Indianapolis, Ind. (July 5, 2022) — Elevate Ventures today announced the winners of its three regional pitch competitions, which resulted in $660,000 in investments. The investments boost Indiana startups as they create high-growth businesses and jobs across the state.
“The quality of the companies pitching was very strong which made the decision process extremely difficult for our judges,” said Landon Young, executive director of entrepreneurial programming at Elevate Ventures. “We’re honored to be able to invest in such a talented group of entrepreneurs and help them continue growing their businesses in Indiana.”
The competitions were held over three days with 50 companies pitching. Fifteen companies were chosen to receive investments; nine from the pre-seed level and six from the seed level. In addition to receiving investment, all winning companies will be recognized as Elevate portfolio companies. Winning companies came from communities across the state, with eight universities represented:
Northern Indiana
Pre-Seed ($20,000 investment)
- Caevisus, Angola, Trine University
- Soteria Flooring, South Bend, University of Notre Dame
- Paradise Spreads, Schererville, Purdue University Northwest
Seed ($80,000 investment)
- Plantennas, Chesterton, Purdue University Northwest
- Erickson Motors, Fort Wayne, Purdue University Fort Wayne
Central Indiana
Pre-Seed ($20,000 investment)
- Queue0, Speedway, Ivy Tech Community College
- ArtBot.tv, Carmel, Indiana University-Bloomington
- EatHere, Indianapolis, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Seed ($80,000 investment)
- Quantum Research Sciences, Lafayette, Purdue University
- Probari, Indianapolis, Indiana University-Bloomington
Southern Indiana
Pre-Seed ($20,000 investment)
- Perpetua Technologies, Bloomington
- Finniva Technologies, Bloomington, Indiana University-Bloomington
- ONEOQ, Terre Haute, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Seed ($80,000 investment)
- American Evidence Management, Vincennes, Purdue University
- Traduality Language Solutions, Bloomington
“Winning the Nexus Regional Pitch Competition will allow Paradise Spreads to scale up our manufacturing processes and continue to be innovative with plant-based products while ensuring all product development is in line with clean ingredients and sustainable regulations to enhance the consumers’ overall life,” said Emily Edwards, founder of Paradise Spreads. “Today, millennials are wanting a healthier lifestyle overall, and this includes shifting to better-for-you products like Paradise Spreads that focus on individual wellness needs.”
Companies receiving investment from regional pitch competitions are also eligible to apply to compete for a share of $320,000 during the Elevate Nexus Statewide competition on Aug. 5 in Indianapolis. Pre-seed companies will compete for an additional $40,000, while seed companies will compete for an additional $100,000 investment. Additional eligibility criteria can be found here. The Statewide competition is open to the public and admission is free with required registration.
Elevate Nexus is funded by a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and the Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund (21 Fund). Several grant and investment programs managed by Elevate Ventures, including Elevate Nexus, are supported by the 21 Fund under the Indiana Economic Development Corp.
