup
Articles
Progress spotty in narrowing tech field’s gender gap
Most technology firm startups are birthed by men in their 20s and 30s who have a background in computer science. To what degree women are underrepresented in the ranks of tech entrepreneurs is hard to quantify, but it’s a small universe.
Want to check your coat? Now, there’s an app for that
Indianapolis-based upstart CoatChex is preparing the launch of an iPad-based, ticketless coat-check system for bars through which a patron enters his phone number to check a coat and, later, to retrieve it.
Veteran broker Hohmann leaves Cassidy Turley to go solo
Hohmann has been involved in numerous high-profile real estate deals over the years, including the transaction that resulted in development of Intech Park and assembling about 60 acres for Clay Terrace in Carmel.
BioCrossroads launches second seed fund
BioCrossroads Inc. has raised an $8.25 million seed fund in its second attempt to help startup life sciences companies grow to the point where they can attract venture capital or a corporate funder.
State’s latest startup: Startup Indiana
On April 25, local organizers will launch Startup Indiana, a regional affiliate of the Startup America Partnership. The national initiative—and its regions—brings together entrepreneurs, funders and other leaders to help promising startups succeed.
Startup wants to make pouring beer from the top passe
Josh Springer has moved to Indianapolis his company that designs and sells draft beer dispensers that fill specially designed cups from the bottom up, speeding the process and cutting down on foam.
Angel Learning’s founder thinking big again
IT professor Ali Jafari, who netted Indiana University $23 million on its $130,000 investment in his Angel Learning when it sold three years ago, recently launched CourseNetworking, which allows learners across the globe to connect and chat around shared interests and class subjects.
Satellite training sites give entrepreneurship agency a boost
Participation at Business Ownership Initiative-led training sessions is up nearly 30 percent so far this year as more Hoosiers start businesses of their own. Executive Director Julie Grice is looking for more counselors and money.
HUNCKLER: Old-style bootstrapping is alive and well in tech
Indianapolis-area entrepreneurs are finding ways to fund their companies.
Young Indy-area tech entrepreneurs enjoy deep support
MyJibe co-founder Mike Langellier is among a new generation of tech entrepreneurs in the Indianapolis area that benefits from a host of support their predecessors never enjoyed.
Startups launch apps to facilitate good deeds
Two startup firms, Cause.It LLC and Trensy LLC, have created tools that link charitable behavior and consumption. Like the hit app Foursquare, the newcomers encourage users to “check in” when they show up at events or complete activities so they can earn rewards offered by local businesses.
Entrepreneurs see early success with new liqueur
Blue MF is a vodka-and-rum-based liqueur concocted by three Indiana University fraternity brothers turned entrepreneurs. Their firm, Indianapolis-based More Fun Liqueur, launched its signature drink in October and now is seeking investors to help fund expansion.
What’s New: Grateful Pet
Melissa Kelly and Zach Pierson, who opened delivery service Grateful Pet LLC in July and are bootstrapping the business through Kelly’s day job.
What’s New: PatentStatus
This week, meet James Burnes, who launched virtual patent-marking service PatentStatus LLC in January and spent the first weekend of February hobnobbing with corporate bigwigs in town for Super Bowl XLVI.
Serial entrepreneur builds more than business
Westfield resident Jenn Kampmeier is a CEO—that’s “chief everything officer” in the get-it-done world of startups—who prefers an even-loftier title: Mom.
Startup coaches clients on dating
Miss Pivot is a social-skills training company that offers one-on-one coaching from professional “wing” women, group classes on topics like starting conversations, and now a mobile app that promises users the knowledge they need to “Fire Cupid.”
What’s New: Snappening.com
This week, meet Crystal Grave, who left a corporate marketing career to start event-planning resource Snappening.com.
DeveloperTown sees sale of first company it helped fund, coach
Daily Lunch Deal sold last month after just a year in business, marking a milestone for its venture-firm mentor.
Techies aim to make money from memories
Two DePauw University graduates are launching a website they hope will preserve the world’s memories, through a virtual bank of shared experiences.