New shooting range draws crowd in Hamilton County; another in the works
The northern-suburb county should have two shooting ranges operating by the end of this year; owners of both business say Hamilton County is a ripe market.
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Podcasting allows DJs to carry on, without a radio station
Longtime disc jockeys Jason Hammer and Nigel Laskowski are free from the corporate overlords of modern radio, these days operating their own podcast after having lost their full-time on-air gigs.
Upswing causing slowdown in startups
The number of newly formed Indiana companies slumped in 2013, the first such dip since the recession, but the small drop could actually be a positive sign for the economy. Established companies have more job openings than a few years ago, meaning workers have less incentive to start their own businesses, as thousands did when the economy tumbled.
Young CEO has big plans for employee-training software firm
Upstart Lesson.ly, an Indy-based developer of training software, is run by a 25-year-old and is trying to cut into a $42 billion market dominated by titans such as IBM and Oracle.
Therapist helps seniors, families decide when to relinquish keys
Laura Noblitt is a Zionsville-based occupational therapist with 25 years of experience in geriatric rehabilitation. She has spent half a decade riding shotgun with elderly drivers in central Indiana, determining whether it’s safe for them to stay behind the wheel.
Unintentional entrepreneur parlayed consumer-electronics savvy into PR firm
Arland Communications, run by former Thomson Consumer Electronics spokesman Dave Arland, is the only area firm focused entirely on the $200 billion-plus annual consumer electronics market.
Peyton Manning wears ankle brace designed by local entrepreneur
Rick Peters, founder of Carmel-based Ultra Athlete LLC—a small manufacturing firm with a reputation for state-of-the-art ankle braces—sent his latest brace to the Denver Broncos head trainer on a whim, and saw Manning wearing it three days later.
Apple buyout in ChaCha’s future?
Apple has applied for a patent that sounds pretty familiar to the folks at Carmel-based ChaCha Search Inc. Enough so that ChaCha founder Scott Jones has suggested that his business is well-suited for an acquisition by one of the largest companies in the world.
Indiana-born coat-checking firm gains steam after ‘Shark Tank’ appearance
Derek Pacqué, who started CoatChex in 2010, appeared a year ago on the ABC show in which entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to prominent investors. Billionaire Mark Cuban offered to invest but wanted a large ownership stake. Pacqué said no, and has since grown his company.
But really, he said, the company is doing just fine without the billionaire.
Yelp making grass-roots push to boost inroads in Indy
Internet reviewers aren’t always the kindest people when it comes to their opinions, which is a bit intimidating for a mom-and-pop shop. But not embracing Yelp can be outright foolish as the San Francisco-based customer-review website expands its reach in Indianapolis, business owners say.
Carmel firm’s bird feeders perched in 2,700 Walmarts
Sisters Jan Long and Chris Mowery had little more than an idea in 1995 when they trekked to Kmart’s corporate headquarters to pitch a product they thought had potential: a recyclable bird feeder their father had designed to promote his plastics business. They left with their first big contract.
Digital archivist’s lab will document Indy’s mayoral history
History IT plans to hire 20 people for its Indianapolis office, which will focus on documenting Indianapolis' mayoral history.
Technology on track to dramatically change health care
Cost pressures are forcing health care providers to extend the reach of limited resources.
Fishers plans new development on train-station site
Incentive deals are on the table to keep two high-potential businesses in Fishers, and the town is poised to pull the trigger on redevelopment of the Fishers Train Station property—where one of the firms could occupy third-floor office space.
New gadget revives waterlogged cellphones
Joel Trusty realized that if he could remove all the atmospheric pressure from a chamber, he could turn liquid—even liquid inside a cell phone—into a gas at a much lower temperature than otherwise possible.
Pedal pubs are latest hit in a beer-loving city
Booze and bicycling—in the most unconventional sense—is the thrust behind The Handle Bar, a local startup operated by Steve Lindsay and his brother Brian.
Angel-investing event may bolster startups
An emerging network of angel investors from around the state will team with Indiana University next month on a workshop that will put them in the same room with entrepreneurs who’d like their backing.
Life sciences venture capital dips again
Venture capital surged in the first half of 2012, to $51.6 million in Indiana. But the pace of activity here fell off sharply in the second half of last year, and remained sluggish into 2013.
Tech showcase crowns unlikely winner in pitch contest
Emphymab Biotech, with a treatment for emphysema developed by a group of Indiana University medical professors, received the top prize at the Innovation Showcase on Thursday.
Anderson woman churning out dog chews made from elk antlers
Cindy Dunston Quirk spent a decade coming up with an allergy-free dog chew idea, then, within two weeks of deciding on elk antlers, had a product packaged and ready to sell.