Courtney Kerr, Author at The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership

The Hoosier Heartland is Buzzing: IU Innovates Demo Day Showcases Indiana’s Next Generation of Founders

Courtney Kerr2025-11-26T13:32:10-05:00November 26, 2025|

This story is part of an initiative led by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here. IU Innovates students participate in a demo pitch to a panel of entrepreneurs at Dimension Mill on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (Photo by Wendi Chitwood/Indiana University) Step into The Mill in Bloomington on Friday, October 24, and the air wasn't filled with the usual hum of a business event, but with the palpable energy of possibility. The occasion was the IU Innovates Student Startup Demo Day, a vibrant mid-semester showcase that felt less like a stiff pitch competition and more like a high-powered, community-led workshop. It was a tangible demonstration that Indiana University is not just discussing innovation; it’s actively cultivating and launching the next generation of founders [...]

Case Study: Internships Help Students Find Careers, Grasp Advanced Manufacturing

Courtney Kerr2025-11-25T09:12:05-05:00November 25, 2025|

This story is part of an initiative led by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here. Background A company launched at the dawn of the 20th century and still owned and operated by its founder’s descendants, Grote Industries has thrived into the 21st century by constantly pursuing innovation. A manufacturer of safety lighting and visibility systems, the company has been recognized as a top employer in the Madison area and as a global leader in its industry. More than a century ago, William Grote saw a future not only in a particular line of products but also in groundbreaking production processes. Even as the company he launched established itself as a leading supplier of visibility and safety products, it also emerged as a manufacturing trailblazer. It was first to introduce injection-molded plastic products to the nation and to create a plastic-injection molding machine. A reflector technology Grote Industries developed decades [...]

CICP, TechPoint Announce Leadership Transition

Courtney Kerr2025-11-20T15:33:47-05:00November 18, 2025|

INDIANAPOLIS (November 18, 2025): The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) and TechPoint announced today that TechPoint CEO Ting Gootee will transition from her role at the end of this year, with her last day set for December 31, 2025. “Leading TechPoint has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my career,” said Gootee. “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together and confident that the organization is well positioned for its next chapter of impact. Indiana’s tech community is growing, resilient and on a powerful path forward.” Under Gootee’s leadership, TechPoint has strengthened its position as the central hub for Indiana’s tech and innovation ecosystem, broadening technology’s transformative role across all sectors to drive economic growth. “Ting has guided TechPoint through a period of meaningful progress and transformation,” said TechPoint Board Chair Richard Cardwell. “Her leadership has strengthened our foundation, expanded [...]

Indiana on the Global Stage: Insights from the Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2025 in Indianapolis

Courtney Kerr2025-11-18T09:53:38-05:00November 18, 2025|

This story is part of an initiative led by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here. Earlier this year, Indianapolis took center stage as thousands of entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and innovation ecosystem builders from over 140 countries gathered for the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) 2025. The international event, hosted every other year in a new global city with an emerging entrepreneurial ecosystem, brought an estimated 3,000 attendees to the Hoosier State and showcased why Indiana is earning its reputation as a rising hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. Ryan Henderson, Conexus Indiana’s senior director of innovation, attended the event and brought back key takeaways across four jam-packed days of programming and collaboration. A Global Spotlight on Indiana’s Manufacturing Strengths and its Entrepreneurial Roots The opening session, Bold Solutions [...]

All Roads Led to Warsaw: BioCrossroads FrameWORX Highlights Indiana’s Orthopedic Leadership

Courtney Kerr2025-11-17T10:15:51-05:00November 17, 2025|

Known globally as the Orthopedic Capital of the World®, the region welcomed more than 200 scientists, researchers, business leaders, and students for BioCrossroads’ quarterly FrameWORX event: The Future of Musculoskeletal Health: Innovations in Orthopedic Medicine and Indiana’s Leadership Opportunity. Held at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana the event placed Indiana’s orthopedic strength in the spotlight by bringing national voices together to discuss the science, industry, and impact of musculoskeletal health. Orthopedics is one of the most important sectors in global health, providing implants, devices, and treatments that restore mobility, reduce pain, and extend quality of life for millions of patients. Warsaw has long been at the center of that mission. It is home to global leaders like Zimmer Biomet and J&J MedTech, alongside a thriving community of mid-sized companies, startups, suppliers, and innovators who design and manufacture orthopedic technologies that are used worldwide. Tens of [...]

Nutrition + Wellness Majors: The Emerging Agbioscience Professional – Field Atlas

Courtney Kerr2025-11-17T10:00:25-05:00November 17, 2025|

This article was originally published by Field Atlas. Click here to read the original article. The Field Atlas Agbioscience Mentorship Program was launched nearly 5 months ago in February of 2025, and the connections mentees have been able to make through the first half of this program are truly inspiring. AMP is a guided yearlong mentorship program that connects late college and early professionals to industry leaders excelling in the agbioscience field. This year, 14 professional mentor/mentee connections were made through AMP – one of those including China Thompson, Senior at Marian University pursuing a degree in Nutrition, Fitness & Wellness and aspiring Nutritionist. China originally applied to the AMP program hoping to achieve a better understanding of the agbioscience industry and develop a broader network in this space. China was really hoping this experience would help her bridge the connection [...]

How Field Atlas is Preparing Students for Careers in Environmental Studies, Sustainable Agriculture

Courtney Kerr2025-11-17T09:45:22-05:00November 17, 2025|

This article was originally published by Hoosier Ag Today. Click here to read the original article. Before Field Atlas ambassadors and students take their Agbioscience company tours, the students are introduced to Indiana ag leaders during the Field Atlas mentorship dinner. This gives students the opportunity to connect with agbioscience professionals who are actively working in careers that feed the world, protect the planet, and improve lives. Photo courtesy of AgriNovus Indiana. There are many different careers in the agbioscience industry. But, many college students may not be aware of the ones that focus on environmental studies and sustainable agriculture. “I really want to work in conservation, and I know that conservation is such a big part of agriculture,” says Aliviah Cartwright, who is a natural resources and environmental management major at Ball State University. She’s also a Field Atlas ambassador [...]

Purdue Innovates Accelerator launches inaugural cohort with five Purdue-connected startups

Courtney Kerr2025-11-17T09:29:09-05:00November 17, 2025|

This story is part of an initiative led by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here. Spring 2025 sees the inaugural cohort of the Accelerator program come together for transformative growth through the power of the Purdue entrepreneurial ecosystem. These exceptional founders and teams were chosen from an incredible amount of Purdue-connected talent during the initial application cycle. The program officially begins March 26 at the Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration in the Discovery Park District at Purdue. “We are incredibly excited to kick off the very first iteration of the Purdue Innovates Accelerator,” Purdue Innovates Incubator Associate Director Doug Applegate said. “The innovation and talent on display is incredible. Our team can’t wait to help them take their next giant leap over the next [...]

‘So much potential for this technology’ — Four Purdue researchers selected for 2025 Commercialization Fellowship

Courtney Kerr2025-11-17T09:19:55-05:00November 17, 2025|

This story is part of an initiative led by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here. Purdue Innovates and three Purdue University colleges have announced four recipients of a Commercialization Fellowship. The fellowship provides recent Ph.D. graduates and postdoctoral researchers an opportunity to advance the commercialization of Purdue-owned intellectual property. Alongside faculty inventors, each fellow will work towards a ready-to-license technology or a defined pathway to a startup company. Their work is based on intellectual property already disclosed to the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization, which operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. College of Engineering Inventor: Xiulin Ruan Andrea Felicelli Andrea Felicelli sees a world of possibilities emerging from her work developing cooling technology and paints that can [...]

AnalytiXIN 2025 Summit: Indiana’s AI & Data Community, In Action

Courtney Kerr2025-11-17T08:42:17-05:00November 17, 2025|

This story is part of an initiative led by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here. On August 14–15, 2025 at the 16 Tech Innovation District in Indianapolis, more than 170 people—faculty, students, industry leaders, and community partners—came together for the AnalytiXIN Summit. The goal was simple and practical: match real-world industry problems with the right academic expertise to move ideas forward faster. Over a day and a half, participants formed mixed university–industry teams, tested early solutions, and focused on challenges that matter for Indiana’s economy. What Is AnalytiXIN and Why It Matters AnalytiXIN (pronounced “Analytics Indiana”) is a strategic initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP). We connect universities, industry, and community leaders to drive data-driven innovation, helping Indiana become a national destination for [...]

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