Indy angel group gets aggressive with school startups
Indianapolis-based Vision Tech Angels has always invested in startups born at universities, by way of invitation. Now it’s flipping the script and seeking them out.
Jared Council
Articles
Milhaus touts tech-focused offices, 450 residential units for Mass Ave site
High-profile startup High Alpha is helping Milhaus Development identify potential anchor tenants for the office portion of its proposed 825,000-square-foot project along downtown’s Massachusetts Avenue.
Angie’s List fate hazy if HomeAdvisor merger occurs
Angie’s List Inc. and rival HomeAdvisor both connect consumers and service providers, but their business models are very different. That adds a complicating wrinkle as speculation intensifies that HomeAdvisor’s parent will take another run at acquiring Angie’s List.
Bluebridge adds former ExactTarget exec, expands focus
Todd Richardson, who helped fashion ExactTarget’s culture as an executive vice president, said he hopes to reproduce that same “kind of magic” at Fishers-based Bluebridge.
High Alpha, Appirio partner to grow startups faster
The two Indianapolis-based tech companies will exchange a variety of resources and access in a deal that’s the first of its kind for either firm.
Indy life sciences firm sells for $127 million
Privately-held Biostorage Technologies Inc., which specializes in biological sample storage, has been purchased by a Massachusetts-based firm in one of central Indiana’s largest disclosed-price acquisitions of the past year.
Startups emerge to help firms craft engaging content
Several local startups have popped up to capitalize on the growing interest in content marketing, defined in part by enterprise-generated blog posts, infographics, how-to videos and more.
Geofeedia nets $17 million in latest funding round
The fast-growing company, which has its technology hub in Indianapolis, plans to deploy the cash across all segments of its business.
HomeAdvisor locks up downtown location
The Colorado-based Angie’s List rival, which previously announced Indianapolis expansion plans, has secured 7,000 square feet on Virginia Avenue near Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Godfrey gets Aprimo band back together to launch Lumavate
Former Aprimo CEO Bill Godfrey, who steered the software company to a $525 million sale in 2010, has assembled some of its other former leaders for a Carmel-based startup.
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.
Baggott, partners sell Indiana food startup Husk
ExactTarget co-founder Chris Baggott and two business partners have sold Greenfield-based food startup Husk LLC, nearly three years after starting it, shifting their attention to a farmers market website.
Denver Hutt’s family, friends aim to launch namesake fellowship
The “Hutt Fellowship” would be one of the first moves aimed at establishing an enduring legacy for the well-known entrepreneurism guru who died Saturday at 28.
Angie’s List hires ad firm that created Progressive’s Flo
Angie’s List Inc. is rejiggering its marketing strategy, a move that includes hiring a new branding agency to help get the home-services giant growing rapidly again.
Executives, networking helped make 2015 a watershed year for VC funding
Many startups, here and elsewhere, secure venture capital funding by touting their market traction, revenue growth and other statistics, all in an effort to prove to investors that they’re good bets. However, a look behind the scenes of High Alpha and three other big venture deals last year suggests that, oftentimes, landing capital has more to do with relationships and luck than with metrics.
Securities watchdog bans alleged Fishers Ponzi schemer from industry
Regulators said Fishers attorney and securities broker Jeffery Bruce Risinger refused to testify about his involvement in what the SEC claims was a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme—so they banned him for life.
Denver Hutt, former Speak Easy director, dies at 28
Hutt, credited with much of the co-working site’s success, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2013. A year ago, she told IBJ that cancer “doesn’t have to define who you are and it doesn’t have to keep you from making an impact on the community that you want to make.”
Hoosier banks put bad-loan woes in rearview mirror
Indiana-based banks have been spending less and less writing off bad loans over the past several years, a trend that suggests they’ve cleaned up their loan portfolios and might be willing to increase their appetite for risk.
Hoosier upstarts landed more than $55M in VC in 2015
Indiana companies landed at least $55 million in venture capital in 2015, according to a new survey. The figure climbs substantially when considering investments not included in the survey.
Hyde Park raising $60 million for latest venture fund
The Chicago-based firm, which opened an office in Indianapolis last year, will likely use some of the money to continue investing in Indiana tech startups.