INDIANAPOLIS – Celebrating 40 years, the Venture Club of Indiana was formed in 1984, as the first Venture Club in the United States. With an untiring spirit to promote and support the startup community, the Venture Club of Indiana is thrilled to announce the 16th Innovation Showcase, set to take place on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at the Indiana State Museum.

This year’s overall theme of disruptive “game changing” technology in Indiana highlights the rising class of 20 plus Indiana startups. The Showcase Mainstage, “Where Capital Meets Innovation,” demonstrates the pivotal role of venture capital in driving innovation and fostering entrepreneurship in Indiana.

In contemplating “Disruptive Technology”, you need go no further than ARK Invest, an independently owned investment manager/venture fund founded by Cathie Wood in St Petersburg, FL. Describing ARK’s process, Cathie says, “We’re all about finding the next Big Thing. Those hewing to the benchmarks, which are backwards looking, are not about the future. They are about what has worked. We’re all about what is going to work.” Keynote speaker, Frank Downing, ARK Invests’ Director of Research for Next Generation Internet will inform our audience of how ARK thinks of the future as it relates to “How AI is at the Center of Tech Convergence”.

“Are you Listening?” was the question CEO, Amy Brown answered when she founded Authenticx. As the COO of a health insurance company, she heard patient voices, their comments, concerns, and complaints. Realizing that there was no current way to distill and utilize this critical information, she understood this was that very data that could grow revenue and improve profitability by elevating the voices and insights of the customer into useable scalable data. In 2018. Amy answered that question by founding Authenticx, an Indiana start up focused on using AI and natural language processing to discern insights from the patient conversations which reveal meaningful information and enabling better business decisions. Amy pitched her company at the 2020 Innovation Showcase. Today, she ranks #349 on the INC 5000 list.

“Both Amy’s and Frank’s relentless pursuit of understanding and harnessing the potential of technology aligns perfectly with VCI event’s mission to empower innovators and equip investors. We are delighted that they will be on our stage with depth of insights we believe our audience is hungry to hear.” said Sandy Wilcox, Innovation Showcase Chair. “You will want front row seats to this event!”

This curated start up competition is the crown jewel of Venture Club’s Innovation Showcase. Unique among the state’s innovation events, all startup companies on stage are required to be founded and based in Indiana and nominated by Indiana venture capital firms to compete with Indiana’s best of the best in tech and life sciences.

To maximize the investor and start up’s experience, the Showcase the cornerstone event of the three-day (IND)Venture Summit, which also includes 50 South Capital’s Next Level Fund Summit and TechPoint’s Venture Connect event. This convergence of industry leaders, investors and innovators creates a valuable opportunity for collaboration and networking within Indiana’s vibrant startup ecosystem.

“This is Indiana’s premier event for investors and game-changing startup companies,” said Claire Neuman, Executive Director of Venture Club of Indiana. “The Innovation Showcase serves as a catalyst for driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and fueling economic growth in our region.”

Tickets for the Innovation Showcase are on sale now and can be purchased here.

For more information and inquiries, please contact Claire Neuman at claire@ventureclub.org or 317-966-0371.

Sponsors of the 2023 Innovation Showcase include: Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Barnes & Thornburg, Elevate Ventures, 50 South Capital, TechPoint, , Resolute Investment Managers, ARK Invest, Heritage Group Accelerator, Flywheel Fund, High Alpha, IU Summit, IU Ventures, Sixty8 Capital, Notre Dame IDEA Center, Purdue Innovates, Vision Tech Angels, Graham Allen Partners, Hyde Park Venture Partners, Boomerang Ventures, gener8tor

About Venture Club of Indiana:
Venture Club of Indiana is a leading organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation in Indiana. Through networking events, educational programs, and strategic partnerships, Venture Club of Indiana aims to create a vibrant ecosystem that nurtures startup ventures and accelerates their growth. Join us for the 16th year, and experience firsthand the energy and innovation shaping Indiana’s entrepreneurial landscape. Learn more: here

About ARK Invest:
Based in St. Petersburg, Florida, ARK Investment Management LLC (“ARK” or “ARK Invest”) is a federally registered investment adviser and privately held investment firm. Specializing in thematic investing in disruptive innovation, the firm is rooted in over 40 years of experience in identifying and investing in innovations that should change the way the world works. Through its open research process, ARK identifies companies that it believes are leading and benefiting from cross-sector innovations such as robotics, energy storage, DNA sequencing, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technology. ARK’s investment strategies include: Autonomous Technology and Robotics, Next Generation Internet, Genomic Revolution, Fintech Innovation, 3D Printing, Israel Innovative Technology, Transparency, and the overall ARK Disruptive Innovation Strategy. Learn more: here

About Authenticx:
Founded in 2018 by Amy Brown, a former healthcare executive, Authenticx enables healthcare organizations to consolidate conversational data into a unified source, facilitating robust and immersive analysis of customer insights. Authenticx harnesses recorded customer interactions such as calls, emails, or chats, leveraging AI and natural language processing to extract valuable insights. These insights empower various facets of the healthcare enterprise to make informed business decisions. Learn more: here.