The STARTedUP Foundation

What an incredible weekend for our STARTEdUP Foundation Fellowship kickoff! We were thrilled to bring over 60 of our fellows together on Saturday, welcoming them to this year's program. (By the way, we have over 100 fellows across the US this year!) While we laid the groundwork for this school year, a huge thank you to our amazing guests: ⭐ Daniel Lopez ⭐ Elizabeth Patterson ⭐ Mark Conway ⭐ Logan Jenkins ⭐ Kerry Ao These incredible individuals NOT ONLY shared their enthusiasm for what's in store this year - but they even provided unique opportunities to this year's cohort of fellows! And of course, a special shoutout to the Butler University - Lacy School of Business for hosting us and providing such a fantastic venue for our kickoff event. Your support means the world to us! We're excited for what's to come and can't wait to see the impact our fellows will make. Here's to a year of growth, innovation, and positive change!

We are so excited to see Kate Maxwell going above and beyond for the past 10 years by funding a scholarship for students like Suhani Lodha, a standout from our 2023 alumni group. Last year, Suhani wowed us all with her pitch for Cancer Catch - an innovative over-the-counter medical product designed to detect rapid cell division. 🚀 We can't wait to see what groundbreaking ideas she will develop next! Huge congratulations to Suhani, and a heartfelt thank you to Kate uplifting incredible women in computing & engineering!

We loved being able to support our alumnus Isaiah "Izzy" Branam at Venture Club of Indiana, Inc.'s luncheon! He shared his journey into entrepreneurship and his Indy talent retention insights. Moderated by Kelli N. Jones, they led an insightful fireside chat on investing in the next generation of leaders! A little about Izzy: → He founded Xygen Records at 13—managing over 100 artists and hitting 10 million streams → During his Innovate WithIN years (aka 17 y.o), he developed 2 software platforms—Fia & Hirify → Now, he's the CEO of Relate XR, where he and his team are pioneering virtual reality treatments for substance use disorders. →→ Did we mention its backed by over $5M in NIH research grants + conducting 3 federally-recognized clinical trials? A big thank you to Venture Club of Indiana, Inc. for providing an opportunity for Izzy to share his story - and for advocating for youth entrepreneurship. We are proud to witness such dedication to shaping the future!

🎉 Exciting News! 🎉 We’re partnering with IMPACTT - Technology Transfer for Impact Ventures, a team led by Circular Venture Labs and the University of Evansville's Center for Innovation and Change. Together, we've received a new award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Community Energy Innovation Prize! The award will allow us to introduce technology transfer and its importance to research and development in the U.S. to Indiana high school students. Early understanding of the process is critical for young entrepreneurs, early startups, and corporate innovation teams. As one of ten national prize winners in our track, we now have validation from our region, our state, and the U.S. Department of Energy's American-Made Program for the technology transfer program. Through our Innovation Educator Fellowship, we're excited to offer new possibilities for students to learn about innovation and entrepreneurship while equipping our educator fellows with the tools to inspire the next generation of innovators and drive economic growth. Stay tuned for more updates as we roll out this impactful initiative!

🏀🎡 Slam dunk! Our Alumni Showcase and Pitch Competition just took center court at the Indiana State Fair, and boy, did teams score big! First and foremost, a massive thank you to the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center for partnering with us and hosting this event on their stunning new basketball court. 🏆 Congratulations to our winners: 1st Place: Caseflood.ai - Ethan Hilton, Tolen Schreid, Emily Rudolph 2nd Place: CordPuck - Lextin Willis In true State Fair style, our winners were awarded with funnel cakes! 🍰 Because who needs trophies when you can have something deep-fried? A special thank you to our esteemed judges Mitch Frazier, Titilayo O., Jeron Peoples, and Tim Phelps for their thoughtful work, dedication to youth entrepreneurship, and careful deliberation! Our brilliant alumni brought their A-game and demonstrated the entrepreneurial spirit that Indiana is known for: Boomerang Learning - Kris Lau, Abdul-Aleem Mohammed, Parth Patel InkWallet - Saanvi Ibrahimpatnam, Mia Noel EK Designs - Evelyn Hinshaw, Kayla Reeves, Idalia Inman Relate XR - Isaiah "Izzy" Branam The Crate of Curious Things - Joshua Steely MONO - Samsawn Pakasawn Intertwined - Kerry Ao Nex Marketing - Sayeed Mohammed, Joshua Avila All-Nighter Games - Isaiah Clark UpLift18 - Jennifer Vazquez We're incredibly proud of each team's hard work and innovative ideas. You all represent the bright future of entrepreneurship in Indiana! Here's to the future of innovation in Indiana! 🚀

🏛️ The InnovateDC adventure video is live! 🎥 This video showcases the amazing opportunities, resouces, and network our young entrepreneurs experienced. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this trip unforgettable: Our generous hosts, partners and sponsors: • U.S. Department of Commerce and Alejandra Y. Castillo • Pinkston and Zach Crenshaw for our strategic marketing workshop • Dupont Underground, Ana Harvey, and Ian Adair, for our networking event • FedTech and Ellen Erickson for our advisory sessions • ZEBOX and Liz Ward for being meeting with company leaders • Ice Miller LLP for hosting our networking event, with special thanks to Francisco J. Leija and John Pence for making this all possible. • Congressman Greg Pence and Congresswoman Erin Houchin for meeting with us  • Google and Molly McCarthy for inviting us to the office and presenting some great insights over innovation during your panel fir our students Your insights, hospitality, and support have left a mark on our young innovators. We are thrilled to be building these partnerships and opening doors for the next generation of entrepreneurs!

🎪 We have an important announcement regarding our upcoming Alumni Showcase and Pitch Competition at the Indiana State Fair: The Squeeze with Ease Brush team will unfortunately not be able to join us for the competition. We appreciate their participation in the Innovate WithIN community and wish them success in their future endeavors! We're pleased to welcome UpLift18, Jennifer Vazquez to our showcase lineup! We're excited to see how this update will shape the competition and inspire fellow entrepreneurs. Join us at the Indiana State Fair this Sunday to witness the future of innovation in action.

🎪 We’ve got a FAIRly amazing Alumni Showcase coming up! Our Innovate WithIN alumnus have made remarkable strides in their entrepreneurial journeys, so here's a sneak peek at what they'll be presenting: 🚀 Boomerang Learning - Kris Lau, Abdul-Aleem Mohammed, Parth Patel ('24) An AI-Based educational diagnostics platform that personalizes learning based on the Indiana State Curriculum 🔌 CordPuck - Lextin Willis ('22) Cord storage devices designed to store, protect, and easily transport cords 💼 InkWallet - Saanvi Ibrahimpatnam ('24), Mia Noel ('24) A budgeting app for teens and young adults with unique rewards 🎨 EK Designs - Evelyn Hinshaw, Kayla Reeves, Idalia Inman ('24) Practical art pieces to make fresh food more accessible and promote a cleaner world 🌐 Relate XR - Isaiah "Izzy" Branam ('21, '22) Pioneering the world's first virtual therapeutic for substance use treatment 🎨 The Crate of Curious Things - Joshua Steely ('24) Upcycled collaborative visual arts for all ages 🧵 MONO - Samsawn Pakasawn ('23) Empowering organizations with high-quality custom embroidery and fundraising services 💡 caseflood.ai - Ethan Hilton ('23, '24), Tolen Schreid, Emily Rudolph ('24) A multilingual AI receptionist for lawyers 🖌 The Squeeze With Ease Brush - Taylor Rothrock ('24) An innovative hair brush design to apply product with ease 📚 Intertwined - Kerry Ao ('21, '22) AI-powered financial education platform for K-12 schools, higher education, and businesses 📈 Nex Marketing - Sayeed Mohammed, Joshua Avila ('23) Dynamic marketing firm revolutionizing small business growth 🎮 All-Nighter Games - Isaiah Clark ('24) Integrating fun into financial topics through their game Compound-IT! Stop by to see the future of Indiana! August 4th | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | Indiana State Fairground’s New Basketball Court

🎪 We are excited to announce that we’ll be hosting our Alumni Association Showcase and Pitch Competition at the State Fair! We’ll have ten exceptional teams comprised of former Innovate WithIN regional and state finalists pitch their latest ventures to a panel of esteemed judges. 🗓️ August 4th 🕒 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM 📍Indiana State Fairgrounds,Basketball Court See a showcase of the innovative ideas that are shaping the future of Indiana!

🎪 We are excited to announce that we’ll be hosting our Alumni Association Showcase and Pitch Competition at the State Fair! We’ll have ten exceptional teams comprised of former Innovate WithIN regional and state finalists pitch their latest ventures to a panel of esteemed judges. 🗓️ August 4th 🕒 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM 📍Indiana State Fairgrounds,Basketball Court See a showcase of the innovative ideas that are shaping the future of Indiana!