There is no shortage of news about Indiana places and spaces to boost creativity and innovation. A few of the recent highlights:
The Mill, part of the downtown Trades District, is billed as Bloomington’s center of gravity for innovators, remote workers, entrepreneurs and innovators. The 19,000 square feet was part of the Showers Brothers Furniture Factory built in 1915.
All of the private office space is leased, but shared conference rooms, desks, event areas, podcast studio, phone rooms and café help foster collaboration. Short-term leases are the norm, with the goal of businesses outgrowing the space and moving to their own locations within the community.
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The Hub and Spoke Design Center is coming to Fishers. David Decker, founder and CEO of ACo, a kitchen, bath and flooring dealer in Carmel, and Travis Tucker, president of OnPoint Real Estate Solutions, are partnering with the city on an 85,000-square-foot outpost.
Plans include a showroom, office and warehouse space, and a makerspace for hobbyists, entrepreneurs and students. The city says the Hub and Spoke will be a center of activity for the homebuilding and design industries and will operate alongside a makerspace that is intended to be an educational space for young and adult residents.
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Student ideas and community collaboration is the theme for the new Idea Garden at IUPUI. The goal: Encourage creativity through technology.
Visitors can get hands-on experience with Dell Canvas and Microsoft Surface drawing tablets, LulzBot TAZ 6 3D printers, HTC Vive virtual reality stations, and an IQ-Wall made up of eight touch-screen panels. Connections are being sought between students and local technology professionals.
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Applications for the 2019 Innovate WithIN™ pitch competition, a statewide initiative hosted by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Indiana Department of Education (DOE) and Ball State University, are now open to high school students across Indiana. Student teams are invited to submit video pitches online before Feb. 6, 2019, and new to this year’s program, middle school students interested in entrepreneurship are invited to register for workshops offered at the regional competitions in early 2019.
Innovate WithIN™, which is in its second year, gives Hoosier students the opportunity to create their own business plans and showcase entrepreneurial ideas throughout the state. The overall winners of the state competition will each receive a $10,000 cash prize, $10,000 toward one year of in-state tuition, internship opportunities and mentoring services.
