Courtney Kerr, Author at The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership

IU LAB marks a year of industry partnerships, bioscience startup growth, student innovation

Courtney Kerr2026-02-02T19:10:20-05:00February 2, 2026|

This post was originally published by Indiana University. Click here to read the original article. The IU Impact: We are advancing bioscience research and innovation, commercialization, industry collaboration and workforce development to grow Indiana’s life sciences economy and improve lives across the state. Indiana is a thriving hub of bioscience innovation, recognized globally as a leader in areas like drug discovery, orthopedics, medical devices, radiopharmaceuticals and neuroscience research. At the center of this momentum is Indiana University, where faculty, staff and students are harnessing IU’s $1 billion research enterprise to strengthen Indiana’s booming $99 billion life sciences economy. In 2023, IU President Pamela Whitten announced a historic investment to accelerate bioscience innovation and improve human health. That commitment was further cemented in 2024 with the launch of the IU Launch Accelerator for Biosciences. Supported by a $138 million Lilly Endowment Inc. grant, IU LAB [...]

TechPoint Releases 2025 Venture Report, Announces Deal of the Year Finalists for Mira Awards

Courtney Kerr2026-02-02T19:16:27-05:00February 2, 2026|

INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 1, 2026) — TechPoint today released its 2025 Venture Report, an annual analysis of venture capital investment trends shaping Indiana’s innovation economy. The report provides a comprehensive look at the national and state levels, highlighting a year defined by recalibration and renewed focus on long-term value creation. New this year, the report also features Indiana’s top venture capital financings and M&A / IPO transactions of 2025, which together represent the finalists for the Deal of the Year Mira Award. Winners will be announced live at the 27th annual Mira Awards on April 24. “After several years of rapid expansion followed by sharp correction, 2025 marked a year of calibration for venture capital,” said Chelsea Linder, vice president of innovation & entrepreneurship at TechPoint. “Investors exited the year with greater clarity around pricing, risk tolerance, and where durable value is being created.” [...]

TechPoint to Focus on Building Indiana’s Human and Digital Foundations for the Age of AI at Community Connect

Courtney Kerr2026-02-02T15:06:24-05:00February 2, 2026|

New TechPoint report highlights growing need for experience-based AI learning across sectors INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 1, 2026) TechPoint, the industry-led growth initiative for Indiana’s digital innovation economy and overall tech ecosystem, will host its first Community Connect of 2026, a one-day convening focused on artificial intelligence adoption and closing the experience gap in Indiana’s workforce, on Tuesday, Feb. 3. As AI adoption accelerates across industries, Community Connect will equip participants with practical tools, insights and connections to support meaningful and responsible AI adoption within their organizations. Community Connect is intentionally inclusive of tech and non-tech companies and organizations, recognizing that AI adoption and digital readiness are now essential across every sector of Indiana’s economy. The event is open to employers, educators and community leaders. TechPoint representatives also will discuss findings from its two latest reports. Its AI Amplifies Need to Address Experience Gap brief, examines how [...]

2025 Tech Venture Report

Courtney Kerr2026-02-02T19:01:07-05:00February 2, 2026|

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AI Amplifies Need to Address Experience Gap

Courtney Kerr2026-02-02T14:59:06-05:00February 2, 2026|

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TechPoint Announces New CIO Network Leadership

Courtney Kerr2026-01-29T16:16:12-05:00January 29, 2026|

New leaders will guide statewide community of IT executives navigating security, innovation and digital transformation INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 20, 2026) TechPoint, the industry-led growth initiative for Indiana’s digital innovation economy and overall tech ecosystem, today announced new leadership for the CIO Network advisory board, which supports a peer community for senior technology leaders from across the state. The CIO Network convenes chief information officers and senior IT executives to share insights, discuss common challenges and learn from one another in a trusted environment. The network supports collaboration among technology leaders as organizations face increasing demands around cybersecurity, infrastructure modernization, talent and emerging technologies. The CIO Network will be led by President Heather Darring, chief information officer at Kappa Alpha Theta, and Vice President Todd Bandauski, chief technology officer at Weaver Popcorn. Darring, who begins her two-year term effective immediately, succeeds Matt Belanger, CIO of [...]

BioCrossroads launches online platform for life sciences startups

Courtney Kerr2026-01-22T15:32:56-05:00January 22, 2026|

This post was originally published by Inside Indiana Business. Click here to read the original article. INDIANAPOLIS - BioCrossroads has launched an online platform that aims to serve as “front door” for Indiana’s life sciences startup community. The BioCrossroads Startup Resource Hub is designed to provide startups and entrepreneurs with a wide variety of resources, including funding pathways, regulatory and clinical resources, and ecosystem connections in one place. CEO Vince Wong told Inside INdiana Business that while there has been a proliferation of entrepreneurial support organizations in the state’s life science sector, it has led to a fragmentation of resources available to startups, which can create barriers to growth. “We heard from the entrepreneurial community…and they gave us a message loud and clear that they would love a one-stop shop, a front door to really aggregate and bring together all those resources to [...]

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

Courtney Kerr2026-02-18T16:28:45-05:00January 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 [...]

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