Charter airline proposed by local entrepreneur on investment firm’s radar
Legacy Travel Club finds believer after months of fruitless fundraising locally.
Entrepreneurship
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What’s New: Medley Portraits
Meet Cassandra Medley, who launched Medley Portraits in August and specializes in taking photos of special-needs children.
Purdue-born app wins $15,000 Startup Bowl prize
FoundOPS took first place with a mobile app that offers route optimization, customer-relationship management, data collection and GPS tracking for field-service companies.
VIDEO: 12 startup pitches distilled to 3 minutes
Boiling down the dozen pitches from budding entrepreneurs at Thursday's Startup Bowl reveals vital themes: the mammoth influence of mobile, an intense craving for consumer data, and the relentless pursuit of revenue.
Startup answers call for better phone bank
Noblesville-based VolunteerYourVoice is setting out to revolutionize phone banks with a Web app that allows advocacy groups to manage virtual campaigns, getting instant results from calls volunteers make through their home computers.
Digital marketing firm starts landing big clients
Former Google manager returns to roots to launch FoundSM.
Indianapolis tech firms, hospitals discover mutual need
An initiative is matching tech entrepreneurs with hospital officials in the hope of solving health care problems.
Powder Keg aims to blast Indy startups onto national scene
If Indianapolis’ startup community is on the brink of exploding, Matt Hunckler wants to light the match.
Small loans for small businesses
Business Ownership of Indiana is ramping up its micro-lending program, awarding a $10,000 loan to Indianapolis-based Stage Ninja LLC. Can such small amounts make a difference to fledgling firms?
Startup aims to help relieve business leaders’ stress
No job is too small for Simply Helpful, which provides office-support services on a contract basis.
Local pilot turns aerobatics into satisfying ‘jobby’
Billy Werth’s passion for flying has landed him two jobs that pay the bills–as commercial pilot with Chautauqua Airlines and a major in the Air Force Reserves at Grissom Air Reserve Base in Peru. His third job is just for fun. Since 2006, Werth has owned an acrobatic flying company called Grayout Aerosports.
Startup aims to take business cards into digital age
Indianapolis entrepreneur Nick Carter thinks he’s found a way to eliminate the “black hole” of marketing data: smart business cards that track how recipients use them.
Hoosier Momma growing sales, ambitions
Seller of Bloody Mary mix adds new concoctions, broadens distribution to seven states.
IU grad pitches biz idea to TV ‘sharks’
CoatChex founder Derek Pacqué is gearing up for a Friday product launch party that coincides with his appearance on the ABC television show “Shark Tank,” where he pitched his idea to potential investors including serial entrepreneur Mark Cuban.
Real estate firm’s niche is commercial Hispanic clients
Real estate entrepreneur Kelli Membreno, a bilingual native of northern Indiana, has built a business on helping Hispanic entrepreneurs navigate the barriers of language and American business customs.
Small firms using social media to tighten ties to customers
More small businesses are turning to technology to connect with clients. Nationwide, over half of firms with fewer than 100 employees use social media, according to a 2012 survey from research firm SMB Group Inc.
Fishers launching business incubator
The town of Fishers is making a bid to keep its entrepreneurs close to home, investing $350,000 to develop shared office space for the startup community. Co-working facility Launch Fishers is slated to open this fall.
TechPoint plans summit, entrepreneurial bootcamp
The first-ever Indiana Entrepreneurial Bootcamp will only be open to the first 100 who register.
Local distillers produce Indiana sorghum spirit
Two central Indiana entrepreneurs are making a new spirit from an old crop—supplied largely by an Amish farmer who doesn’t drink alcohol. The product is Sorgrhum, a distilled liquor made from the syrup of sweet sorghum, a stalk-like grain used as a sweetener before sugar cane became widely available.
Dog treat startup wins challenge
Self-proclaimed “foodie” Sherri Campbell knew she was onto something when she started making frozen treats for her three dogs, but even she didn’t expect to win the inaugural Hottest Kitchen Entrepreneur Challenge.