Sports Tech HQ initiative lands $4.5M in state funding
The goal of Sports Tech HQ is to build Indiana’s sports technology sector, in part by luring startups here and helping them connect with the state’s existing sports ecosystem.
The goal of Sports Tech HQ is to build Indiana’s sports technology sector, in part by luring startups here and helping them connect with the state’s existing sports ecosystem.
Indiana’s strategy for economic development and job creation has emerged as a key issue in the Republican gubernatorial primary—and the future of the state’s still-developing LEAP district in Boone County could be at stake in the outcome.
Business executive and baseball analyst Alex “A-Rod” Rodriguez will be among the keynote speakers at this year’s Rally innovation conference in Indianapolis, organizers announced Tuesday.
The South Korean company’s announcement made waves across Indiana, but so did a decision by Minnesota-based SkyWater Technology to cancel its project at Purdue after not receiving hoped-for federal funding.
Skywater Technologies had been expected to invest $1.8 billion in a plant at Discovery Park District at Purdue University, but the company said then the deal was contingent on funding from the CHIPS and Science Act.
The seven-week program, called MBXax, covers topics including sales and marketing, business models, product/market fit and go-to-market strategies.
The IEDC said the first-quarter financial commitments, which came from 45 companies planning to locate or expand in Indiana, ranged from $81,000 to $11 billion apiece.
Online marketing firm Pneuma Media LLC plans to hire 26 people over the next five years, the company announced Tuesday.
Rally, which debuted last year, is designed to bring together entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and educators from a variety of business sectors.
Membershine, which launched in 2020, offers an online platform for membership-based groups such as homeowners associations.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. said the Legend Fund can help entrepreneurs and small businesses with small loans, typically under $50,000.
The approach from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. is similar to those taken for prior events such as the Indianapolis 500, the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship game and the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four.
Indiana’s Senate on Thursday approved a bill forcing the state’s economic development entity to disclose large land buys. Legislation on chaplains in schools, mobile integrated health programs, farmland ownership and school referenda also passed the Legislature’s chambers.
As the Republican-led agency faces calls from critics for more transparency, legislators from both political parties have filed legislation aimed at requiring the job-creation agency to disclose more about its activities.
Bill author Sen. Brian Buchanan, a Republican from Lebanon, said the legislation is intended to “streamline the process of economic development in Indiana by making sure all stakeholders are involved.”
A 26-person contingent comprising state and city officials, not-for-profit leaders and business executives traveled to the tiny city-state Nov. 14-17 to study how the nation has developed land along its waterfront.
The legislation comes in response to a state proposal to withdraw as much as 100 million gallons of water per day from aquifers connected to the Wabash River for the LEAP Research & Innovation District in Boone County.
This will be the third straight year the Indiana Economic Development Corp. has attended the splashy CES tech trade show in Las Vegas. But this year, it will be bringing some special guests to provide first-hand accounts of the state’s startup-friendly culture.
The LEAP Research and Innovation District under development near Lebanon represents a shift in the way the Indiana Economic Development Corp., the public-private state agency overseeing the project, is working to attract companies and create jobs.
The IEDC has faced its share of criticism. But as I reflect on these trials in the face of all that we’ve achieved, we are championing the future for all the right reasons.