TechPoint’s May Tech Thursday event held at Baker & Daniels was filled with a room of Indiana IT executives, good food, beverages and a lot of networking, but what topped off the evening was speaker Angie Hicks, Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Angie’s List – The ever-growing Indianapolis-based company.
Angie’s List is a consumer generated company that takes consumer reviews of local companies and makes them available to the public by charging a monthly subscription fee.
At the event, Hick’s spoke on her struggles, trials and tribulations over the past 15 years in her inspiring efforts of starting Angie’s List and turning it into what it is today.
What started as a door to door business selling magazine subscriptions has evolved into a company with some 750,000 customers generating revenue in 2009 of more than $34 million. Today, Angie’s List is present in 124 markets and last year grew 35 percent despite the recession.
In recent news, Angie’s List has gone international, opening a market in Canada. In its efforts towards expansion, the company is continuously trying new marketing tools of which its most recent includes the usage of social media outlets – Facebook and Twitter.
Hick's said that Angie’s List has evolved to become a credible recognition of which Indiana businesses take great pride in and want to be a part of.
If you were a little bit late to the Mira Awards ceremony on Saturday, May 15, (or if, [GASP!] you couldn't make it) you may have missed the funny video at the very beginning that asked the question: "What if Indiana's tech companies didn't exist?"
Inside Indiana Business, Thrive Michiana, The Indianapolis Star and several other publications statewide carried news of the TechPoint Mira Awards:
Legendary Indiana investor and filmmaker will receive award at TechPoint Mira Awards Gala event May 15
TechPoint is pleased to announce that legendary investor and innovator Robert Compton is its 2010 Trailblazer Award recipient for significant and lasting contributions to Indiana’s high-tech economy. The Trailblazer Award is part of TechPoint’s annual Mira Awards program recognizing Indiana’s technology success stories in various categories for industry, institutions and individuals.
Thirty years ago, Robert Compton chose to forsake the security of a systems engineering career with IBM and venture in a new direction as an entrepreneur and investor. For Indiana’s technology sector, the rest is history – Compton has built an unparalleled record of investing in and supporting firms that became the foundation of the state’s high-tech industry, spawning successive generations of new companies (many of which Compton also became involved in).
Compton’s track record is truly a Hoosier high-tech ‘who’s who’ – firms like Software Artistry, Aprimo, Exact Target, Interactive Intelligence, Vontoo, IndianMathOnline, Compendium Blogware, Compression Engineering, Mezzia, Sci-Tech Ventures, Veregon and Warsaw Orthopedic (which went on to become Sofamor Danek, the world’s largest spinal medical device company, with Compton as its President). In all, he has been active in more than 40 businesses in software, telecommunications, healthcare, medical devices, and education.
“When you try to chart the progress of Indiana’s technology sector over the last two decades, most roads seem to lead back to Bob Compton,” said Jim Jay, TechPoint’s President & CEO. “He has been a catalyst for bringing so many new innovations to market, for making Indiana a hotbed for online measured marketing – the list of achievements goes on and on.
“This award only confirms what every Indiana technology entrepreneur knows to be true – Bob Compton certainly blazed a path that all of us continue to follow.”
Compton’s involvement in entrepreneurship doesn’t end with his direct involvement in for-profit ventures. He also serves as a Trustee of the Kauffman Foundation, a $1.8 billion institute dedicated to accelerating entrepreneurial activity. His recent exploits as a filmmaker – most notably the documentary “2 Million Minutes” – has explored the critical role of education to success in an entrepreneurial, knowledge-based economy, taking a look at the differing approaches employed by the U.S., China, and India.
“Bob is a venture capitalist in two senses of the phrase – he invests both intellectual and financial capital in companies and causes that he cares about,” added Mark Hill, Chairman of TechPoint and managing partner of Collina Ventures. “Indiana’s tech community has certainly been a beneficiary of his work, and this Trailblazer in Technology recognition is a well-deserved and long-overdue expression of our appreciation.”
For the last decade, TechPoint’s annual Mira Awards have put a spotlight on Indiana’s high-tech all-stars, understanding that celebrating success is one way to create more of it. The Mira Awards are Indiana’s largest and most visible technology awards program; learn more at http://www.techpoint.org/Mira/. This year’s Mira Gala awards ceremony will be held on May 15th at the Westin – Downtown Indianapolis. Tickets are available for purchase through the website.
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. TechPoint is an initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership. Visit www.techpoint.org.
TechPoint is now accepting nominations for its annual Mira Awards -- the largest and most prestigious technology awards program in the state of Indiana.
Also of note, the Mira Awards website includes a Past Winners section that TechPoint is calling the Winner's Circle, which has the finalists and winners listed from each year available dating back to the year 2000. This new section contains the company name and logo for the finalists and winners as well as direct links to their respective websites.
We've added SHARE buttons to every single page on the Mira Awards website, so be sure to post relevant pages to your Facebook wall or Tweet the nomination forms or Winner's Circle to your followers.
How do I get nominated?
Anyone can submit a nomination for a Mira Award. You can nominate a company or someone you know. You can nominate your own company or department, and you can even nominate yourself.
There's really only one rule; nominees must do business, teach or otherwise operate within the state of Indiana.
Okay, it's actually a lot more complicated than that, but every journey starts with a single step. If you or your school or company has anything at all to do with technology and you operate within the state of Indiana, YOU SHOULD BE PARTICIPATING IN THE TECHPOINT MIRA AWARDS.
The Mira Awards nomination process includes some pretty in-depth questions as you'll see on the nomination form. It's a good idea to visit the site now, download the forms, and start thinking about what you want to write in for each question.
Robert C. Boehnlein, General Manager of Aprimo's Enterprise Business Unit will be the guest speaker at TechPoint's Tech Thursday on November 19.
Not familiar with Tech Thursday? Watch this short video:
Tech Thursday is sponsored by IQuest Internet and hosted at Baker & Daniels - Indianapolis North. Each month, Tech Thursday is an opportunity for professionals from Indiana technology companies (and technology professionals from companies in other industries) to come together for networking and insights into new products or developments in the market.
WHAT: Tech Presentation, Networking, Drinks and Hors d'oeuvres
WHEN: Thursday, November 19, 2009 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Baker & Daniels LLP, Indianapolis North 600 E. 96th Street, Suite 600, Indianapolis, IN 46240
There is no charge to attend, but please register so that we are able to provide adequate supply of drinks and hors d'oeuvres.
Congratulations to the team at ExactTarget for being recognized by Deloitte as one of the fastest growing tech companies in the country.
Here's a snapshot from the announcement:
INDIANAPOLIS--(Business Wire)-- Deloitte LLP announced today that ExactTarget ranked number 254 on the Technology Fast 500, the ranking of the 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America.
Based on percentage of revenue growth from 2004-2008, Technology Fast 500 named ExactTarget to the list for its 524 percent revenue growth during the five-year period.
"Our consistent growth and innovation continues to provide marketers the most reliable and sophisticated platform to connect with their clients and drive real ROI," said Scott Dorsey, ExactTarget`s chief executive officer and co-founder. "While I am incredibly proud of the ExactTarget team for their work to achieve five years of continuous growth, the real credit goes to the tens of thousands of marketers who use our platform to drive business results. Without them, none of this would be possible."
Overall, Technology Fast 500 2009 award winners logged growth rates ranging from 212 to 146,050 percent over five years, with an average growth rate of 2,486 percent.
"With its impressive five-year growth, ExactTarget has earned its position among the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America," said Mark Jensen, Managing Partner, Technology and Venture Capital Services, Deloitte & Touche LLP. "Deloitte is proud to honor ExactTarget for its achievement."
Indiana continues to lead in the development of measured marketing businesses - business that deliver return on investment for your marketing dollar. Entrepreneurs are finding that Indiana is the place to start these businesses because of the qualified workforce and the hotbed of companies already here like Aprimo, Compendium, Delivera, ExactTarget, Autobase, and 70 others.
You can learn more about measured marketing, whether a technology entrepreneur, technology professional or interested marketer at the Master of Business On-line conference coming to Carmel, Indiana on Wednesday, October 21.
TechPoint's Chairman and technology entrepreneur, Mark Hill will be the conference keynote speaker. Twenty-two other speakers will discuss on-line marketing throughout the day.
Most-welcome news is starting to arrive. Believable reports of abating economic turmoil increase daily, accompanied by fresh intelligence that the crushing global recession is nearing its long-awaited end.
As Indiana commences on recovery over the coming months, we all need to refocus our efforts to accelerate recovery and replace lost jobs.
The task of creating jobs is not going to be an easy one, but it does represent a unique opportunity. Although the Hoosier state lost thousands of jobs as the global economy nose-dived over the past 18 months, the state did enter the worldwide fiscal era of carnage in dramatically better financial shape than its neighbors. Now is the time to leverage that enviable position and advance Indiana quickly.
How can these new jobs be organically created over the coming months and years? Earlier in September, BusinessWeek magazine had a most interesting comment for Hoosiers to consider:
“Name an industry [presently in the United States] that can produce one million new, high-paying jobs over the next three years. You can’t, because there isn’t one. And that’s the problem.”
Adrian Slywotzky, a partner for national management consultancy Oliver Wyman, went on to illustrate for BusinessWeek readers how real American innovation from the mid-20th century – the transistor, cellular telephony, photovoltaic solar cells and others – all became building blocks for new industries and the subsequent creation of millions of new jobs. The paramount task at hand, according to Slywotzky, is for American entrepreneurs, scientists and business professionals to redouble their efforts and produce the next set of truly transformational building blocks.
Those of us living in Indiana would do well to consider how real innovation can dramatically accelerate our own respective position in the national – even global – economy.
“How so Indiana?” one might say. Take a look at Indiana University. Through some amazing and creative collaboration, IU is now a player in the top ranks of supercomputing horsepower. That gives the state an attractive tool for transformational development and innovation through the university’s Big Red supercomputer, which is already available to entrepreneurial businesses and technology entrepreneurship in the state.
Take a look at Purdue University. The Boilermakers raised more than an eyebrow or two when Purdue pulled down a $105 million grant from the National Science Foundation – the largest in the university’s 140-year history – for earthquake research and education. Purdue will now lead no less than 14 other major research universities in this endeavor, positioning even more firmly the state’s outstanding resources, such as Discovery Park in West Lafayette.
The list of Indiana technology innovation and Indiana technology research assets, emerging business technology and the positive impact on Indiana technology jobs and Indiana economic development goes much farther.
If you’re serious about job creation – and you should be – consider gathering with us on Sept. 29 for the statewide Innovation Summit. The Summit’s keynote speaker Clayton Christensen is the Harvard avatar responsible for defining disruptive innovation and how to achieve it. He will be joined by dozens of successful innovators, technologists and finance professionals striving to ignite Hoosier innovation.
Will you be part of the Hoosier solution to drive real transformation and innovation? Join us.
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.
TechPoint's Innovation Summit is coming up quickly and business professionals should buy their tickets soon because the price increases from $150 per ticket to $175 after September 22.
According to Kristee Stewart, TechPoint’s director of programming and events, this is the first year for the early-bird pricing, but it will help the organization save a great deal of money.
“The sooner we are able to submit an accurate attendee count to the Indiana Convention Center the better,” Stewart said. “In the past, we have had to wait until the very last minute to turn in attendee estimates and it has cost us and our sponsors too much money that could have been used for programming. This year, we already have more than 600 tickets sold in advance and we believe the new early-bird pricing structure is a good incentive for hundreds more to buy their tickets before the price increase goes into effect after September 22.”
Innovation Summit features keynote speaker Harvard Business professor Clayton Christensen, the author or coauthor of six books including The New York Times bestsellers “The Innovator's Dilemma” and “The Innovator's Solution.” In 2008, he released Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, a groundbreaking examination of America's education system through the lens of disruption. His latest book, The Innovator's Prescription: A Disruptive Solution for Health Care, applies the principles of disruption to the nation's broken health care system.
Innovation Summit includes seven different breakout panels following the keynote address that feature 35 national, regional and local experts who will tackle critical issues facing Indiana life sciences, advanced manufacturing and logistics, clean-technology or clean-tech energy, information technology, education, and commercialization of academic research and development.
The full lists of speakers and panel descriptions are available on the following pages of the TechPoint Innovation Summit website (www.techpoint.org/summit):
Click Here to register now and take advantage of the $150 early-bird ticket price.
TechPoint’s May Tech Thursday event held at Baker & Daniels was filled with a room of Indiana IT executives, good food, beverages and a lot of networking, but what topped off the evening was speaker Angie Hicks, Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Angie’s List – The ever-growing Indianapolis-based company. 
Legendary Indiana investor and filmmaker will receive award at TechPoint Mira Awards Gala event May 15
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.
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