Innovation & Entrepreneurship Archives - CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership

Entrepreneurship program at Ivy Tech connects students and community

Courtney Kerr2026-07-23T16:04:06-04:00July 23, 2026|

This story is part of an initiative led by the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here. This article was originally published by The Herald-Times. Click here to read the original article. Ivy Tech Community College is committed to the success of our students and the communities we serve. Our Entrepreneurship program plays an active role in helping students develop and start their small businesses right here in the Bloomington area. Our students learn to ideate and validate their ideas with customer research, form a business plan, complete financial projections, learn to present through our Duke It Out Pitch Competition, and start their businesses. There have been some exciting things happening that have made the Entrepreneurship program even more impactful over the past year. First, we [...]

IN AI Partners with InnoPower.ai to Scale Community-Based AI Training Across Indiana

Courtney Kerr2026-07-17T09:44:13-04:00July 16, 2026|

Partnership aims to certify 150 community Master Trainers, expanding hands-on AI education and entrepreneurship opportunities statewide INDIANAPOLIS, IN (June 16, 2026) –IN AI, the statewide initiative led by the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), today announced a partnership with InnoPower.ai to expand a proven community-based AI training model across Indiana. The collaboration supports IN AI's mission to make Indiana the most AI-ready state by bringing practical artificial intelligence education directly to sole proprietors, small-business owners, community leaders, educators, and residents across the state. Building on successful programs already demonstrated in Indiana communities including Indianapolis, Gary and Michigan City, InnoPower.ai will leverage its cohort-based certification model and train-the-trainer approach to help more Hoosiers gain the skills needed to use AI effectively in their businesses, careers and communities. "Building an AI-ready Indiana means meeting people where they are," said Melina [...]

Rose-Hulman’s Design Clinic aims to give students real-world experience, create talent pipeline

Courtney Kerr2026-07-06T15:55:13-04:00July 6, 2026|

This story is part of an initiative led by the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here. Rose-Hulman students working on their senior capstone project. (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology photo/Bryan Cantwell) TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology has launched a program designed to connect industry partners with students to help solve real-world challenges. Managed through the institute’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, the new Design Clinic gives students the chance to use their senior capstone projects to help area businesses develop solutions such as product development, manufacturing improvements, and automation concepts. Shraddha Sangelkar, associate professor of mechanical engineering and capstone project coordinator at Rose-Hulman, told Inside INdiana Business the program helps companies complete projects that they otherwise may not have time for. “For projects like [...]

Celebrating the “Best of Indiana” at the 18th Annual Innovation Showcase

Courtney Kerr2026-06-24T11:05:58-04:00June 24, 2026|

This story is part of an initiative led by the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here. “Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens through connection.” When the Venture Club of Indiana (VCI) shared those words on LinkedIn, they captured the exact energy that filled the room last week for the 18th Annual Venture Club of Indiana Innovation Showcase. True innovation isn't just about a single breakout founder or a lone genius working in isolation. It’s about building a connected web of founders, investors, executives, and ecosystem champions who are collectively committed to driving Indiana’s entrepreneurial future forward. With roughly 1,500 startups currently operating across the Hoosier State, the day proved that our ecosystem is maturing into something genuinely formidable. As VCI President & VP of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at TechPoint Chelsea Linder noted, what makes Indiana special is our [...]

More than Startups: Redefining the Entrepreneurial Roadmap in Elkhart County

Courtney Kerr2026-06-15T12:51:20-04:00June 8, 2026|

This story is part of an initiative led by the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here. In the world of economic development, we often treat "startup growth" as the ultimate pulse check for a community’s ecosystem health. It can be tempting to look solely for the next "lone ranger" entrepreneur or the flash of a high-tech unicorn. But what if a region is thriving—boasting high per capita income and declining poverty—while its startup rates remain below average? This is the "Elkhart Paradox" that Dr. Stephanie Fernhaber and her colleagues, Dr. Hessam Sarooghi and Dr. Marleen McCormick Pritchard at Butler University’s Lacy School of Business, set out to explore. In a recent conversation for our INfluence series, Dr. Fernhaber shared how their research challenges the traditional "startup-or-bust" narrative and offers a more nuanced framework for how [...]

The Future of Innovation is Headed to Ross-Ade Stadium

Courtney Kerr2026-05-28T14:49:35-04:00May 28, 2026|

This story is part of an initiative led by the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here. The Future of Innovation is Headed to Ross-Ade Stadium There is something incredibly special about watching a startup transition from a bold idea into a market-ready reality. Over the last three months, five dynamic companies have been putting in the work as part of Cohort 2 of the Purdue Innovates Accelerator. This cohort was selected from a highly competitive field of over 80 applications. The program is a three-month, investment-based startup accelerator that gives founders up to $100K in funding, tailored strategic support, and a massive network of mentors, corporate partners, and alumni to help them reach critical milestones and scale. On Wednesday, June 17th, these five teams are [...]

The Future is Bright: Meet the 10 Finalists of the 2026 STARTedUP Challenge

Courtney Kerr2026-05-28T14:39:18-04:00May 28, 2026|

This story is part of an initiative led by the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here. Image credit: STARTedUP Foundation If you ever need a reminder that the future is in good hands, you just need to look at Indiana’s high school student entrepreneurs. The STARTedUP Foundation recently announced the Top 10 Finalists for the 2026 STARTedUP Challenge Finals (formerly known as Innovate WithIN). To say the competition has reached a whole new level this year would be an understatement. We are officially seeing a landmark moment for young innovation in our state. Don’t believe me? Look at the numbers: 1,174 teams submitted ventures this year—more than doubling the 515 submissions from 2025. Student participation skyrocketed by 128%, bringing 2,162 young innovators into the arena. We expanded our footprint to 7 competitive regions by adding West Central Indiana [...]

JagStart winner pursues entrepreneurial dreams with stylish workwear startup

Courtney Kerr2026-05-28T14:56:48-04:00May 28, 2026|

This story is part of an initiative led by the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here. Image credit: Indiana University Indianapolis Ja’Niya Smith’s business experience and clear vision for Miss CEO Essentials lands first-place finish in IU Indianapolis pitch competition Indiana University Indianapolis sophomore Ja’Niya Smith has always been entrepreneurial. At 13, she started braiding hair under the guidance of her grandmother, a hairstylist. By 18, she had a successful small business, Beautifully Braided, providing natural hair care services such as styling, braiding and extensions from a small salon at her family’s home in Muncie, Indiana. But when she came to IU Indianapolis to major in marketing, management and venture creation at the Kelley School of Business, Smith started considering how to spin off [...]

CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership joins forces with Google to help reach more Hoosiers as part of IN AI initiative

Courtney Kerr2026-05-14T09:52:04-04:00May 14, 2026|

Google to Offer AI Readiness Workshops for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses Statewide INDIANAPOLIS (May 14, 2026) – The CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) today announced an alliance with Google to support the IN AI initiative, aimed at making Indiana the most AI-ready state in the nation. Google will activate a series of AI workshops to help small, medium-sized businesses, and start-ups across Indiana adopt and implement artificial intelligence into their operations. "This collaboration with Google and our educational partners is an exciting step forward in empowering businesses across Indiana to embrace AI technology," said Melina Kennedy, CEO of CICP. "With the IN AI initiative, we’re ensuring that businesses throughout the state have the resources and support they need to thrive in an AI-powered economy, while also reaching the State’s goal of equipping 1 million Hoosiers with the skills [...]

Governor Braun Announces IN AI to Grow Jobs and Wages Through Human-Centered AI

Courtney Kerr2026-04-29T13:09:39-04:00April 28, 2026|

Partnership with CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) Will Reach 1 Million Hoosiers and Engage Thousands of Employers in AI Adoption INDIANAPOLIS (April 28, 2026) – Governor Mike Braun today announced IN AI, a new statewide initiative focused on helping businesses grow, create jobs, and increase wages through the practical application of human-centered artificial intelligence. The initiative will be executed by the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) and will work directly with employers across the state to accelerate AI adoption in ways that strengthen businesses and expand opportunity for Hoosiers. “Our goal is clear: grow wages, create more high-quality jobs, and position Indiana for long-term economic growth by making it the most AI-ready state in the nation,” Gov. Braun said. “IN AI is about making sure all of our businesses – from Main Street to large organizations -- have the tools and talent [...]

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