#48: Rise of the Rest Roundtable Part 2: Innovation, Inclusivity and the Indiana Advantage

Last Thursday was a huge day for the Indianapolis tech community. AOL co-founder Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest tour bus stopped by, and ten high-growth startups competed for a chance to win a cool $100,000. In the end, the grand prize went to the water-testing company 120WaterAudit. The company’s CEO, Megan Glover, was among our panel of guests on last week’s episode of the Powderkeg Podcast, which you can check out here if you missed it. Even though Rise of the Rest Indy is over, the founders who pitched at the event can still provide invaluable lessons and examples for fellow entrepreneurs to follow. In this second part of our RotR Roundtable, which was recorded two weeks ago, I speak with leaders from the final five companies that pitched on stage last Thursday. Our conversation touches briefly on the innovative work these company are doing in their respective spaces before diving deeper and exploring the inspiration behind each one. The real meat of the discussion centers on some of the unexpected benefits of starting up in Indiana—a state that most people don’t traditionally associate with tech innovation—and the ways that a commitment to diversity and inclusivity have given these founders a decisive edge in their industries. In this episode with the final five RotR founders, you’ll learn: --- The innovative work each company is doing in its space --- What inspired each founder to start their business --- How Indiana’s tech ecosystems and universities have given these startups an edge --- The critical roles diversity and inclusivity have played for their companies --- How they like to prepare for an important pitch --- If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud or Stitcher. We have an incredible lineup of interviews we’ll be releasing every Tuesday here on the Powderkeg Podcast. Check it out at powderkeg.com/itunes