entrepreneurship Archives - CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership

Rose-Hulman Selected for Prestigious EcoCAR Innovation Challenge

Courtney Kerr2026-04-23T10:14:26-04:00April 23, 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. Rose-Hulman has been selected to participate in the EcoCAR Innovation Challenge, a premier four-year collegiate automotive engineering competition led by the U.S. Department of Energy and industry partners including General Motors, Stellantis, and MathWorks. The selection places Rose-Hulman among 20 universities across North America chosen to help shape the future of mobility by developing advanced vehicle technologies and intelligent transportation solutions. The competition officially launched April 13 with public announcement of participating teams found here. Through the challenge, Rose-Hulman students will architect, design, and integrate a high voltage energy storage system and an electric drive unit into a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) platform enabling teams to explore various propulsion and battery [...]

Student Voices Powering Ball State’s County Ambassador Program and Encouraging Graduates to Make Indiana Home

Courtney Kerr2026-04-21T10:18:11-04:00April 21, 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. When Isaac Rogers discusses LaGrange County and Brooke Wagner talks about Wabash County, a common theme emerges from their different experiences: pride, curiosity and a growing sense of possibility. Both represent their home counties as County Ambassadors in Ball State University’s County Ambassador Program. The student-to-student engagement program empowers students to share community pride and to encourage their friends and classmates to consider working or living there in the future. While the program is innovative, its impact is best understood through students like Isaac and Brooke, whose experiences show how a connection to place can shape confidence, career paths and future choices. Isaac joined the County Ambassador Program when it [...]

Amplifying Stories of Innovation in Indiana

Courtney Kerr2026-04-21T10:09:55-04:00April 21, 2026|

Indianapolis (April 15, 2026) – Across our state, innovation is happening in classrooms, research labs, and startups — yet too often, the stories of student founders, faculty innovators, and alumni entrepreneurs remain siloed within individual campuses or industries. The CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) has announced the launch of INfluence: Stories of Indiana Innovation, a strategic effort designed to amplify and share these stories of entrepreneurship and innovation happening across Indiana, ensuring the state’s success is visible, connected, and understood beyond individual campuses, industries, or networks. “By creating an interconnected ecosystem that turns ideas into action, we are ensuring Indiana’s innovators and programs have the visibility and support they need to succeed,” said Melina Kennedy, CEO of CICP. “Indiana is no stranger to innovation. From life-saving medicines to advanced manufacturing breakthroughs, discoveries in  agbiosciences to new businesses and technologies, Hoosiers have a long history of turning ideas into impact.”  Early INfluence stories highlight the [...]

Innovation in Our Backyard: Why You Can’t Miss 2026 IDEA Week

Courtney Kerr2026-04-14T15:38:42-04:00April 14, 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. PBS Michiana recently sat down with Marty from Startup South Bend – Elkhart at Momentum, and the energy in the room is apparent even through their video. [Watch the interview here!] If you haven’t heard the buzz, South Bend is booming—Apple News even recently called it one of the best places to live and start a business. A huge part of that momentum? IDEA Week. What started as a Notre Dame initiative has grown into a massive regional festival of innovation, entrepreneurship, and—most importantly—connection. As Marty put it, being an entrepreneur can be a "lonely road," but IDEA Week is the antidote to that isolation. It’s where you realize you don’t have to "lose your mind" to build a business; you just need the [...]

Purdue students shine at 2026 Xtern Challenge, present AI solutions at Cummins

Courtney Kerr2026-04-14T11:17:52-04:00April 14, 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. INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue University students played a prominent role in TechPoint’s 2026 Xtern Challenge, presenting enterprise-focused AI solutions March 6 at Cummins’ headquarters in Columbus, Indiana. Developed in partnership with Cummins, the work-based learning experience brought together 100 students from colleges and universities across the state to tackle real-world problems. Of the 45 Purdue students participating, 22 were based in Indianapolis. “Participating in TechPoint’s Xtern Challenge has given students confidence that the skills they are learning at Purdue and The Data Mine are preparing them to solve real-world challenges in industry,” said Maggie Betz, managing director of The Data Mine in Indianapolis. Designed to mirror professional, cross-functional teamwork, the Xtern Challenge paired students [...]

More Than a Pitch: Cultivating Indiana’s Next Generation of Innovators

Courtney Kerr2026-03-05T16:52:07-05:00March 5, 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. In the world of economic development, we often talk about "innovation" as a destination—a finished product, a funded startup, or a patent-pending technology. But at its core, innovation is a mindset. It is the ability to look at a complex problem and see a pathway toward a solution. For Indiana to remain competitive in a global economy, we need to cultivate that mindset early. On February 27, the Collegiate Entrepreneur Summit brought together students from across the state (and beyond) to bridge the gap between our world-class lecture halls and the real-world industries that power Indiana. Hosted by INtercollegiate Entrepreneurs, 16 Tech, CICP, and Butler Entrepreneurship, and powered by the [...]

Blazing a new trail for early-stage innovation: Purdue announces creation of Low Institute for Therapeutics (LIFT) through a generous gift by Phil and Joan Low

Courtney Kerr2026-02-24T14:09:15-05:00February 24, 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. The creation of the Low Institute for Therapeutics, which will work toward accelerating lifesaving therapeutics from the lab and into the world by funding necessary early-stage trials in partnership with Purdue University and Purdue Research Foundation, was announced Tuesday (April 29). The announcement was signed by (from left) Philip Low, Purdue's Presidential Scholar for Drug Discovery and the Ralph C. Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry; Purdue Innovates Senior Vice President Brooke Beier; and Purdue President Mung Chiang. (Purdue University photo/Kelsey Lefever) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Prostate cancer. Malaria. Influenza. All diseases one step closer to eradication thanks to the tireless, lifelong efforts of professor Philip Low. Now he’s [...]

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 [...]

The “Silver Tsunami” and the Future of Indiana Business: Why You Need to Be at the First Statewide ETA Conference

Courtney Kerr2025-12-20T22:20:39-05:00December 20, 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. 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

Courtney Kerr2025-12-16T15:16:59-05:00December 16, 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. 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 [...]

MAIN MENU

IMPORTANT LINKS

INITIATIVES