BLOOMINGTON — Amplify Bloomington will host the inaugural AMP Bloomington, a three-day event to strengthen the region’s innovation economy, Oct. 28-30 at six venues across the city. The event is free and open to the public and leads into Indiana University’s Homecoming weekend.
AMP Bloomington brings the founders, investors, employers, and university talent who drive the regional economy into one place, built for the connections that move ventures forward: a first customer, a next investor, the right hire, a research collaborator who can take an idea to market. It grew out of Innovation Week, which drew roughly 350 attendees last year, and reflects Bloomington’s momentum as a top location for innovators and entrepreneurs.
The event opens Oct. 28 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater with the keynote from Mike Clem, alongside Brian Kelsey of Heartland Forward on the heartland’s innovation opportunity and Polina Osherov of Pattern on creativity as economic infrastructure. The evening moves to an opening reception at the Waldron Arts Center.
Oct. 29 spans the city, opening with the IN AI Roadshow at the Indiana Memorial Union, presented with the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, and continuing at The Mill with a lunch keynote, sessions on defense and bio innovation, a scale-up company showcase, and a fireside chat on purpose-driven investing. The day closes with a reception at Paragraph in the Trades District.
Oct. 30 centers on capital, with a corporate venture capital panel and the IU Innovates Startup Showcase, which puts Indiana University’s newest startups in front of investors and potential customers.
“Bloomington already has what an innovation economy needs: a world-class university, companies that compete globally, and founders building something new,” said John Fernandez, CEO of Amplify Bloomington. “What we haven’t had is a reason for all of those people to be in the same room at the same time. AMP Bloomington is that room. Whether you’re looking for your first customer, your next hire, an investor, or a partner down the street, you’ll leave with conversations that turn into something real.”
AMP Bloomington’s Keystone Partners are the City of Bloomington, Cook Group, and Indiana University. Programming is produced with partners including the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, IU Innovates, Flywheel Fund, and Paragraph Ventures.
Registration is open at amplifybloomington.org/amp-bloomington.
