entrepreneurship Archives - Page 2 of 2 - The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership

Purdue Innovates Accelerator launches inaugural cohort with five Purdue-connected startups

Courtney Kerr2025-11-17T09:29:09-05:00November 17, 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. Spring 2025 sees the inaugural cohort of the Accelerator program come together for transformative growth through the power of the Purdue entrepreneurial ecosystem. These exceptional founders and teams were chosen from an incredible amount of Purdue-connected talent during the initial application cycle. The program officially begins March 26 at the Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration in the Discovery Park District at Purdue. “We are incredibly excited to kick off the very first iteration of the Purdue Innovates Accelerator,” Purdue Innovates Incubator Associate Director Doug Applegate said. “The innovation and talent on display is incredible. Our team can’t wait to help them take their next giant leap over the next [...]

‘So much potential for this technology’ — Four Purdue researchers selected for 2025 Commercialization Fellowship

Courtney Kerr2025-11-17T09:19:55-05:00November 17, 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. Purdue Innovates and three Purdue University colleges have announced four recipients of a Commercialization Fellowship. The fellowship provides recent Ph.D. graduates and postdoctoral researchers an opportunity to advance the commercialization of Purdue-owned intellectual property. Alongside faculty inventors, each fellow will work towards a ready-to-license technology or a defined pathway to a startup company. Their work is based on intellectual property already disclosed to the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization, which operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. College of Engineering Inventor: Xiulin Ruan Andrea Felicelli Andrea Felicelli sees a world of possibilities emerging from her work developing cooling technology and paints that can [...]

AnalytiXIN 2025 Summit: Indiana’s AI & Data Community, In Action

Courtney Kerr2025-11-17T08:42:17-05:00November 17, 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. On August 14–15, 2025 at the 16 Tech Innovation District in Indianapolis, more than 170 people—faculty, students, industry leaders, and community partners—came together for the AnalytiXIN Summit. The goal was simple and practical: match real-world industry problems with the right academic expertise to move ideas forward faster. Over a day and a half, participants formed mixed university–industry teams, tested early solutions, and focused on challenges that matter for Indiana’s economy. What Is AnalytiXIN and Why It Matters AnalytiXIN (pronounced “Analytics Indiana”) is a strategic initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP). We connect universities, industry, and community leaders to drive data-driven innovation, helping Indiana become a national destination for [...]

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

Courtney Kerr2025-11-17T08:34:28-05:00October 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 Kerr2025-11-17T08:31:58-05:00October 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 Kerr2025-11-17T08:30:53-05:00October 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 [...]

New EntreWorks report outlines opportunities to boost innovation and entrepreneurship in Indiana

Ronnetta Spalding2025-02-10T19:38:08-05:00December 17, 2024|

Indianapolis, IN – With a focus on expanding Indiana’s entrepreneurial environment, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) and AgriNovus Indiana today unveiled their new report, Unlocking IP: Leveraging Indiana’s R&D Assets to Boost Entrepreneurship. In partnership with EntreWorks Consulting, the report outlines opportunities to increase support for startups, identify emerging programs and priorities, and create a base of home-grown tech talent and an expanded innovation network across the state. “Indiana is often cited as one of the best places to start a business, which is a great starting point,” said Melina Kennedy, CEO of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership. “The data released in this report confirms that while we have some great strengths to build up, we have more work to do to as we still lag behind our peers in number of actual new business start-ups per year. The [...]

UNLOCKING IP: Leveraging Indiana’s R&D Assets to Boost Entrepreneurship

Ronnetta Spalding2024-12-02T11:53:45-05:00November 27, 2024|

In recent years, Indiana’s leaders have placed a renewed emphasis on encouraging innovation and Hoosier entrepreneurship. To further support these new efforts, leaders at the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) and AgriNovus Indiana—CICP’s branded initiative focused on growth of the state’s agbioscience industry—began investigating how to leverage Indiana’s existing R&D landscape and IP assets to further stimulate entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana. Now is the time to scale up on all fronts: to invest more in innovation and entrepreneurship, to become more ambitious in our expectations for companies and support programs, and to do a better job of promoting Indiana as an innovation hot spot to Hoosiers and to others around the world. From universities to major corporate innovators to intermediaries and public sector investments, Indiana has many of the ingredients needed to leverage its R&D assets to boost [...]

Melina Kennedy: Indiana needs more and better supported entrepreneurs (IIB)

Raquel Bahamonde2023-10-08T21:50:24-04:00October 6, 2023|

Melina Kennedy, CEO, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Melina Kennedy, CEO of Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), highlights the need for more and better supported entrepreneurs in the latest Inside INdiana Business newsletter. With competing narratives regarding entrepreneurship in Indiana, last year, CICP engaged NORC at the University of Chicago to complete the Entrepreneurship in the Population–IN (EPOP-IN) study. The EPOP-IN data reinforces the fact that the health of Hoosier entrepreneurship is indeed complicated. EPOP-IN found that nearly 60% of Indiana adults have taken at least some steps toward entrepreneurship. While this demonstrates that a large number of Hoosiers are interested in entrepreneurship, it falls below the national data which indicates slightly more than 65% of Americans have pursued entrepreneurial activity. [READ MORE]

Nearly 60% of Hoosiers have engaged in entrepreneurship; more than 12% are business owners, according to new survey

Raquel Bahamonde2023-07-18T10:44:25-04:00June 27, 2023|

INDIANAPOLIS (June 27, 2023) – New research from NORC at the University of Chicago finds that more than half of all Hoosiers have participated in at least one entrepreneurial activity, which includes involvement in or steps toward business ownership or freelancing. However, the survey shows that current business planners and other potential entrepreneurs could benefit from more resources and support. The data comes from Entrepreneurship in the Population: Indiana (EPOP-IN), a survey commissioned by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP). “A thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem is a critical part of having a dynamic economy. We wanted to dive into some of the motivations that drive business owners,” said Melina Kennedy, CEO, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership. “Likewise, we wanted to identify reasons that people are hesitant to start new businesses so we can find more resources and ways to encourage entrepreneurial growth.” [...]

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