The year’s largest expo for Indiana startups — Innovation Showcase 2015 — is set for Thursday, July 9, at Speedway’s Dallara IndyCar Factory and has 74 companies lined up. At least a half-dozen have substantial ties to Indiana University, with five being products of the Spin Up program offered by the Indiana University Research and Technology Corp. They include:
- Anagin: Co-founded in 2013 by Dr. Anantha Shekhar and Yvonne Lai to develop a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder that avoids harmful side effects;
- Arrhythmotech: Co-founded in 2012 by Dr. Peng-Sheng Chen and Shein-Fong Lin to develop a non-invasive technology to monitor both sympathetic nerve activity and electrocardiogram signals;
- Auricyte: Co-founded in 2014 by Karl Koehler, Eri Hashino and Gerry Oxford to treat hearing loss with a regenerative technology that guides human stem cells into functional hearing cells;
- Delta Microinverter: Founded in 2014 by Euzeli dos Santos to reduce the installation and maintenance costs of power inverters for solar energy panels;
- YC Bioelectric: Co-founded in 2012 by Hiroki Yokota and Stanley Yung-Ping Chien to develop a faster, more accurate and less costly way to perform the Western blot lab technique.
Also exhibiting is Haven, part of the Innovate Indiana Fund’s portfolio of companies. Based in Fishers, it recently launched a home maintenance app through Apple’s iTunes for users in the Indianapolis area.
One of the state’s leading events for fundable companies to link with potential investors and capital suppliers, the day-long event features morning educational sessions for angel investors and founders, minute-long pitches for “seed and startup”and “growth” companies and a day-after feedback session for exhibiting companies.
Innovate Indiana is among several sponsors for the Showcase, which offers a cash prize and services package valued at $72,000 for the company that makes the best pitch. Indiana University also will sponsor a morning investor panel discussion that includes: Nick Solaro, partner, Drive Capital; Sheryl Conley, president & CEO, OrthoWorx; Chris Baggott, chairman, Husk Foods; Todd Saxton, a professor at IU’s Kelley School of Business and president of the Venture Club of Indiana; and Oscar Moralez, founder and managing director, VisionTech-Partners.
Other Showcase sponsors and supporters include Purdue Foundry, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, BioCrossroads, Elevate Ventures, Gutwein Law, Ice Miller, Centric, Hylant, Launch Fishers, Launch Indiana, Leaf, Microsoft, Sharon Brown Events, Sun King Brewery, Techpoint, Venture Club of Indiana, Verge and VisionTech.
This year, the audience is being expanded to include companies within Indiana and beyond such as Cummins, John Deere, Microsoft, GE, Caterpillar, Finish Line, HH Gregg, Gilchrist & Soames and Proctor & Gamble — all of which represent customers that some exhibitors may be targeting. In addition, more investors than ever will be present, as Elevate Ventures will sponsor a dedicated area for investor and entrepreneur meet-ups.
For tickets to the showcase, read here. For a full schedule of events, exhibitors list and other Showcase information, read here.
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