New IU venture fund could be ‘game changer,’ draw top faculty, students
The IU Philanthropic Venture Fund—which will back IU-related research and startups—is already fully funded to the tune of $15 million.
Venture Capital
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Software firm Bolstra raises $1.5M, adds veteran tech executive
Bolstra LLC, a Carmel-based software-as-a-service company, has added an executive who previously held leadership positions at PolicyStat, Aprimo and Software Artistry.
Local tech startup Zylo lands $9.3M in venture funding
Zylo, which helps companies manage their cloud computing software subscriptions, has secured its second big round of funding—including investments from big names in the world of cloud computing.
Venture capital for Indiana startups surged in 2017 on fewer deals
Thanks to a strong fourth quarter with a $40 million deal, the amount of venture capital invested in Hoosier firms surged 50 percent in 2017 over the previous year.
Software firm Lessonly raises $8M in latest funding round
The investment was led by OpenView Venture Partners, a Boston-based venture capital firm that previously invested in ExactTarget.
West Lafayette biotech raises $40M to develop cancer-imaging drugs
The company said the funds would help it test its lead compound in late-stage clinical trials, allowing surgeons to detect cancerous cells with the help of fluorescent dyes.
Indiana venture capital activity picks up in third quarter
Venture capitalists have been on a spending spree so far in 2017, but have been investing more money in fewer companies, national surveys show.
Email leads to $2.6M VC deal for local email-software firm
Indianapolis-based 250ok had shunned venture-capital suitors for years—until a North Dakota-based venture capital firm emailed it with the right message.
Sports-software company raises $1.1 million in latest round
Upper Hand said it plans to use the money to boost its sales team and its software. The company has raised $2.1 million since last spring.
Sigstr raises $5 million in venture capital from big names
The 3-year-old marketing-tech company corralled notable Midwest and East Coast investors in the deal, which is the second-largest in Indiana this year.
Funding conditions for U.S. tech startups reach record high
A 44 percent increase from a year earlier was driven by a surge in the number of businesses that raised money for the first time, reflecting investors' appetite to back the riskiest companies.
N.C. firm wants to be ‘stronger face’ for private equity in local tech scene
Frontier Capital recently embarked on an effort to make eight-figure equity investments in tech firms across the Midwest. It already had invested more than $60 million in Indiana companies before the new push.
Holcomb preparing to put $250M into startups
The state’s new Next Level Fund will invest up to $250 million over the next decade into a need Hoosier startups are starving for—venture capital.
Indiana venture capital activity softens in latest quarter
Two recently published national reports show Indiana venture capital activity cooling off in the second quarter. And per-deal investment averages remain relatively low.
Lumina kicks venture capital arm into high gear
Over the past year, Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation has aggressively moved in a novel direction for a grant-making not-for-profit, funneling more of its $1.2 billion endowment into venture capital.
Rise in female VC partners doesn’t lead to more women getting funded
A new Bloomberg analysis shows that venture capital firms with senior women partners backed companies founded or co-founded by women at roughly the same rate as VC firms with no senior women partners.
Carmel biotech firm lands $8M in venture capital, grant funds
Founded in 2006, Fast BioMedical Inc. plans to use the money to help advance clinical trials and hire additional workers. It develops technologies to measure blood volume and kidney function.
Life sciences firms see some fundraising success but need massive sums
Around Indiana, life sciences companies are searching high and low for venture capital to fund promising but expensive new products, which can take a decade or longer to develop.
Tech leaders say they’re pleased with Legislative session
One of the victories, tech leaders said, was the legislative green light for a toll-road fund to invest $250 million in venture capital. But the mechanism for doing so has yet to be determined.
First quarter sees few big venture capital deals in Indiana
Indiana companies grabbed $27.3 million in venture funding in the first quarter, in line with other recent quarters. But nearly half of that amount went to one firm.