I had the pleasure of working briefly with these five fine young professionals and I must say I’m impressed. They walked into the Mira Awards theater, ran through their speaking parts like pros, and then delivered beautifully during the awards ceremony.
Speaking in front of a room full of peers, mentors and industry veterans is not an easy task. These five future leaders deserve a lot of credit for helping to introduce each TechPoint Mira Finalist.
From left to right in the picture, the Governor Bob Orr Indiana Entrepreneurship Fellows who participated include:
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's "New Economy New Rules" event, sponsored and hosted by Barnes & Thornburg and simulcast to more than 20 locations statewide, was at capacity ... again ... at the downtown Indianapolis location. Could have been the topic, the speakers, or the joy of navigating snow covered roads!
Special guest speakers and panelists Kelli Schmith of Karmic Boom, Chris Lucas of Formspring, and Kyle Lacy of Brandswag entertained and informed the more than 350 attendees and broadcast viewers with their some of their own social media mantras and observed marketplace mishaps.
Several attendees and I were Tweeting soundbites throughout the event. Here are a few of the more poinant tids and bits:
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.
With the announcement yesterday that mobile answer service Cha Cha has raised another $7 million in its latest round of funding that closed in December, the state of Indiana's venture capital funding total for 2009 is rapidly approaching $205 million.
That number is based on $128 million confirmed for the first three quarters of 2009 by the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), and adding up those deals we know about from the fourth quarter, including Cha Cha.
Of course, for those of you keeping score, you know that ExactTarget alone raised $145 million in 2009 -- $70 million in May and another $75 million in December.
Securing venture capital during a time of economic expansion is not easy. Securing venture capital during a recession -- the greatest economic decline since the Great Depression -- is considered a monumental task, even by optimistic experts.
Indiana companies, however, were able to increase the state's venture capital funding by a whopping 78 percent, compared to the $115 million secured in 2008, as reported by the NVCA.
Also, it's worth noting that the numbers reported by the NVCA do not include angel investments, such as the $12.6 million invested by HALO Capital Group in Nico Neuro and Spine; BidPal Network, LLC; Oxygen Education LLC; Weblink International; Genitor Therapeutics, Inc.; and others.
Here's the question of the day:
What is it about Indiana companies (particularly Indiana technology companies) that are making them more attractive to venture capitalists?
Leave your answer(s) in the comments section and please remember to use the Share feature to Tweet this blog to your friends or share it on Facebook, etc.
Check out this video and some of the photos from the December Tech Thursday event. The guest speaker was Bobby Schnabel, dean of the School of Informatics at Indiana University.
As you can see from the media above, we've been drawing "standing room only" crowds for these events because the speakers are great and there really is no better place to network with the Central Indiana tech sector than at Baker & Daniels with our hosts IQuest and LightBound for Tech Thursday.
One of the things that struck me about Dean Schnabel's presentation was that he said admissions standards for the IU School of Informatics are going up at the same time that they are accepting larger numbers of students into the programs. This is an effort to maintain the reputation and high caliber education the university provides, while at the same time attempting to meet the increased demand for graduates in the marketplace.
Dean Schnabel's presentation will be available here on the TechPoint blog early next week.
Bobby Schnabel, Dean of the Indiana University School of Informatics will be the guest speaker at TechPoint's Tech Thursday on December 10th.
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, December 10th, 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.
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.
Ron Thieme, Ph.D., Vice President and CIO for AIT Laboratories will be the guest speaker at TechPoint's Tech Thursday on September 17.
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, October 15, 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.
What did you think about Innovation Summit? Please complete the official Innovation Summit Survey, but feel free to start some back and forth here, too. We're particularly eager to get some new ideas for next year's Keynote Speaker!
TechPoint has a new video that walks through the complete event agenda highlighting all participants, including keynote speaker Clayton Christensen and more than 30 cross-industry experts from around Indiana and nationwide.
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.
Preview Win in China with Mr. Compton Immediately Following Innovation Summit at 5:15 p.m. on September 29 at the Indiana Convention Center.
Entrepreneurship has exploded in the East and Win in China follows competitors in the largest, most lucrative business plan competition in the world, which is broadcast on Chinese television. But the competition goes largely unnoticed in the rest of the world outside of China. More than 120,000 entrepreneurs compete for prize money in excess of $5 million with the winner receiving nearly $1.5 million to invest in his or her new business plan. However, Win in China is more than a lucrative business plan competition - it is an opportunity for the government to educate, motivate and inspire the entrepreneurial talent in the most populous nation on earth.
The film's executive producer -- Indiana entrepreneur, angel investor and professional venture capitalist Bob Compton -- will screen the film and speak about it immediately following the National Funding Plenary Panel at Innovation Summit.
In addition to Bob Compton, the National Funding Plenary Panel will feature venture capitalists from both coasts:
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.
Alan D. Palkowitz, Ph.D., Vice President of Discovery Chemistry Research & Technologies for Lilly Research Laboratories at Eli Lilly & Company (Phew! Now that's a title ...) will be the guest speaker at TechPoint's Tech Thursday on September 17.
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, September 17, 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.
TechPoint's Innovation Summit is less than three weeks away and now you can learn more about what's planned in a new video just released.
Innovation in technology across multiple industry sectors is the theme of this year's Summit -- the 11th year for this TechPoint event. The Indiana Tech Sector is much broader than information technology alone and technology sector growth comes from life sciences, advanced manufacturing, logistics, clean technology energy, education, and academic research commercialization.
For more information about TechPoint's Innovation Summit '09 visit www.techpoint.org/summit and please share the video above by clicking on the menu button in the bottom right corner.
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.
Legendary Indiana investor and filmmaker will receive award at TechPoint Mira Awards Gala event May 15
TechPoint's "New Economy New Rules" event, sponsored and hosted by Barnes & Thornburg and simulcast to more than 20 locations statewide, was at capacity ... again ... at the downtown Indianapolis location. Could have been the topic, the speakers, or the joy of navigating snow covered roads!
With the announcement yesterday that mobile answer service 
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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