TechPoint Announces New CIO Network Leadership
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 [...]
