Courtney Kerr, Author at The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership

BioCrossroads Launches Startup Hub, a New Centralized Platform for Indiana’s Life Sciences Startup Ecosystem

Courtney Kerr2026-01-22T15:26:52-05:00January 22, 2026|

INDIANAPOLIS [January 22, 2025] – BioCrossroads today officially launched the BioCrossroads Startup Hub, a new, comprehensive ecosystem platform designed to serve as a centralized front door for Indiana’s life sciences startup community. Built as a continually evolving resource, this online hub brings together funding pathways, mentorship, regulatory and clinical resources, startup visibility, and ecosystem connections in one place. The platform targets a longstanding challenge within Indiana’s innovation economy: while the state is home to one of the strongest life sciences ecosystems in the country, the resources that support startups have historically been fragmented across many organizations and websites. That fragmentation can slow momentum for founders, limit visibility for investors, and create unnecessary barriers to growth. The BioCrossroads Startup Hub is designed for the multiple stakeholders critical to a thriving startup ecosystem— researchers and innovators exploring commercialization; investors seeking Indiana-based life [...]

Crossroads Health Ventures Announces First Fund with More Than $21 Million Committed to Strengthen Indiana’s Life Sciences Innovation Pipeline

Courtney Kerr2026-01-21T12:45:06-05:00January 21, 2026|

INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 21, 2026) – Crossroads Health Ventures (CHV) announced its launch of a new early-stage venture fund created to accelerate the growth of Indiana’s life sciences startups and reinforce the state’s global leadership across human, animal, and plant health innovation. The fund has secured more than $21 million in commitments from strategic and institutional partners such as Eli Lilly and Company, Corteva, Elanco Animal Health, Indiana University, Parkview Health, and the State of Indiana through the Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). CHV will begin deploying capital in early 2026. “Indiana is one of the nation’s strongest and most vibrant life sciences hubs, and Crossroads Health Ventures is an important next step in fueling our state’s innovation economy,” said Vince Wong, President and CEO of BioCrossroads and Crossroads Health Ventures. “With the State of Indiana’s transformational commitment and the leadership of [...]

Ignition: If you’re Ready to Build Something Big, Start Here

Courtney Kerr2026-01-20T11:11:49-05:00January 20, 2026|

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. Ignition is Indiana's statewide launchpad for collegiate founders. Ignition is an 8 week, cohort-based program powered by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. It is designed to help collegiate founders validate their ventures, refine their MVPs, and connect with Indiana’s startup ecosystem. Participants gain access to mentors, investors, and statewide peers, and leave the program ready for accelerators, to attract capital, and scale their venture. The Spring 2026 cohort kicks off in February and runs through April, combining weekly virtual workshops with in-person meetups at Indiana’s home for innovation. Join a statewide community of builders, makers, and founders who are shaping what’s next — and doing it right here in Indiana. Apply here. Timeline: Applications open [...]

Ascend Indiana Welcomes Three New Members to its Board of Directors

Courtney Kerr2026-01-07T09:51:33-05:00January 7, 2026|

Ascend Indiana, the talent and workforce development initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), announced today three new members to its Board of Directors. The new board members include Tony Denhart, executive vice president of Workforce & Talent at the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Gina Ashley, chief operating officer at United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI), and Andrea Morgan, director of Nursing Pipeline at Ascension St. Vincent. Ashley and Morgan are replacing long-time board member Fred Payne (UWCI) and Allison Taylor (Ascension St. Vincent), respectively, on the Ascend Board of Directors. “We are fortunate to have Tony, Gina and Andrea join the Ascend board, which continues to expand in both geographic reach and thought leadership,” said Brad Rhorer, president and CEO of Ascend Indiana. “These three new members bring expertise in the areas of workforce development, nonprofit [...]

The “Silver Tsunami” and the Future of Indiana Business: Why You Need to Be at the First Statewide ETA Conference

Courtney Kerr2025-12-20T22:20:39-05:00December 20, 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. Indiana is standing at the edge of a massive economic shift. As the "Silver Tsunami" approaches—the wave of retiring Baby Boomer business owners, thousands of established Indiana companies will soon need new leadership. “How big of an effect this will have on Indiana is hard to predict, but what is clear is that rural areas have the most at stake. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, so-called Main Street businesses represent 84.8% of total businesses in rural areas and 54.3% of total jobs,” stated Brian Schutt, Director of Indiana’s new Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in an IBJ article earlier this year. In Indiana, these businesses aren’t just numbers [...]

People of Indiana State: Bryce Maxwell

Courtney Kerr2025-12-16T15:16:59-05:00December 16, 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. For Bryce Maxwell, ‘25, the decision to attend Indiana State University was rooted in family and practicality. Born and raised in Terre Haute, Maxwell chose to pursue a degree from Indiana State because of stories he had heard from family members. “My mom, my dad, and my older brother all went to Indiana State,” he shares. “I had three great examples of success stories, so I thought I’d stay in my hometown. The tuition was great, and I knew Indiana State was a nice school. I could find my way and figure out what I wanted to do.” Finding that way, however, took time. Maxwell entered college unsure of his [...]

PODCAST: Christy Wright on food as the next frontier of health, innovating for the farmer + AgriNovus as a critical ecosystem convener

Courtney Kerr2025-12-16T15:01:56-05:00December 16, 2025|

PODCAST: Melina Kennedy, CEO of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), recently hosted Christy Wright, the newly named President and CEO of AgriNovus Indiana on the Agbioscience podcast. They talk service, food as the next frontier of health and Christy's vision for what lies ahead for Indiana’s agbioscience economy. They get into: Christy’s journey from Director of Global Food Systems at Corteva to taking the reins at AgriNovus this year The “why” behind her desire to lead and serve, now in a leadership role at CICP Her takeaways and high-level overview as she’s been on a road tour 90 days into the job AgriNovus’ Accelerate 2050 report and how it serves as a launching point for the organization’s strategy moving forward How Christy wants to leverage the power of Indiana’s agbioscience ecosystem to drive a new era of industry [...]

16 Tech Concludes Inaugural Program Connecting 25 of Indiana’s Collegiate Founders

Courtney Kerr2025-12-15T10:17:49-05:00December 15, 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. Ignition, powered by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, connected 15 startup companies to Indiana’s entrepreneur ecosystem. 16 Tech Community Corporation celebrated the completion of Ignition, a program designed to support collegiate founders from across Indiana as they build ventures and futures in the state. Powered by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s Community Collaboration Fund, Ignition fills a critical gap between university-based entrepreneurial programs and Indiana’s larger startup ecosystem. “By bringing together student founders from multiple universities and immersing them in a thriving entrepreneur ecosystem, we’re helping Indiana grow the next generation of talent that will strengthen and stay in our economy,” said Emily Krueger, president and CEO of 16 Tech. [...]

TechPoint announces 2026 Mira Awards Finalists

Courtney Kerr2025-12-11T09:03:34-05:00December 10, 2025|

Winners to be announced at awards gala in April TechPoint, the industry-led growth initiative for Indiana’s digital innovation economy, announced today the finalists for the 2026 Mira Awards, known as the “Oscars of Indiana Tech.” The 106 finalists from across Indiana emerged from 231 submissions. Finalists were evaluated by a team of independent judges following live presentations earlier in the month. A total of 17 awards will be presented at the Mira gala at the Palladium in Carmel on April 24, 2026. “Each year, the Mira Awards reveal just how powerful and dynamic Indiana’s tech ecosystem has become,” said Ting Gootee, president and CEO, TechPoint. “These finalists embody the ingenuity, resilience, and collaborative spirit that continue to position our state as a national leader in digital innovation. We’re proud to celebrate their achievements and excited to showcase their impact [...]

Lilly and IU to expand access to clinical trials and latest innovative treatments for Hoosiers

Courtney Kerr2026-01-23T09:29:52-05:00December 3, 2025|

This post was originally published by Indiana University. Click here to read the original article. Collaboration aims to build best-in-class clinical trial innovation ecosystem in Indiana while strengthening Alzheimer’s disease clinical care and research and supporting life sciences talent development INDIANAPOLIS — A new agreement under which Eli Lilly and Company will provide up to $40 million to Indiana University aims to expand access to clinical trials in Indiana, giving patients a critical pathway to Lilly’s latest investigational and innovative medicines while surrounding them with exceptional care. The agreement builds on a decades-long partnership between the two entities and focuses on creating a best-in-class system for clinical trial innovation, strengthening Alzheimer’s disease clinical care and research, and developing the future scientific and clinical talent for Indiana’s growing life sciences sector. The five-year agreement leverages IU’s research and clinical expertise [...]

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