Elevate Ventures

On Monday, six teams of Butler University - Lacy School of Business students were given a "simple" question to answer in 4.5 days: "Would you invest in this business?" In partnership with Elevate Ventures (shoutout to Jacob Schpok), internal and external mentors, Professors (Tom Hanson and many others) and peers - students spent the week analyzing valuations, go-to-market strategies, pro formas, team dynamics and market to make determinations at today's investor competition. In front of six judges - including 4x founders, two deans and three venture capitalists - students had 10 minutes to pitch their case. I wasn't sure what to expect, honestly - but, hours later, I'm still buzzing from the energy, the intellect and the sheer effort put towards this competition. We have such incredibly talented students. It's awesome. Private Venture Association - Butler University Butler Entrepreneurship

Our friends over at High Alpha are organizing a founder meetup. A few of us will be there, so keep an eye out for out team. For more information, visit: https://hubs.ly/Q03f8DRB0. #Innovation #Networking #HighAlpha #EventAlert

Focus is everything for early-stage founders; Sifting through the noise and prioritizing is key to keeping your business alive. 🎥 Full chat of Christopher (Toph) Day & Matt Tyner Jr. at: https://lnkd.in/gp2a24hh

Thanks for having us on Startup Science. With over 30 years of entrepreneurial experience and multiple exits to Fortune 500 companies, Christopher (Toph) Day shares his journey from growing up in a strict German Baptist household on a small farm to the venture capital world. Link in comments.

It's hard to believe my trip to #Evansville for an SBIR/STTR event with Southwest Indiana Small Business Development Center (SBDC) was a week ago already! For a sold-out room, Scott Massey told the inspiring story of anu™ (previously gropod) and what it takes to bounce back from funding rejections. Then Scott, Matt Burkett, Nicholas Kuhn, and Logan Jenkins rounded out an engaging panel on the ins, outs, and resources available in Indiana for SBIR/STTR funding. Since it was an evening event, I stayed over in downtown Evansville and grabbed a coffee with Dominic Poggi at River City Coffee + Goods, and toured Anu before heading back to Fort Wayne. This gem of Southwest Indiana is one of my favorite cities! Nestled right on the Ohio River with so many great people and local entrepreneurship, what's not to love! Indiana Center for Emerging Technologies Elevate Ventures ARI (Applied Research Institute)

Welcome CruiseAlly to the #ElevatePortfolio! CruiseAlly a travel-tech startup founded by passionate cruisers, revolutionizes cruise booking through personalized, data-driven cruise recommendations. CruiseAlly saves travelers hours while helping them find their best cruise vacation. 🚢 Check out their updated website and sign up at https://hubs.ly/Q03dhzW90 Interested in becoming a beta tester? Connect with Justin Tait or head to the comments for the link.

The pace of business is accelerating faster than ever. Check out Christopher (Toph) Day & Matt Tyner Jr.'s full conversation at: https://lnkd.in/gp2a24hh

📅 🤖 Save the Date! - Join Elevate Ventures for The AI Workshop, a day of expert guidance and hands-on learning on how AI is transforming business operations, development, and sales and marketing. Choose from any or all of the four sessions led by local AI experts. ➡️ Executives: Develop AI-driven strategies with John Qualls (Blaizing Academy) ➡️ Operations + Customer Success: Improve internal workflows with James Paden (Pragmatico) ➡️ Sales + Marketing: Drive growth using AI with Shawn Schwegman (CoContent) ➡️ Developers: Learn how engineers from Data317, Crafted, Meristem Capital & Happy Data Studio are using AI to enhance development 🍹 Stay for Happy Hour! Network with founders, developers, and leaders over drinks and apps. 🔗 RSVP → https://lnkd.in/gWSGubBk Shoutout to our partners at Church Church Hittle and Antrim for their support in making this happen!

During Christopher (Toph) Day and Matt Tyner Jr.'s chat, the discussion of how complicated a pro forma should be came up... and there was a very strong opinion. 🎥 Full conversation at: https://lnkd.in/gp2a24hh

Matt Tyner, our Managing Partner, joined Mitch Frazier on AgriNovus Indiana's Agbioscience podcast to unpack what’s ahead, from shifting investor priorities to the cost of innovation in today’s market. With nearly 30% of VC deals in 2024 being down rounds or flat, entrepreneurs are facing new challenges in securing growth. So, how do founders break the cycle and position themselves for success? 🎙️ Tune in to hear about: ▪️The state of venture capital ▪️ Investors’ increased focus on profitability ▪️ AI’s role as an enabler, not a vertical ▪️ Emerging trends in agbioscience Don’t miss this deep dive...Links in the comments. #VentureCapital #Startup #InnovationCapitaloftheWorld