Last week, executives from 41 Hoosier "Companies to Watch" were honored at a gala dinner at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis. Presented by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Purdue University, and the Edward Lowe Foundation, the "Companies to Watch" program recognizes the state’s fast-growing, high-potential firms among businesses with up to 150 employees and between $750,000 and $100 million in annual revenues.

It’s noteworthy that 17 of the 41 companies on this list are in the information technology space, representing areas like software development, IT consulting, e-mail marketing, and healthcare technologies. These high-tech firms are located across the state.

The fact that nearly half of the IEDC’s ‘Companies to Watch’ list are tech companies is more evidence – although anecdotal – of the sector’s continued growth and vitality in Indiana. Hoosier technology firms continued to add jobs even during the trough of the recession in 2008, and Indiana skyrocketed up the state rankings in venture capital investment per capita, from 41st in 2008 to 20th in 2009, showing that funding continues to flow to high-tech innovation here.

The 2010 "Companies to Watch" account for more than $390 million in annual revenues, employ more than 2,000 Hoosiers, and are on pace to create nearly 1,000 new jobs in 2000. The future looks bright for these businesses – as it does for Indiana’s technology community. See the full list of companies.