TechPoint’s Community Connect Sets the Vision for Indiana’s Tech Future
More than 250 startup founders, investors, corporate leaders and members of Indiana’s tech community packed Butler University on November 4 for TechPoint’s Community Connect. The conversation centered on one big question: what comes next for tech in Indiana?
Following opening remarks from Indiana Secretary of Commerce Chuck Goodrich, TechPoint President and CEO Eric Christopher unveiled a new vision to grow Indiana’s technology economy, with a focus on building more companies, expanding access to capital and applying technology to the industries Indiana already leads.
TechPoint also announced LIFT, a new mentorship program pairing tech founders with experienced entrepreneurs who volunteer their expertise to help the next generation of founders succeed.
Throughout the day, speakers kept coming back to the same idea. Indiana has the talent and resources to shape its own tech future, and turning that potential into progress takes a community working together.
A Bold Vision for Indiana
Indiana has the opportunity to become a national leader in technology. Christopher believes the time to seize it is now.
During his keynote address, Christopher laid out an ambitious vision for TechPoint’s next chapter, including a goal of helping drive $1 billion in net economic impact for Indiana by 2031 through increased venture capital investment, company growth, job creation and higher wages.
“I believe we’re sitting at one of the most significant economic opportunities Indiana has seen in our lifetimes,” Christopher told attendees.
He said the opportunity lies at the intersection of artificial intelligence and Indiana’s established industry strengths. With deep expertise in life sciences, agriculture, advanced manufacturing and logistics, Indiana is uniquely positioned to develop technologies that solve real-world challenges.
“When I look at Indiana, I don’t see a state trying to catch up. I see a state with some extraordinary advantages for what comes next,” Christopher said.
Turning those advantages into economic growth requires greater focus and collaboration across Indiana’s tech community, he said.
After spending his first six months at TechPoint meeting with members of the tech community, Christopher introduced four strategic priorities to guide TechPoint’s work:
- Become the front door to Indiana technology. Make it easier for founders, professionals and employers to navigate the state’s tech ecosystem and connect with the resources and opportunities they need.
- Tell Indiana’s technology story. Raise the state’s national profile by spotlighting the companies, founders and technologies making an impact, particularly where technology intersects with Indiana’s leading industries.
- Expand pathways into technology careers. Build on programs like Xtern, TechPoint’s summer internship program for tech students, to connect more people with career opportunities while helping employers access technical talent. “We’ve helped more than a thousand students gain real-world experience and build relationships with Indiana employers. Some of those students are now senior leaders in their companies,” Christopher said of the Xtern program.
- Bring the community together in more meaningful ways. Christopher stressed TechPoint plans to create fewer but more intentional ways for the tech community to connect. “When TechPoint brings people together, we want those experiences to be exceptional.”
He emphasized that achieving TechPoint’s ambitious goals will take a collective effort.
“Great companies don’t happen because someone has a good idea. They happen because talented people come together around a shared ambition, commit to it and do the hard work of building something extraordinary,” Christopher said.
“I think the same thing is true for a community,” he added. “Indiana has the assets. We have the experience. We have the companies, the universities, the talent, the capital and the industries. And now we have this incredible moment in technology that’s opening up possibilities we couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago.”
Indiana’s Innovation Paradox: Big Ideas, Too Few Startups
Much of TechPoint’s new vision is informed by Why Indiana Needs More Tech Companies, Not Just More Innovation, a report unveiled at Community Connect.
Developed over several months in collaboration with CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), the report examines the state’s entrepreneurial landscape and what it will take to turn more promising ideas into thriving tech companies.
The findings reveal a state with real strengths to build upon but also highlight how Indiana faces an “innovation paradox.”
- Indiana’s invention activity is about 2.9 times the national average per job, but few high-growth startups emerge from it. That’s a missed opportunity, considering young firms drive roughly 70% of gross job creation nationwide.
- The state’s entrepreneurship record is mixed. Indiana ranks 16th nationally for new entrepreneurs and ninth for startup survival, but 45th for first-year startup job creation. Many aspiring entrepreneurs also cite limited funding and uncertainty about where to start as barriers.
- Indiana produces world-class research, but too little reaches the market. The state has produced more than 93,000 research articles and nearly 12,900 patent families, yet growth-capital-backed startups hold just 1.4% of those patents.
The takeaway is clear. Indiana has the components to build a thriving technology economy. What’s missing is a more deliberate approach to turning those strengths into high-growth tech companies that start, scale and stay in Indiana.
Lifting Indiana Founders in Tech (LIFT)
At Community Connect, TechPoint’s Chelsea Linder introduced LIFT, a 12-month mentorship program connecting tech founders with mentors who’ve built and scaled companies themselves. Designed for founders who are past the idea stage, LIFT pairs each participant with a dedicated lead mentor and one or two additional mentors selected for their expertise. The teams will meet monthly to provide practical guidance, candid feedback and accountability, with a shared goal of helping each startup achieve its biggest milestone of the year.
For mentors, LIFT offers an opportunity to give back to Indiana’s tech community by sharing lessons learned firsthand. Their role is to provide the honest, sometimes difficult feedback founders need to make better decisions and move their companies forward.
The first LIFT cohort begins in January 2027, with applications open for both founders and mentors through December 15, 2026.
Learn More and Apply for LIFT →
Make Your Mark as a TechPoint Luminary Member
For years, TechPoint membership was only open to organizations. TechPoint introduced the new Luminary Membership during Community Connect for individuals who want to play a role in shaping Indiana’s tech future.
With a minimum contribution of $500, Luminary Members support TechPoint’s work connecting people, companies and opportunities across the state.
As an added benefit, Luminary Members receive two complimentary tickets to the 2027 Mira Awards at the new Signia by Hilton Indianapolis.
Ready to be part of what’s next? Explore TechPoint’s new website to learn more about LIFT, Luminary Membership and how to get involved.
