Auto-auction giant KAR rebrands to reflect global scope
The rebranding of the company coincides with the debut of its new, $80 million headquarters in Carmel.
Technology
Articles
Kenzie Academy raises $7.8M in venture capital
The tech apprenticeship and coding school said it plans to use the cash infusion to help it expand its tech-focused educational offerings and grow its enrollment nationally and in Indianapolis.
Voting machine firms may throw doors open to ethical hackers
But some ethical hackers worry the industry, which has historically prioritized making their machines easier for election administrators to use rather than making them as secure as possible, isn’t ready to make big changes. They fear the companies won’t work quickly enough to fix the bugs they discover and could use non-disclosure agreements to enforce silence about dangerous bugs that could compromise an election.
Many firms probably won’t prevent a ransomware attack. But here’s how to mitigate the impact.
While major corporations and large government agencies have taken detailed, elaborate steps to guard against the problem, smaller municipalities, companies and organizations are in something of a bind. Protecting such small groups against ransomware (or at least improving their chances of recovering from an attack) can be time-consuming and costly.
IU-developed software detects bot-driven Twitter traffic
BotSlayer—a free software tool that is open to the public—scans social media looking for evidence that what appears to be grassroots political activity is actually being generated automated accounts.
Elevate Ventures launches ‘pre-accelerator’
Elevate Origins will offer online classes and on-site gatherings to help entrepreneurs prepare to seek investments or participate in pitch competitions.
Indy-based AI firm raises $700,000
The round was led by Johnson City, Tennessee-based The Angel Roundtable and included participation from Elevate Ventures and four other investors, who were all involved in previous rounds.
Tech exec sees ‘newbie’ status as political asset
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Owens, the 34-year-old CEO of tech firm SupplyKick, has never held elected office. But he doesn’t consider that a bad thing.
Auction giant KAR sees industry’s transformation as opportunity
CEO Jim Hallett predicts that 2019 will be the peak year for brick-and-mortar auto auction volumes, but company officials aren’t sitting around wringing their hands and wishing for the past.
Tech firm’s device helps fetch Fido
As a former police officer, Jordan Hetlund knows the value of keeping track of police dogs that can represent a five-figure investment for cities and towns. As a dog-lover, the native Hoosier knows how precious pet dogs and cats are to their owners. So in 2017, he founded Indianapolis-based Furtrieve LLC and spent a year developing a device that helps track the whereabouts of domestic animals.
DoorDash data breach affects 4.9 million users
Food-delivery service DoorDash said Thursday that the personal data of 4.9 million customers, workers and merchants was compromised earlier this year through an unnamed third-party service provider.
Red Line will remain free through Nov. 10 as IndyGo works out service, payment kinks
The new payment system IndyGo has paid Paris-based tech firm Flowbird Group to design and implement will not be ready by Oct. 1, the day riders were to start paying for Red Line service.
Convention center planning much-needed Wi-Fi upgrade in 2020
The past-its-prime Wi-Fi system at the Indiana Convention Center could get a big boost in 2020, as its owner looks to make $5.7 million in enhancements to the venue.
Uber makes changes amid swarm of criticism over rider safety
Uber has faced increased scrutiny of its safety practices in recent months. Many riders have alleged sexual harassment and other types of misconduct, sparking lawmaker scrutiny.
Indy startup Zylo raises $22.5M to boost marketing, workforce
Zylo is a software-as-a-service company that helps enterprises manage other SaaS subscriptions. It was launched out of High Alpha Studio, the Indianapolis-based startup and venture firm.
Lilly Endowment funds IU, Purdue study of ethics in AI, big data
The initiatives are designed to help students and faculty become better prepared to address ethical challenges presented by fast-moving digital technologies.
IBJ Podcast: This AI whiz chose Indy over Silicon Valley. He explains why.
DemandJump’s Luke Zhang, who came to the U.S. from China as a teenager, talks with podcast host Mason King about what makes the Indy tech community special and how it could market itself better. And he explains why he takes people skills as seriously as he does his math skills.
Doctors’ pagers finally headed to gadget graveyard
Since the first pager was patented in 1949 and used in New York’s Jewish Hospital, millions of doctors have done their daily rounds in hospitals with the gadget clipped to their waistband, always ready to hear the beep that might signal a medical crisis on the other end. But hospitals are now phasing them out.
For young math whiz, it all adds up in Indy
Since graduating from Rose-Hulman with three majors, Luke Zhang has become an acclaimed expert in artificial intelligence.
Payouts from insurance policies may fuel ransomware attacks
Some cybersecurity professionals are concerned that insurance policies designed to limit the damage of ransomware attacks might be encouraging hackers.