Powder Keg to draw 500 founders, developers and investors to Indianapolis in October
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation announced today that it has joined the sponsorship line-up for the Powder Keg, the first-ever national conference for startups and entrepreneurs to take place in Indianapolis from Oct. 17-19.
"The Hoosier State continues to be the state of choice for innovators to take risks and pioneer cutting-edge technology, and this conference is the latest proof that Indiana is a hotspot for growth-oriented, high-tech firms to do business," said Dan Hasler, Secretary of Commerce and chief executive officer of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. "We know that up-and-coming companies find Indiana's combination of entrepreneurial culture, low-cost environment and ample supply of energetic and talented Hoosier graduates the perfect combination to help them grow from startups to global leaders."
The Powder Keg, organized by Verge, an Indianapolis-based community of tech entrepreneurs, startups, software developers and investors, will convene entrepreneurial energy and talent from across the Midwest. The conference will feature 500 founders and creative technologists, host more than a dozen inspiring keynote speakers and presenters and showcase the nation's most innovative startups.
"You won't attend the Powder Keg if you're looking to participate in 'workshops' or sit in on 'educational tracks'— it's not that kind of event," said Matt Hunckler, founder and president of Verge. "Instead, we want to give entrepreneurs in the Midwest an event that exemplifies the spirit of entrepreneurship: sharing and leveraging the power of perspective shifting ideas so they can spread as widely and effectively as possible."
The Powder Keg continues to provide momentum to Central Indiana's growing community of technology-oriented, high-growth companies. According to the 2011 Best Places for High Tech Growth study by EMSI and the Praxis Strategy Group, the Indianapolis metropolitan area ranked 11th in the nation for high-tech growth, industry concentration and growth momentum. Also, earlier this month Indianapolis ranked as one of the top "cities with the happiest young professionals" by Forbes, landing at number four on the list.
The Hoosier State is home to numerous high-tech, entrepreneurial companies, including ExactTarget, Aprimo, Author Solutions, Interactive Intelligence, Angie's List, Compendium, Right On Interactive and Scale Computing. Just last month, Indiana welcomed Appirio, a global technology-enabled cloud service provider, to the state when it announced plans to open its second U.S. office in downtown Indianapolis, creating up to 300 high-wage jobs over the next few years.
For more information about Powder Keg, please visit www.powderkeg.org or contact Matt Hunckler at matt@vergestartups.com.