Two companies that participated last year in the first Butler University Accelerator for Workforce and Education powered by gener8tor class are planning to expand in Indiana and add a total of up to 44 new tech jobs.
The companies are Sweden-based imagiLabs and Minnesota-based Awesome People Leaders, both female-founded enterprises.
imagiLabs currently employs an international team of four across Europe and the US. The company’s coding platform can be used by students and teachers and is designed to ignite the interest of pre-teens and teens through fun, programmable devices and mobile apps that teach Python and enable kids to connect over their shared passion for creative coding. The first product, the imagiCharm, is a programmable device with an embedded LED matrix that can be used as a keychain, attached to backpacks, or even worn as a badge. It plans to add up to 20 jobs by 2029.
“We learned so much and met so many great people through the accelerator program that it made Indiana a natural expansion point for us,” said imagiLabs CoFoundera and CEO Dora Palfi. “Indiana is one of 11 states that has requires computer science for high school graduation, which made the state a great expansion point for us.”
Palfi said imagi is working with a number of Indiana schools and is collaborating with strong players in the Indiana ecosystem, including NexTech, which focuses on computer science education.
Awesome People Leaders currently has one employee in Minnesota and plans to locate its corporate headquarters in Indiana while adding up to 24 people by 2030. The company focuses on training frontline and middle managers in foundational leadership skills, as managers often do not receive adequate training when they are promoted, even as they impact the most employees in any organization. The company offers breakthrough leadership development training using neuroscience and artificial intelligence, increasing manager effectiveness in less time and in the flow of work.
Founder/CEO Heather Polivka said her experience in Indiana was inspiring.
“We were welcomed and supported at every turn, and it really made us want to keep that momentum going, so being in Indiana makes perfect sense for us,” she said.
Stephanie Hinshaw, Associate Vice President of Transformation at Butler University, said the companies’ response to their 12-weeks of program support and ongoing experience with the Indiana tech ecosystem is validating.
“We created this program with a global reach specifically to find and support the best education and workforce-focused startups in the world,” Hinshaw said. “We’re very pleased to see them recognizing the value that Indiana offers them on an ongoing basis.”
Based on the companies’ hiring plans, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) committed an investment in imagiLabs of up to $200,000 and in Awesome People of up to $300,000 in incentive-based tax credits. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning the companies are eligible to claim incentives once Hoosiers are hired.
“Indiana is committed to supporting Hoosier entrepreneurs and small businesses like never before,” said Ann Lathrop, chief strategy officer at the IEDC. “Since partnering to bring gBETA to the state several years ago, its accelerator alumni have created more than 4,100 new jobs here. imagiLabs and AwesomePeople are two more examples of the impact we can make here in the Hoosier state by collaborating to support our robust and innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
Jenny Massey, director of site selection and incentives at Sikich, which helped the company secure state incentives, credited the Butler Accelerator partners and state incentives for the companies’ decisions.
“This is a company that could grow anywhere, but chose Indiana because of their experience here with leaders dedicated to helping them succeed,” she said.
