The Art Of Resonance

Session Overview

Indiana’s innovation economy is entering a consequential stretch. Capital is disciplined. Markets are shifting. Artificial intelligence is accelerating how quickly ideas move from concept to competition. For founders across the state, the challenge is no longer simply building something new. It is articulating why it matters, why now, and for whom.

That was the backdrop for Elevate Ventures’ Storytelling Workshop, part of our 2026 workshop series designed to equip founders with practical, founder-first tools they can apply immediately. Before diving into pitch decks and positioning frameworks, the day opened with something intentional and unexpected.

Mariah Ivy, poet, musician, and Director of Programs and Artistic Development at the Madam Walker Legacy Center, took the stage to ground the room in the art of resonance. A proud Indianapolis native whose work lives at the intersection of poetry, hip hop, and civic dialogue, Mariah treats storytelling not just as entertainment, but as infrastructure for connection and change. For founders navigating 2026, her message was clear. If your story does not resonate, it does not move people. And if it does not move people, it does not scale.

Photo by G. Marie Photography

Session Narrative

Mariah opened with a poem titled “A Poem About Libraries.” It was a meditation on access, imagination, and the consequences of closing spaces that hold culture and possibility. Written in 2020, the piece explored what it means when something deemed essential becomes inaccessible.

She closed the poem with a line that lingered in the room: a world “where libraries are always essential and unable to close.” That line was not accidental. It was anchored in a real cultural moment when grocery stores and gas stations remained open, but public libraries did not. “What does it mean when people can’t access imagination?” she asked.

From there, she shifted from performance to process.

Mariah introduced her unique value proposition, not as a marketing slogan, but as a filter for decision-making. She builds “sanctuaries for social change, connection, and vulnerability through poetry, music, and creative production.” That clarity, she explained, determines her yes and her no. It helps her tell stories with authenticity rather than attempting to speak to everyone.

For founders, the parallel is immediate. When you know what you uniquely do well, your positioning sharpens. You stop chasing every opportunity and start attracting the right ones.

She then walked through her five pillars for storytelling:

1. Urgency, relevance, and resonance

2. Substance

3. Personal connection and enjoyment

4. Creative rigor

5. Impact

The first pillar, urgency, resonated deeply with the room of entrepreneurs. “Why is it important to tell this story now?” she asked. If that question cannot be answered clearly, she suggested, it may not be time to launch. For founders, that translates directly into fundraising and go-to-market strategy. Investors are not just evaluating the quality of an idea. They are evaluating timing.

She quoted Nina Simone’s belief that an artist must reflect the times. In venture terms, that means understanding market shifts, policy changes, demographic trends, and technological inflection points. Founders who anchor their narrative in what is happening now, rather than what was true three years ago, create conviction.

Photo by G. Marie Photography

Substance was her second pillar. Is the topic expansive enough? Is there depth beneath the surface? She compared it to writing a dissertation. If there is not enough there to sustain 100 pages, there may not be enough there to sustain impact. For founders, this becomes a question of defensibility and durability. Can your solution withstand scrutiny? Is there real depth in the problem you are solving?

Personal connection followed. Mariah shared that she did not enjoy reading as a child because she could not find books she resonated with. That personal tension ultimately shaped her work. The best stories, she argued, often emerge from lived experience. In the startup world, this translates to founder-market fit. Why are you the one to solve this problem?

Creative rigor was next. She emphasized the discipline behind artistry. Extended metaphors, repetition, symbolism, and wordplay are not accidents. They are intentional craft. In business, that same rigor shows up in product design, messaging precision, and disciplined execution.

Finally, impact. “If spaces do not become better as a result of this poem,” she said, “what’s the point of putting it out?” She described how her library poem led to campus engagements, new library cards issued, and renewed interest in reading as a third space. The work created measurable change.

For founders, impact is not abstract. It is revenue, job creation, improved health outcomes, stronger supply chains, or expanded access to technology. It is the tangible shift your company enables in Indiana’s economy.

The room responded with thoughtful questions. One founder connected urgency to the venture process itself. “Why now for the check?” he asked. That framing captured the bridge between art and entrepreneurship. Urgency is not just emotional. It is strategic.

Mariah also offered a timely caution about artificial intelligence. AI can produce polished language, but it carries a familiar rhythm. “We feed it so it pumps back a familiar rhythm,” she noted. When every brand sounds the same, differentiation erodes. For founders building in a crowded AI-enabled landscape, authenticity and distinct voice are strategic assets.

Her advice on applying the five pillars to marketing was equally practical. These are not frameworks to announce. They are standards to demonstrate. If urgency, substance, and impact are evident in your work, audiences will feel it. Trust follows.

Key Takeaways

Start with urgency. If you cannot clearly articulate why your story matters now, revisit your timing. Investors and customers respond to momentum, not static ideas.

Define your unique value proposition. Clarity about what you uniquely do well sharpens positioning and filters opportunities. It determines your yes and your no.

Build depth beneath the surface. A compelling narrative requires substance. Founders should pressure test whether their problem and solution can withstand scrutiny.

Lean into lived experience. Personal connection strengthens credibility. Founder-market fit often drives the most authentic and persuasive stories.

Practice creative rigor. Great storytelling is disciplined work. Precision in language mirrors precision in product and execution.

Measure impact. If your work does not make a measurable difference, refine it. Outcomes, not intentions, define lasting value.

Guard against generic language. In an AI-driven environment, distinct voice and perspective are competitive advantages.

Photo by G. Marie Photography

Why It Matters

Indiana’s innovation economy is powered by founders willing to build solutions to real, complex problems. As capital becomes more selective and competition expands beyond state lines, storytelling is no longer a soft skill. It is strategic infrastructure.

Urgency connects companies to macroeconomic drivers such as workforce transformation, healthcare access, advanced manufacturing, and AI adoption. Substance and rigor build investor confidence. Personal connection fuels founder resilience. Impact strengthens Indiana’s broader economic narrative.

Elevate Ventures exists to accelerate entrepreneurs at every stage, from ideation to scale. By grounding a technical workshop in the art of resonance, we reinforced a central truth. Behind every successful company is a story that moves people to act.

Closing Reflection

Indiana’s momentum is real. Our founders are building in sectors that shape national and global markets. But products alone do not create movements. Stories do.

As Mariah reminded the room, the question is not simply what you are building. It is why it matters now and how it makes spaces better as a result. When Indiana founders combine disciplined execution with resonant storytelling, they do more than raise capital. They shape the future of our innovation economy.