INDIANAPOLIS (May 23, 2023) — Three of Indiana’s leading entrepreneurial growth organizations will again join forces to host (IND)Venture, a two-day venture-focused summit designed to connect tech innovators with investors.
The event, also called Indiana Venture Summit, is in its second consecutive year and is organized through a collaboration between TechPoint, 50 South Capital and the Venture Club of Indiana and supported by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and other companies and organizations active in Indiana’s venture community. Organizers and past participants say this kind of Indiana-focused event is an opportunity to catapult companies to exponential growth.
Hoosier founders are encouraged to join 50 attending investment group leaders and angel investors for two days of activities designed to connect companies in need of capital with organizations looking for investment opportunities.
“Indiana startups with viable products should absolutely attend this event,” said Vibenomics CEO Brent Oakley, who gained venture capital support and more as a result of TechPoint’s VC Speed Dating Event (now known as Venture Connect.) “Not only did we secure funding, but we connected with key players who helped us innovate further and obtain services vital to our scale and growth.”
Vibenomics was acquired in March by Texas based Mood Media. The cloud-based company that provides in-store audio marketing is just one success story that illustrates the importance of collaboration from Indiana’s tech ecosystem support organizations, said TechPoint Director of Venture Engagement Roger Shuman, who has been serving the Indiana tech venture community for the last six years.
Shuman pointed to Qualifi as another emerging success story with ties to startup resources by Indiana organizations including Gener8tor, Elevate Ventures and TechPoint.
“The Indiana tech community really welcomed us and gave us opportunities to meet people who have helped us grow from just being a founding team of four to becoming an award-winning place to work,” said Qualifi CEO and Co-founder Darrian Mikell. “You still have to build a great business and earn your way, but the ecosystem here provides an amazing network of capital, talent, and support that I’d encourage every entrepreneur to dive into and make the most of.”
(IND)Venture is collectively the state’s largest event connecting investors from across the country with Indiana tech startups and scale-ups, but Shuman said the support and growth network for entrepreneurs doesn’t stop there.
“Indiana’s super power is our ability to activate multiple networks and intentionally drive interactions between networks of people who have access to capital and shared common goals. The summit is yet another example of a growth engine to move the state’s digital economy forward,” he said.The summit includes TechPoint’s Venture Connect event, the Next Level Fund Summit and The Venture Club of Indiana’s Innovation Showcase. More than 100 startups are expected to participate at all or some of the venture-related activities July 12-13, 2023, at the Biltwell Event Center.
Sponsors include Ice Miller LLP, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and Sikich in addition to Allos Ventures, Armory Square Ventures, Barnes & Thornburg, Deftly Creative, Elevate Ventures, gener8tor, HG Ventures, High Alpha, Hyde Park Venture Partners, JMI Equity, KSM CPAs & Advisors, Purdue Innovates, 16 Tech Innovation District, Recruiting Experiences, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Vision Tech.
About TechPoint: TechPoint is the industry-led growth initiative for Indiana’s digital innovation economy and overall tech ecosystem. The team is focused on working with public, private and industry partners to expand tech talent pipeline, enhance resource connectivity for enterprise organizations and startups alike, and elevate the industry by activating the community and amplifying stories of success. For more information, please visit www.techpoint.org.
