Located six blocks south of Monument Circle and nestled next to Rolls-Royce’s downtown campus, Union 525 opened its doors at the end of 2016 as the new home to a variety of tech startups and emerging scale-ups. A number of educational institutions that support the future and continued development of the tech sector in Central Indiana also call the Union 525 home, along with a coworking space designed for tech entrepreneurs.

Union 525 has also played the role as host to a number of significant tech events downtown including iNX3 and Rise of the Rest. Tenants appreciate the unique location and amenities of the building along with its flexible lease spaces.

Below is a preview of tech companies and Hoosier universities currently located inside The Union 525, examples of the different spaces available, and information about how you can be the newest member of Launch Indy or snag your own startup or scale-up office space.

Startup Alley

Startup Alley was designed for emerging startups with 2-5 employees that need flexible office space with short-term leases. Companies can purchase space at $1000 a month for 30-day leases, giving them space that grows as their company grows. Space is still available and if you are interested in learning more, contact Katie Birge, executive director of Launch Indy.

Startup Alley’s amenities include shared conference rooms and workspaces, phone booths, and a kitchen complete with refrigerators, microwaves and vending machines. Utilities are included and each space has enough power outlets to keep tech teams productive.

These companies currently call Startup Alley their home:

BakeSmart – BakeSmart offers software that allows bakeries to run more efficiently including point-of-sale (POS), production and customer loyalty modules.

Costello – Frank Dale and Rod Feuer created Costello’s deal management platform to improve sales performance and help sales teams close more deals. Check out our featured profile on Costello’s launch here.

Sapphire Strategy – This Startup Alley business works with B2B companies who wish to optimize their marketing performance by utilizing analytics-backed insight and experience-based intuition. TechPoint proudly partners with Sapphire Strategy for design, content, and website optimization.

Launch Indy

The latest Indianapolis area coworking space for entrepreneurs recently established itself in the Union building.

“I love that we’re in an old school, particularly a school that historically focused on technical skills,” said Katie Birge, Executive Director of Launch Indy. “To me, the Union 525 building has a vibe that is a cross between that technical past and Indy’s future–focused on the growth of these high tech companies.”

Katie Birge recently shared her experience of building Launch Indy from the ground up and how she came into her role. Now, Katie provides tours of the building to interested tenants and manages the Startup Alley space. Launch Indy is currently accepting new members, has free cowork Friday’s, and is about to launch their own programming.

Scale-up Tech Companies

Companies with more than 10 employees that need space to grow can seek out 5,000 square feet in one of the Union 525’s three floors of available office space. These companies are emerging startups and scale-ups as well as “anchor” tenants like Eli Lilly and Company and our Hoosier universities.

App Press – App Press is a mobile application development company that helps designers turn app ideas into thriving businesses without the need to know code.

CMS Pro – CMS Pro provides online project management software that allows users to manage customers and projects from any device and a with minimal learning curve.

Eli Lilly and Company – Eli Lilly and Company’s Tech Services Team is housed in the Union 525 Building, which is located a few blocks from the company’s main headquarters.

Greenlight.guru – Scale-up greenlight.guru produces quality management software exclusively for medical device companies. Their solution allows teams to take their products to market faster and with less risk while still ensuring compliance.

CEO David DeRam appreciates the flexibility offered to Union 525 tenants. “In a high growth company, we don’t have a crystal clear picture of what we’ll look like in twelve months,” said DeRam. “The Union 525 team understands that and has delivered a model that provides the flexibility that we need.”

Levementum – This Chandler, Arizona based company established an Indianapolis office at the Union earlier this year. Levementum helps their customers define successful customer engagement strategies and then teaches them how to use technology solutions like CRM and marketing automation software to execute these solutions.

LightBound – LightBound is a twenty-plus year veteran of the Indy tech scene and a provider of Internet, data center, voice over IP, managed services and other IT solutions. They also provide the high-speed fiber service at Union 525–a key contributor to the success of the tenant companies and teams.

Scale Computing – Scale Computing is one of two TechPoint Tailwind companies residing at the Union. Scale’s hyperconverged solutions are used by companies like Google.

SmartFile – John Hurley is the CEO of SmartFile as well as the Managing Partner for Union 525. With SmartFile’s simple yet secure File Exchange Platform, businesses can share and manage files through cloud and on-premise technology.

Springbuk – This TechPoint Tailwind company’s software is designed to help employers deal with rising health care costs. “The Union is perfectly located for our team, said Rod Reason, CEO of Springbuk. “What we like most is the atmosphere of being near other tech companies and the energy of being part of the startup community.”

TechPoint – As Central Indiana’s tech accelerator, it’s important for TechPoint to be near some of the companies leading the way in the tech ecosystem. Their additional office at Union 525 allows TechPoint to stay in close contact with emerging technology companies.

Meet the Educational Institutions

Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation – IURTC is a not-for-profit agency that assists IU faculty and researchers in realizing the commercial potential of their discoveries.

Purdue Polytechnic High School – The Union building has a rich educational history as it was the original site of Charles E. Emmerich Manual Training High School. Today, Purdue Polytechnic High School of Indianapolis resides in the walls of Union 525 with a vision to develop a new generation of skilled talent by seamlessly transitioning graduates from high school to college to high-tech and/or high-wage jobs.

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology – Terre Haute based Rose-Hulman is known nationwide as one of the top engineering schools in the country. In May of 2017, Rose-Hulman made the decision to launch an office at Union 525 in order to engage with the growing tech ecosystem in Indianapolis.

The success of Union 525 as a host for tenants and important tech events continues to fuel its growth. While most of the office space is already occupied, there are still a few spots available in Startup Alley. Plans are already underway for an expansion that will include an additional building and a parking garage.

For more information about The Union 525, visit union525.com.