Combine Kicks Off in Bloomington
(photo courtesy of the Combine)
An annual entrepreneurship and innovation conference begins Friday at the Monroe Convention Center in Bloomington. The Combine, which seeks to further the growth of the startup community in the Midwest, will feature workshops, a Civic Challenge and presentations from industry leaders.
More than 300 people will take part in the conference, which organizers say is being broadened to appeal to "anyone interested in how innovation happens in the Midwest."
"The core idea of the Combine is to foster a culture of innovation by intentionally mixing different people with varying skill sets together," said Mike Trotzke, co-founder of the Combine and vice president of the nonprofit Humanetrix Foundation Inc., which produces the event. “It is where developers meet co-founders and decide to start a company together. It’s where startups find support and funding, and where established companies find amazing employees.”
Some of the speakers at this year’s event include:
- Startup investor and entrepreneur, Paul Singh
- IU alumna and CEO of Serval Ventures, June W. Choi
- Bloomington-based entrepreneur and best-selling author, Jay Baer
- Graphic designer and founder of Brand New design blog, Armin Vit
- Founder and CEO of legal transaction platform Doxly, Haley Altman
- Folk-pop sisters from Portland, The Doubleclicks
You can learn more about the Combine by clicking here.