Some firms have nixed the office; others are doubling down
No matter which path companies choose, they’ve had to figure out new ways to keep employees connected now that their co-workers might not be in the same room—or even the same state.
Susan Orr
Articles
STAR Bank debuts Bitcoin services for its mobile banking customers
Fort Wayne-based STAR, which has 13 banking offices in the Indianapolis market, said it sees a business opportunity in Bitcoin and plans to add additional cryptocurrency services as demand warrants.
Economist: Pandemic recession has ended, but disruptions linger
Fifth Third Bank’s Chief Investment Strategist Jeff Korzenik told an Indianapolis audience Wednesday that the workforce crunch and sudden glut in downtown office space remain vexing problems, but Indiana is in solid position to take advantage of the return of manufacturing from overseas.
Real estate tech startup Shaker lands $2M in seed funding
Shaker, which offers a platform for real estate agents and clients to communicate with each other, was launched last year by Indianapolis venture studio High Alpha.
Indiana’s tech sector sees big M&A boom
The momentum is so strong that the number of deals during the first three quarters of 2021 has already eclipsed full-year 2020 and 2019 totals—and by a healthy margin.
Muncie-based First Merchants to acquire Michigan bank for $323.5M
First Merchants has agreed to acquire Farmington Hills-based Level One Bancorp, which has 16 Michigan banking offices. The deal is expected to close in the first half of next year.
Tech startup co-founded by Scott McCorkle secures another $7M in funding
MetaCX’s newest round of fundraising brings its total to $31.5 million, including multiple investments from several venture capital organizations.
Zionsville-based Clear Software acquired by Microsoft
Clear Software, founded in 2015, offers tools to help simplify and streamline business processes. Microsoft said the acquisition will help it improve its Microsoft Power Platform, which offers a variety of business-oriented tools for users.
First Internet Bank to acquire Georgia-based bank in $80M deal
Fishers-based First Internet says it expects that its $80 million acquisition of Georgia-based First Century Bank will be complete early next year. The deal brings several new product lines to First Internet’s existing offerings.
Q&A with Tobi Lynn, a radio host with ear for new music
Since August, she’s hosted a daily radio show at Internet-based station Amazing Radio. The show, which airs at noon on weekdays, features indie pop, with a focus on Los Angeles- and West Coast-based artists.
Ag-tech firm using aerial photos, big data to help farmers manage fields
Indianapolis-based IntelinAir Inc. sees a big opportunity in the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to help farmers keep tabs on their crops.
Local sports teams, universities team up to launch sports-focused data analytics resource
The online resource, set to launch in beta mode in the next several weeks, will be a place where academic and business users can access anonymized sports and fitness data sets, use it to solve business problems, and learn about job opportunities.
High Alpha startup Filo lands $3M in seed funding
Filo, which was launched by Indianapolis-based venture studio High Alpha last year, offers an interactive platform for online meetings, gatherings and events.
OneAmerica Tower reopening downtown restaurant, coffee shop on ground floor
The 18,267-square-foot restaurant, which is open to both OneAmerica Tower tenants and the outside public, has been vacant since Sahm’s Restaurant Group closed its cafeteria there last fall.
Accountant shortage puts crunch on hiring
Fewer students have been entering the accounting profession, and a salary gap between accounting and other financial professions means those accounting students might be lured to a different field.
Bloomington-based startup developing drone-assisted construction techniques
Terran Robotics, established in 2019, is developing technology that enables self-flying drones to build walls for earthen homes. The company plans to build its first home next year.
Allison Transmission to invest $42M in Chinese company’s public offering
Indianapolis-based Allison, which recently formed a partnership with Beijing-based Jing-Jin Electric, announced Wednesday that it will participate in Jing-Jin’s upcoming initial public offering.
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.
New Emarsys CEO sees continued local growth ahead for software firm
New Emarsys CEO Joanna Milliken, who starts in her new role Oct. 1, will oversee all of the Austria-based marketing tech company’s activities from Indianapolis. About 150 of the company’s nearly 700 employees are based in central Indiana.
Marketing tech firm Terminus announces its largest acquisition yet
Terminus, which offers a business-to-business platform that helps marketers connect with potential customers, said its acquisition of Boston-based Zylotech is its fifth acquisition to date, and its largest.