entrepreneurship Archives - CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership

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 [...]

Rose-Hulman Selected for Prestigious EcoCAR Innovation Challenge

Courtney Kerr2026-05-28T13:23:44-04:00April 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. 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 [...]

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

Courtney Kerr2026-05-28T13:24:38-04:00April 21, 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. 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 [...]

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 Kerr2026-05-28T13:25:01-04:00April 14, 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. 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 [...]

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

Courtney Kerr2026-05-28T13:25:18-04:00April 14, 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. 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 [...]

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 [...]

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