Accelerating Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Indiana: Unveiling Key Updates and Funding Boosts

Enhancing Indiana’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Indiana’s economic development officials unveiled significant updates to the state’s innovation and entrepreneurship focus on Tuesday, outlining increased funding and programmatic changes aimed at fostering startup activity and propelling Indiana’s $1 billion venture market.

“Indiana’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is experiencing unprecedented momentum, earning recognition as the best state in the U.S. to start a business – and we’re not slowing down yet,” stated Secretary of Commerce David Rosenberg. “In partnership with ecosystem stakeholders like Elevate Ventures and the Applied Research Institute, we continue to expand and modernize our suite of funding and support resources for Hoosier innovators, entrepreneurs, and small businesses, helping turn dreams into reality.”

The updates aim to enhance funding and support for Indiana’s entrepreneurs, innovators, and startups, particularly those in the earliest stages, while also increasing the accessibility of investment capital. According to a news release, these efforts and modernizations are expected to double the number of state-supported venture development investments annually, further accelerating Indiana’s growing venture development activity.

Boosting Venture Development Funding

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) renewed its agreement with its venture development partner, Elevate Ventures, while increasing annual funding to the organization by 40%. This move comes as Indiana surpassed the $1 billion mark for venture activity in 2021 and 2022, ranking 4th in the U.S. and 15th globally for venture growth between 2017-2023, as per Pitchbook.

The IEDC reported that Elevate Ventures would refine its focus on making, maintaining, and managing investments, realigning specific grant programs (such as the state’s Innovation Voucher Program and certain matching grants) to the Applied Research Institute (ARI). This realignment will empower Elevate Ventures to more strategically catalyze venture investment opportunities for startups and scale-ups.

$3 Million Pre-seed Fund Launch

Elevate Ventures is introducing a $3 million pre-seed fund designed to fuel Indiana’s earliest-stage companies. The fund, replacing current activities through the Community Ideation Fund and Nexus Pitch Competitions, will double the annual investment allocation for early-stage companies and reduce certain timing constraints from previous programs. This adjustment will allow companies to access critical funding when it is most needed.

Investments from the fund will range from $20,000 to $100,000 and, unlike Indiana’s other venture funds, won’t require matching investment dollars.

Expanding Matching Grants for Innovation and Technology Transfer

The state is expanding its support for innovative entrepreneurs and small businesses through its Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) matching grant program, making phase-two matching grants – in addition to phase-one matching grants already offered – available to ideation-stage Indiana companies.

These matching grants, now managed by ARI, are accessible to recipients of research and technology development grants through 11 federal agencies. ARI will also assume management of the Small Business Innovation Voucher Program, which aims to harness the expertise of Indiana’s research and higher education institutions, along with approved nonprofit research organizations, to provide small businesses access to industry specialists and research leaders.

Modernizing Regional Support for Startups and Small Businesses

The IEDC announced that Elevate Ventures would modernize its support for regional ecosystems by eliminating the requirement for local communities to complete fundraising before accessing investment opportunities and by extending its reach to cover the entire state.

This change is intended to make investment capital, especially pre-seed funding, and local points of contact more readily and swiftly available throughout the state, enhancing opportunities for entrepreneurial and startup activity.

Conclusion: Indiana’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Landscape

Indiana’s commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship is evident in these recent updates and funding boosts. By enhancing support for startups and small businesses, expanding access to investment capital, and modernizing regional support, the state is creating an environment that encourages risk-taking, creativity, and economic growth.

With these initiatives, Indiana is well-positioned to continue its upward trajectory as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, attracting talent, investment, and new business ventures that will drive the state’s economy forward.