Kennedy partners with Olympic runner to buy shoe chain
Indiana running icon Bob Kennedy believes Movin Shoes Inc. has great potential for growth. Its California location doesn't violate Kennedy's non-compete agreement with Indiana’s BlueMile chain.
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Oesterle sells land to Angie’s List, reaping millions
Angie’s List Inc. CEO Bill Oesterle has collected millions of dollars over the years by renting to the company property for its campus along East Washington Street. Now, the landlord and chief executive is pocketing millions more by selling Angie’s the property, at well above its assessed value.
PINCUS: State needs better life sciences startup ecosystem
Indiana’s life sciences sector is mostly composed of legacy companies.
Kessler Mansion neighbors balk at business uses
An Indianapolis City-County Councilor is looking into the possibility of zoning violations at the massive north-side property. The mansion will host a camp for entrepreneurs in June.
Co-founder’s death alters Naked Monkey’s growth plan
The recession and then the death of a founder put the Carmel waxing spa on a new trajectory. Now co-owner Brenda Schultz is mulling expansion plans.
Slingshot is shifting aim away from SEO
After Google cracked down on some of the tools companies were using to improve their positions in search results, Indianapolis-based Slingshot SEO opted to launch a sister brand called Digital Relevance that will focus on earning media attention.
Entrepreneurs vie for invites to reality TV summer camp
Twelve lucky entrepreneurs chosen from hundreds of applicants will spend two months this summer in a luxury facility working on bringing new business ideas to market.
New seed fund aims to make Indiana a hotbed for digital health startups
Infuse Accelerator hopes to make early-stage investments in 12 to 15 companies a year.
Zionsville’s Main Street aims to boost drawing power, charm
Zionsville’s new economic development plan calls for ramping up commercial activity in the predominantly residential community—just not at the expense of the mom-and-pop shops that give the Boone County town its charm.
Venture capital favoring later-stage firms
Getting $50,000—often from friends and relatives—to develop a product and set up a company still is easy enough in Indiana, small-business leaders and venture capitalists say. But once a firm needs a few million dollars to grow into a revenue-generating operation, the area can’t compete with Silicon Valley’s magnetism for venture capital.
Angie’s List posts smaller loss on soaring revenue
The latest results beat Wall Street estimates, driving the Indianapolis-based company's shares upward by nearly 7 percent in after-market trading on Wednesday.
After raid, pet store owner agrees to quit selling animals
Animal control officers found hundreds of violations in March at The Fish Bowl, 2101 East Michigan St. The owner plans to continue operating his business as a pet-supply store.
Greenwood’s Old Town revival targets sidewalks, traffic flow
Greenwood city officials are in the early stages of a downtown revitalization plan that would begin with an investment of up to $9 million designed to make Old Town more appealing to both vehicle and foot traffic.
Digital marketers try to cut through clutter
Element Three is among dozens of ad/marketing firms in the city that put digital marketing—in a dizzying array of formats and specialties—front-and-center. Often led by “millennial” types in their 20s and 30s to whom things like social media are second nature, they’re giving ensconced agencies a run for their money.
Food trucks find patchwork of rules in northern suburbs
As the food truck industry heats up in Indianapolis, leaders of its fast-growing northern suburbs are starting to rewrite the rules of the road.
‘Beer geeks’ hatch plan for east-side hops farm
A couple of fledgling entrepreneurs hope to tap into the increasing popularity of local microbreweries—not by starting one but by supplying them with a key flavoring ingredient integral to making beer.
IU medical school’s push to launch startups bears fruit
The Indiana University School of Medicine has launched 12 companies in the past 18 months—a burst of startup activity the school has never seen before.
Mobile boutique takes pop-up retail on the road
Heather Hogan Pirowski, owner of Retro 101, is among a growing number of retailers who have chosen the nomadic lifestyle . Looking for an alternative to the fixed overhead of a permanent location, they set up shop at a site for a few days or weeks, then pack up and move on.
Crunching the numbers on Obamacare
The biggest changes from President Obama’s 2010 health reform law take effect nine months from now, so many Hoosier employers have started crunching detailed numbers to cost out their options.