Startups raked in $621 billion in 2021, shattering funding records
In 2021, investors more than doubled the amount of cash they handed out to startups, according to new data from research firm CB Insights.
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Republic, Rolls-Royce sign on as investors in early-stage air mobility effort
Indianapolis-based Republic Airways, along with Rolls-Royce, are among numerous investors in Eve, an urban air mobility company that aims to develop an international network of electric vertical-lift aircraft.
2021 Newsmaker: Alan Bacon, Mali Simone Jeffers, GangGang co-founders
Mali Simone Jeffers and Alan Bacon had the idea for cultural startup GangGang just more than a year ago, while sitting together one night on their couch: Why not incubate the creative economy and culture like you might a technology company or sector, while promoting equity along the way?
2021 Newsmaker: Eric Tobias, Scott Dorsey, Mike Fitzgerald, Kristian Andersen; High Alpha partners
The pandemic has not slowed Indianapolis-based venture studio High Alpha—and in fact, the move to remote work and increasing dependence on technology has probably sped up its activity.
Indianapolis-based IntelinAir taps former Dow Agro chief as CEO
IntelinAir, an ag-tech startup, moved its headquarters from California to Indianapolis in August. The company’s co-founder, Al Eisaian, is stepping aside as president, CEO and board chairman next month and long-term ag-tech exec Tim Hassinger will take over those roles.
IEDC works with accelerator to bring startups to Indiana
Gener8tor is launching four industry-specific programs within its gBETA accelerator for early-stage startups from both Indiana and around the United States, hoping some will move here.
Telamon founder Albert Chen launches firm to put ‘cobots’ in factories
Retired from Telamon Corp., Chen founded Telamon Robotics, which sells collaborative robots and helps companies integrate the technology into their operations.
High Alpha announces $18M in funding to seed new crop of startups
The announcement comes six months after that investment division—High Alpha Capital—announced it had closed a $110 million venture fund that is likely to provide growth capital for its newest startups.
Greenlight Guru celebrates new, larger downtown offices
Fast-growing software company Greenlight Guru recently moved into new, bigger office space at the Union Campus on South Meridian Street. The company says it is committed to maintaining physical offices, even as its remote workforce grows.
Indy tech firm Lessonly acquired by San Diego company
Lessonly will be a brand within Seismic, which will retain the Indianapolis office and its 240 employees.
Dronedek to show off smart mailbox when it delivers hot wings to eating contest
The demonstration comes as Dronedek prepares a move to Lawrence, where it’s renovating a long-vacant building at 4423 Shadeland Ave. into its new headquarters.
Ed-tech Codelicious lands $3.8M in seed-stage funding
Codelicious founder Christine McDonnell talks about the investment round, which was led by Indianapolis-based Allos Ventures and EduLab Capital Partners, a venture capital firm with offices in Boston and Tokyo that specializes in learning innovation.
Editing suite for range of skin tones is first Be Nimble idea-stage pitch winner
The Indianapolis-based Be Nimble Foundation wrapped up its first Black Innovation Week with an inaugural Idea-Stage Pitch Pardi competition—and chose 12 fledgling startups in the tech and consumer products sectors to honor.
Grand Park identifies first startup teammates for development hub
The city of Westfield and Grand Park announced a framework last month to let commercial and institutional organizations use the 400-acre athletic facility as a research lab and product-testing ground.
Butler law professor takes over reins of Orr Fellowship
Hilary Buttrick comes to the Orr Fellowship, which connects high-caliber college grads with fast-growing companies, with a background in law and higher education. Most recently, Buttrick served as interim dean of Butler’s Lacy School of Business.
Local sports tech startup RefReps calls audible, poised for explosive growth
RefReps has grown so fast in the six months since its launched that company officials have had to show some fancy footwork and change directions to capitalize on a national, if not global, opportunity.
Local firm looking to clear the air on buses, trains
The startup has already signed deals with schools and metro bus services in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Fort Wayne and Jacksonville, Florida. The firm also rolled out a system two months ago for rail cars and has it in place in Philadelphia.
Sharpen Technologies spears another $14M in growth capital
Sharpen’s latest round of financing brings the total amount raised by the firm to more than $55 million. It follows a year when its cloud-based customer service platform became much more relevant.
Local tech vets join forces on platform to tackle unsolved crimes
The three co-founders of Uncovered.com have launched a crowd-funding initiative to raise money for their tech startup, which is focused on cracking unsolved missing persons and murder cases.
Purdue startup lands state award to advance work on spinal cord injury drug
Neuro Vigor says it will use $100,000 in early commercialization funds to “identify and validate” its lead drug candidate for the treatment of neuropathic pain in spinal cord injuries.