Retaining Indiana's homegrown entrepreneurs
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
State Sen. Greg Goode addresses the crowd during the Indiana Youth Innovation & Entrepreneurship Caucus kickoff as state Rep. Carey Hamilton looks on. Photo: Justin L. Mack/Axios
Indiana is home to a new initiative aimed at keeping the next generation of Hoosier entrepreneurs planted here in the state.
Why it matters: Supporting the standout local students who may become the leaders of tomorrow is part of a broader goal to keep the state's workforce of the future strong as Gen Z grows into a demographic with the power to reshape business and employee trends.
Driving the news: Last week, more than 100 people gathered at the Statehouse to celebrate the launch of Indiana's Youth Innovation & Entrepreneurship Caucus.
How it works: Co-chaired by state Reps. Craig Snow and Carey Hamilton and state Sens. Fady Qaddoura and Greg Goode, the caucus was created to empower high school students.
- It is made up of legislators, educators, parents and community leaders interested in building a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the state.
- The bipartisan effort will create opportunities for Indiana students to explore entrepreneurship under the guidance of experienced business leaders and will connect them with the resources needed to bring their big ideas to life.
What they're saying: For Goode, the caucus kickoff made him think of President John F. Kennedy's 1961 inaugural address, wherein he issued "a call to America to step up its game by way of innovation."
- "Today, we as a nation are in a different type of competition. A competition around artificial intelligence. A competition around production of semiconductors and microelectronics. A competition of life sciences and emerging biotechnology," Goode said. "I'm going to do everything I can and in my power to help try to create policy and advocacy to ensure that you have these tremendous opportunities … and that Indiana will be a leader amongst the states."
Catch up quick: The caucus shares DNA with the Innovate WithIN pitch competition, an annual event that sees students from across the state go head-to-head for seed funding and marketing support for their startups.
- The 2024 event featured 61 teams, with students pitching ideas for stopping school shootings, making roads safer and AI legal assistants.
- First place went to a team of Signature School and New Tech Institute students for Caseflood.ai, an AI receptionist that helps lawyers more efficiently qualify potential clients.
What's next: Top priorities for the caucus as it gets rolling include working with educators to develop classroom experiences that better prepare students for the workforce as well as partnering with community leaders to provide real-world learning opportunities to students who are interested.
- People can track their progress or get involved by heading to this link.