entrepreneurship Archives - CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership

Founder’s College: Butler’s Bet on Technology and First-Generation Students

Courtney Kerr2026-08-06T15:18:16-04:00August 6, 2026|

This story is shared as 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 TechPoint. Click here to read the original article. Founder’s College at Butler was a finalist for Startup of the Year at this year’s Mira Awards. The nomination recognizes a barrier-reducing model that combines affordability, wraparound support and direct workforce alignment for students often underserved by traditional systems. Dr. Carolyn Gentle-Genitty served as founding dean of Founder’s College during its first years. Built From Personal Experience Gentle-Genitty grew up in Belize, where she attended an all-girls Catholic high school built for wealthier families. Even as a strong student, she didn’t have the same resources or clothing as her classmates. She later moved to the US to continue [...]

Ball State Economics Students Participate in U.S.–China Exchange Program to Explore Environmental Innovation and Solutions

Courtney Kerr2026-08-06T15:07:07-04:00August 6, 2026|

This story is shared as 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. Photo courtesy of the 2026 China-US Future Climate Leaders Exchange Program This article was originally published by Ball State University. Click here to read the original article. In addition to a solid education and career preparation, Ball State University offers its students opportunities to explore real-world problems and seek viable solutions. For Aaron Turner and Katherine Wilcox, economics students in Ball State’s Miller College of Business, one of those opportunities took them to the other side of the world. Mr. Turner and Ms. Wilcox were among a handful of American college students who spent a week in China as participants in the 2026 China–U.S. Youth Future [...]

Notre Dame IDEA Center awards commercialization grants

Courtney Kerr2026-08-06T09:33:55-04:00August 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. This article was originally published by Inside INdiana Business. Click here to read the original article. The innovators behind an engineered wood substitute, a cancer treatment that relies on electromagnetism, and an effort to turbocharge drug delivery at a cellular level are the winners of the latest round of grants that aim to accelerate the real-world impact of Notre Dame research. The Research Commercialization Grants presented by the IDEA Center at the University of Notre Dame aim to advance the commercial readiness of the university’s most promising research inventions. The university said the recipients work with industry experts to reach market-driven milestones. “The innovations pitched by our faculty members [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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