Future Technology Information

1. Gets branded with the student population here at the school. Free viral marketing is very effective!
2. Gets to interact with students and find those potential interns and employees who are ready for work now.
3. Can help those students who need to develop further skills by giving them advice that will better prepare them for internships and full-time positions for Indiana information technology jobs in the future...maybe with your company.

Last week, executives from 41 Hoosier "Companies to Watch" were honored at a gala dinner at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis. Presented by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Purdue University, and the Edward Lowe Foundation, the "Companies to Watch" program recognizes the state’s fast-growing, high-potential firms among businesses with up to 150 employees and between $750,000 and $100 million in annual revenues.

It’s noteworthy that 17 of the 41 companies on this list are in the information technology space, representing areas like software development, IT consulting, e-mail marketing, and healthcare technologies. These high-tech firms are located across the state.

The fact that nearly half of the IEDC’s ‘Companies to Watch’ list are tech companies is more evidence – although anecdotal – of the sector’s continued growth and vitality in Indiana. Hoosier technology firms continued to add jobs even during the trough of the recession in 2008, and Indiana skyrocketed up the state rankings in venture capital investment per capita, from 41st in 2008 to 20th in 2009, showing that funding continues to flow to high-tech innovation here.

The 2010 "Companies to Watch" account for more than $390 million in annual revenues, employ more than 2,000 Hoosiers, and are on pace to create nearly 1,000 new jobs in 2000. The future looks bright for these businesses – as it does for Indiana’s technology community. See the full list of companies.

Mira Awards Celebrate Tech Sector’s Progress During Economic Turmoil
by Mark Hill

Last month, more than 600 of Indiana’s technology executives, opinion leaders and policymakers, educators and economic developers gathered at the annual TechPoint Mira Awards gala in downtown Indianapolis to celebrate more Hoosier high-tech success stories. 

For more than a decade, the Mira Awards have recognized the companies, institutions and individuals who make up Indiana’s thriving technology community. This year’s winners provide ample optimism about our future as a high-tech economy:

They show that technological innovation is a catalyst for growth in every industry, not just IT. The Mira Innovation of the Year award winner is OrthoX, a life sciences company that’s developed an exceptionally strong material to anchor artificial joints to bones (Indiana firms account for more than a third of global orthopedic device sales). In Indiana’s largest industry, manufacturing, new technologies are also bringing new opportunities – the advanced manufacturing Mira award went to EnerDel, the fast-growing maker of high-tech batteries for electric vehicles.

Exact Target is a repeat winner in the Information Technology Mira category, continuing to lead the way as Central Indiana establishes itself as a hub for online marketing. Along with Exact Target, our region is called home by companies like Aprimo, Compendium Blogware, 5 Buckets, Lights Out Intelligence, Market Path, Cantaloupe, Delivera and Formstack. These firms are taking advantage of a titanic market shift that has seen the traditional media sector lose 32% of its market value from 2003 to 2008 while new media (online content and services) gained 102%.

Our Mira winners provide a cross-section of our most innovative companies in areas that represent promising market opportunities. It’s important that we celebrate their success. But the message behind this year’s Miras goes beyond a (well-deserved) pat on the back for the winners. The bigger picture is that that the state’s tech sector continued to grow and build momentum even during the tough times.

This year, TechPoint attracted a record number of Mira nominations. The previous high-water mark was set last year, and before that in 2008. Even during the worst of the national recession, this program generated steadily more and more interest and enthusiasm.

Less anecdotally, the latest Cyberstates report from the TechAmerica Foundation shows that Indiana continued to add tech jobs during the downturn, even as the rest of the private sector was making cuts. 

Investors are also betting on Indiana’s high-tech entrepreneurs. Last year was the worst year for venture capital nationally in more than a decade. But in Indiana, we grew our total venture investment by nearly 70% over 2008 – and 2008 beat 2007 by 40%. I’m proud that the HALO Capital Group managed by TechPoint has added nearly $14 million in seed capital since 2008 to help further this trend. 

Indiana’s technology sector has weathered the economic storms, and seems to have emerged stronger than ever. A recent Kauffman Foundation study that found that more than half of the companies on today’s Fortune 500 list were launched during an economic recession or severe bear market. This bodes well for the Mira winners of the last few years, and for our technology industry as a whole – as the economy continues to recover, tech companies will be leading the way.

TechPoint is working to help keep the momentum going. From improving connectivity in the tech community, improving access to capital and entrepreneurial expertise, and fighting for pro-growth policies at the Statehouse, we’re committed to creating a climate that produces even more success stories like those feted at Saturday’s Mira gala. Learn more about TechPoint’s efforts and the Mira Awards program (including a full roster of 2010 winners) at www.TechPoint.org.

Mark Hill is Managing Partner of Collina Ventures and chairman of TechPoint. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership.
 

New film from businessman Bob Compton examines entrepreneurship in China and the country’s rise to a global superpower

INDIANAPOLIS (September 14, 2009) — The Indiana premiere of Win in China, Bob Compton’s new documentary on the explosion of entrepreneurship and new venture creation in China, will be part of TechPoint’s Innovation Summit at the Indiana Convention Center on Sept. 29.

Compton, creator and executive producer of the provocative documentary on global education, Two Million Minutes, said he wants Indiana CEO’s and university students to see his new film to better understand the challenges they will face from a tidal wave of Chinese entrepreneurs.

“In Communist China, the country’s heroes are not sports stars or entertainers but entrepreneurs, because they create jobs, wealth and strengthen communities,” Compton said. “Indiana has many successful entrepreneurs who have advanced the state’s economy, but the Chinese are investing in entrepreneurship education, infrastructure and venture capital on a scale unimaginable to Americans.” 

He continued, “Remember what you saw at the Beijing Olympics, and imagine that scale of money, talent, energy and coordination being applied to building the entrepreneurial sector of China’s economy. Now double everything. The Politburo’s efforts are on a massive scale, and Americans are entirely unaware.”

“The point of the film and my desire to reach out to the TechPoint Innovation Summit audience isn’t to criticize Hoosiers or Indiana businesses – quite the opposite,” Compton said. “Indiana’s tech sector is our state’s future, and I believe this film can be a catalyst for renewed commitment to Indiana’s new venture initiatives by Innovation Summit attendees.”

Win in China is a 60-minute documentary film that centers on the largest, most lucrative business plan competition in history. Organized as a Donald Trump-like TV show, it was broadcast across China on CCTV3 and serves as a metaphor for the country’s dramatically increased entrepreneurialism.

Win in China follows the path of China from Cultural Revolution and abject poverty to the Entrepreneurial Revolution and rise to be the third largest economy in the world. It vividly illustrates the role entrepreneurship has played in the dramatic changes China has undergone over the past 30 years.

The Indiana premiere of Win in China will follow the national plenary panel at the Innovation Summit entitled “Funding Innovation,” which will feature Bob Compton and other venture capitalists from both coasts including:
 

• Mathias Schilling, Senior Partner at BV Capital – San Francisco
• Michael Arpey, Managing Director, Customized Fund Investment Group, Credit Suisse – New York
• Michael Brown, General partner of Battery Ventures – Boston

The panel is sponsored by Alerding Castor Hewitt LLP and will be moderated by David Castor, partner at the firm.

The keynote speaker for the luncheon at the Innovation Summit will be renowned innovation expert, entrepreneur, bestselling author and Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen.

The screening is scheduled to begin at approximately 5:15 p.m. at the Indiana Convention Center. You must be a registered Innovation Summit attendee to attend the screening. Early-bird tickets cost $150 in advance or $175 after Sept. 22. Visit http://www.techpoint.org/summit/ for more information about TechPoint’s Innovation Summit.

About Win in China
Win in China is a documentary film about the world’s largest and most lucrative business-plan competition, held not in the United States or any western country, but in communist China. Over 120,000 entrepreneurs compete for prize money in excess of $5 million with the winner receiving nearly $1.5 million dollars to invest in a new business plan. Documentary filmmaker Ole Schell was given unprecedented access to the show’s creator, the contestants and the judges. His documentary opens a window into Chinese capitalism, which differs in many ways from Western capitalism. Beneath the game show’s surface lies a nuanced, subtle view of Chinese business practices, ambitions, ethical norms and competitive behaviors. For more information, please visit www.WinInChinaMovie.com.

About TechPoint
TechPoint is Indiana’s only statewide technology initiative, representing industry stakeholders including publicly-traded companies, private businesses, colleges and research universities, and local economic development organizations. The group’s mission is to accelerate Indiana’s emerging and vibrant information technology sector by: promoting the successes of information technology companies and professionals; supporting the formation, expansion, and attraction of IT companies; and advocating appropriate public policy. Visit www.techpoint.org.

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CONTACTS:
Joshua Hall, TechPoint, 317-464-5416, jhall@techpoint.org
Meghan Devitt, Dittoe Public Rel., 317-202-2280, ext. 11, meg@dittoepr.com