Here’s how nine small businesses are coping with coronavirus
We check in with firms of all stripes to learn how they’re seeking to persevere—and how some are plotting to gain a competitive advantage when normalcy returns.
Entrepreneurship
Articles
Shuttered hair salons face ‘overwhelming’ challenges
Desi Spears and Foster-Adesokan have both heard from clients who want to make appointments for when they reopen their shops.
Not the grand opening coffee shop owner wanted
On the day Rachel Priddy finally got word from her contractor that she could apply for a certificate of occupancy to open her coffee shop in Carmel, Gov. Eric Holcomb ordered all restaurants to shut down in-person dining.
Circle Kombucha sales are down 50%, but CEO’s outlook bright
For now—although some restaurants can still sell Circle Kombucha with takeout orders—most of the company’s sales are taking place at about 150 grocery stores in Indiana and the region.
Q&A: Grocery/cafe offers food in a desert
In its ongoing effort to provide more food access to marginalized local neighborhoods, not-for-profit Flanner House of Indianapolis opened Cleo’s Bodega & Cafe last summer.
Filmmaker peddles Spanish wine in the United States
When Indianapolis outdoorsman and filmmaker Eddie Brochin was asked to lead adventure tours on a Mexican ranch in 2013, he had no idea it would lead him to import and distribute wine.
High Alpha podcast software firm lands $2.35M in seed funding
The latest is firm for venture studio High Alpha is Casted, a software-as-a-service firm that markets a platform for branded podcasts—those produced by businesses and other organizations.
High Alpha portfolio company launches with $1.5M in seed funding
Docket, a software-as-a-service firm, announced the completion of a $1.5 million seed round led by locally based Allos Ventures, with participation from High Alpha Capital, Elevate Ventures and Simon Equity Partners.
Got a big head? Fatheadz has you in its sights
Starting out in 2005 with just four sets of sunglass frames, the eyeglass company now offers five lines for men and women with more than 100 frame styles.
Painter applies data to artwork sales
Painter Justin Vining is something of an anomaly. What makes him unique isn’t so much his art as his data-driven approach to selling it.
Carmel entrepreneur invents headphones to treat anxiety, depression
The device, manufactured in Singapore, won a Mira Award earlier this year for Innovation of the Year, and now its creator said he’s winning over doctors and medical providers with his invention.
IU invests $500,000 in Richard DiMarchi’s latest biotech startup
The new venture, called MBX Biosciences Inc., aims to develop therapeutics to treat rare endocrine disorders. The company has already raised $2.5 million in funding.
Self-funded firms take all the risk, all the rewards
Venture capital is supposed to be the lifeblood of fast-growing tech startups. But a handful of Indianapolis-area companies are defying that widely embraced mindset.
Hendricks County Icon grows in tough newspaper times
In the wake of the May closure of The Hendricks County Flyer, Grow Local Media is expanding its own Hendricks County paper.
App’s success leads Don Brown to embrace consumer market
After building and selling three companies and starting a fourth, Dr. Don Brown thought he had seen it all. Even so, he still gets an occasional surprise.
Noblesville mom sells gluten-free snack mix nationwide
Jennifer Wiese’s gluten- and dairy-free bakery Bee Free makes Warrior Mix, which can be found in 4,000 stores across the country, now including Walmart.
IU creates institute on entrepreneurship
The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University has established the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Competitive Enterprise within the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Startup claims breakthrough in gauging pain
MindX founders think they’ve found a scientific way to measure pain and other hard-to-quantify mental health conditions, such as suicide risk, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Local company seeks to make Midwestern fans of kombucha, which is trendy on coasts
Indianapolis-based beverage maker Circle Kombucha wants to sell its signature product—carbonated, fermented tea—throughout the Midwest.
Startup accelerator seeks locations to expand statewide
Wisconsin-based Gener8tor, which seeks to helps fledgling companies boost revenue and grow jobs, said it’s one-year pilot program in Indianapolis was so successful that it wants to spread its services to additional Hoosier communities.