Tech Point has announced a collaboration with some of its Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) initativea to connect Hoosier entrepreneurs with a team of experts who can help them activate their new startups. Ting Gootee, President and CEO of Tech Point, explains the partnership in today’s “This Week in Business” segment.
Tech Point is dedicated to accelerating the growth of our digital innovation economy across various sectors. As part of their digital innovation strategy, Tech Point has assembled a team of professionals they call The Dream Team. This program is called Indiana Venture Support, and it aims to provide more access and industry expertise for founders and operators.
For more information about the program click here.
Market Analyst Jane King joined us from the NASDAQ today to discuss what happens on Wall Street around the holidays. Large and small businesses can benefit from the festive financial knowledge.
She said the end of the year for Wall Street sees a “Santa Claus rally.” Additionally, many people are on vacation.
In 2023, business stories to watch include inflation, the Federal Reserve, and the reopening of China, Jane said.
This week the U.S. Small Business Administration reports that Indiana has hit a record in small business lending. The SBA approved 1,335 loans for small businesses in the state, reporting more than $650 million directly to entrepreneurs and supporting more than $925 million used to start, grow, and expand businesses.
We spoke with Laura Schafnitz, Public Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Small Business Administration, about the impact of these loans.
For more information on the U.S. Small Business Administration click here.
Business Journalist Jane King joined us to discuss the 2022 holiday shopping season. She said this is the first semi-normal season since 2019, and that recently shoppers have been increasingly shopping in stores.
Another trend she discussed is consumers using credit cards despite rising inflation.
For more information, watch the video above.
QR codes have recently risen to popularity, but are they right for your business? Nelson Spade, General Manager of Circulus Digital Media, said QR codes accelerated in popularity by way of contactless payment during the Covid-19 pandemic.
While QR codes aren’t new, there has been a recent resurgence. Spade said that in 2022, 83 million US smartphone users — just shy of 40% of all users — will scan a QR code.
On the business end, entrepreneurs can add QR codes to business cards, direct mail, and more.
For more information on QR codes and digital marketing solutions, connect with Circulus Digital Media here.
Technology in Indiana is growing, and opportunities are growing. InnoPower and TechPoint have collaborated to inclusively grow Indiana’s tech force. The goal is 41,000 new tech jobs by 2030 and increasing opportunities for Black tech talent in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Gary.
We spoke with Dennis Trinkle, Executive Vice President for TechPoint, and Emil Ekiyor, Founder and CEO of InnoPower Indy, today about the partnership.
The three-phased Design Thinking sessions are designed to learn first from the target audience what obstacles exist keeping them from tech careers, develop ideas for how the obstacles can be overcome and then implement the ideas. The sessions are open to the public and will be held from 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. local time:
- December 6 in Indianapolis at the P30 Coworking space at 3039 N. Post Rd.
- Indianapolis, IN 46226.
- December 7 in Gary at the Best Buy Teen Tech Center at the John Will Anderson Gary Boys & Girls Club in partnership with the Center of Workforce Innovations.
- December 15 in Fort Wayne at Job Works at 7230 Engle Rd., Ste 213
For more information on the collaboration click here.
In an effort to prepare today’s young people to be tomorrow’s workforce, educators and private businesses are coming together to create an atmosphere full of learning opportunities.
Dr. George H. Endress is the founder of Endress + Hauser, and recently his legacy has lived on in the company’s partnership with Purdue Indiana Next Generation Manufacturing Competitive Center . In September, they created a Design and Innovation Studio at the company’s Greenwood, Indiana headquarters to introduce kids to STEM and future STEM careers.
We spoke with Jerry Spindler, Early Workforce Development Manager for Endress + Hauser, about the new program. It is currently open to Johnson County schools and southern Marion County schools. The program aims to make Industry 4.0 technology and STEM-learning opportunities accessible to students.
For more information on the studio, click here.
The Indiana Office of Technology and the Indiana Office of Homeland Security have designated October as National Cybersecurity Month. Tracy Barnes, Chief Information Officer for the Indiana Office of Technology, takes cyber threats to the government and the private sector very seriously.
He said Cybersecurity Awareness Month brings an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges facing us from a technology standpoint. He discussed how businesses need to protect their data, customers, and assets.
For more information on how to protect your business technology, click here.
Jane King is a Business Journalist who joined us from the NASDAQ to discuss the recent producer price index.
The Producer Price Index is what businesses pay for raw materials, and they usually turn into consumer prices down the road as businesses pass on higher costs. There is an average of 8.5% increase year over year.
To connect with Jane King, click here.
Nelson Spade, General Manager of Circulus Digital Media, joined us today to talk about the current status of personalized digital messages. He says the data industry is in a marathon, with the likes of Apple, Google, and Meta adjusting how they use data.
He cited a study from Salesforce that found 73% of respondents expect businesses to know something about them. There is an expectation from the consumer for the business to know what they’re looking for and perhaps what they’ve done in the past, he said. 90% of the respondents said they like personalized messages, which can be as simple as using their first name or as complex as past purchase history.
Spade recommended that business owners understand that who they’re asking data from and what they’re asking varies quite a bit.
For more information on Circulus Digital Media and what the data industry future may hold, click here.