Innovation & Entrepreneurship Archives - The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership

Students Apply Data Science Skills to Real-World Energy Challenges at TechPoint’s First Xtern Challenge, Hosted by MISO

Courtney Kerr2025-11-03T13:37:07-05:00October 30, 2025|

TechPoint’s first-ever Xtern Challenge brought together Indiana’s top student talent for a hands-on, data-driven competition hosted by MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator). The event invited teams to apply their technical and analytical skills to a real-world problem facing one of the nation’s most critical industries: maintaining a reliable and cost-effective energy grid. The new program builds on TechPoint’s mission to expand work-based learning opportunities that connect students with industry partners and help them gain practical experience solving challenges that matter to Indiana’s economy. What is the Xtern Challenge? Launched in Fall 2025, the Xtern Challenge is a series of hackathons, design sprints, and case competitions where students collaborate on real-world business problems designed by Indiana companies and work alongside industry mentors. These events give students a chance to apply their classroom knowledge to practical challenges while learning new tools, gaining feedback from professionals, and building their experience to [...]

Innovation Grove at Rose-Hulman: Advancing Indiana’s Tech and Entrepreneurial Future

Courtney Kerr2025-11-06T10:29:41-05:00October 28, 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. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology—ranked the nation’s No. 1 undergraduate engineering college by U.S. News & World Report for 27 consecutive years—has begun construction on Innovation Grove, a new entrepreneurial district designed to fuel collaboration, innovation, and economic growth in Indiana’s Wabash Valley. Part of the $102.3 million Trails to Innovation initiative, Innovation Grove will bring together students, faculty, entrepreneurs, and industry partners in a dynamic environment that blends hands-on learning, real-world engineering through Rose-Hulman Ventures, and partnerships with Union Health and the Indiana Orthopedic Institute. The district will feature advanced lab spaces, a new surgical center for hip and knee replacements, renewable energy initiatives including a 5MW solar farm, and collaborative areas for startups and [...]

Fueling Indiana’s Future Innovators – Butler University

Courtney Kerr2025-11-06T10:29:32-05:00October 28, 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. Credit: Butler University From student start-ups to statewide partnerships, Butler University is building a connected ecosystem where ideas grow, leaders emerge, and innovation thrives. At Butler University, entrepreneurship is more than a business concept—it’s a campus-wide commitment to imagination, problem-solving, and possibility. From student-run ventures and pitch competitions to alumni investor networks and statewide collaborations, Butler is cultivating the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders who are shaping Indiana’s innovation economy. “Our goal is to ensure that students graduate with more than a degree,” Craig Caldwell, Dean of the Lacy School of Business (LSB), said. “They leave with the confidence, experience, and leadership skills to solve problems, build businesses, [...]

Rooted in Legacy, Focused on the Future: Ball State’s Enduring Commitment to Entrepreneurship and Community Impact

Courtney Kerr2025-11-06T10:29:24-05:00October 27, 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. When the five Ball brothers moved their glass manufacturing business to Muncie, Ind., in the late 19th century, they weren’t just investing in a place—they were investing in people. In 1917, they purchased and donated the land and facilities of a defunct teacher training school to the state, laying the foundation for what would become Ball State University. But their gift was more than real estate. It was a declaration that education, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy could—and should—work in harmony to strengthen communities. That belief has guided Ball State for more than a century. Today, the University continues to foster a culture of innovation rooted in those values, preparing students to [...]

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