IDEA Week 2025 seeks to fuel innovation through learning, connection and fun
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A regional celebration of innovation, entrepreneurship and community, IDEA Week 2025 once again aims to provide entrepreneurs and innovators across the economic spectrum with keynotes from various homegrown heroes, panel sessions and hands-on workshops to spark their next big idea.
The event is scheduled for April 22-25 in South Bend.
Now under the purview of the South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership for the first time since it was conceived in 2018 at the University of Notre Dame’s IDEA Center, this year’s iteration boasts 35+ speakers, 14 workshops, five panels, four keynotes, four dinner parties, three one-on-one sessions, three happy hours, two concerts and one comedy show.
“There’s something in there for everyone, whether you’re a high growth potential startup or a Main Street business, startup,” Marty Mechtenberg, the regional partnership’s director of entrepreneurship ecosystems, said. “When we started rebuilding IDEA Week, it just took on a life of its own, we kept seeing opportunities to do great things and we leaned into those opportunities.”
Mechtenberg speaks on how IDEA Week caters to everyone across the business spectrum.
Audiochuck Founder and Crime Junkie Host Ashley Flowers, neuroscientist turned venture capitalist Milad Alucozai, Author of “Do Better Work: Finding Clarity, Camaraderie, and Progress in and Out of the Office” Max Yoder and GitButler Co-Founder Scott Chacon are all featured speakers.
This year’s activities kick off with a free launch party on April 22 from 4:30 p.m. at Momentum Entrepreneurship Hub.
“We live in a competitive world but there are amazing opportunities happening right here in our region,” Mechtenberg said. “You can build something great here, expand here, stay innovative and you can do it starting right here.”
Showcasing new tools and skill sharing will make up the most part of the programming on April 23. Small business owners will learn about how to integrate AI tools into their workflows. Attorneys from Cook Alex Ltd. in Chicago will go over unique intellectual property needs for area businesses, and Caroline Storms from IN APEX Accelerator in Indianapolis will share insights for clinching government contracts, among 13 other sessions for the day.
“We based a lot of the content this year on survey results that we got last year, we looked at what folks told us at the end of 2024 and thought about ways we could better serve them this year,” Mechtenberg said. “We’ll certainly do a post-event survey and gather feedback again. So we’re very tuned in, listening to what the community is looking for.”
In her session titled “Preventing Passion Fatigue: Healthy Behaviors for Avoiding Burnout,” Andie Hines Lagemann, an emotional intelligence practitioner and director of engagement for Indianapolis-based Elevate Ventures said she plans to help participants recognize early signs of burnout and how to implement stress management techniques.
“The need is real in the entrepreneurship space and I would argue, even to a greater degree in the high growth startup space,” Hines-Lagemann said. “And I just think it’s really cool that (IDEA Week) recognizes that need.”
The floodgates of inspiration will be opened on April 24 with a panel session on innovation ecosystems and venture funding in the morning, an afternoon panel following the success strategies and lessons from centennial companies and Flowers, who grew up in Mishawaka will give the keynote.
The annual McCloskey New Venture Competition will happen on the last day, April 25, with 21 teams vying for the top spot and more than $400,000 in cash and kind prizes.
Signups are currently upwards of 850 and based on last year’s numbers, Mechtenberg expects an attrition rate of about 50%, especially since most of the sessions are entirely free. The conference model also makes it tough to track attendance, and with this year’s event happening across more than five venues, it could be even harder to track.
Along with all the new insights attendees are set to gain at the conference, Rusty Shields, owner of Bloomington-based Develefy Consulting will help participants maximize their learnings by making better use of time.
“I can tell you, as an entrepreneur, time is just not one of those resources that we have a lot of. Time and energy are the two most limited resources in life,” Shields said. “So any kind of way that we can use time management tools or time management practices, even one small change or one small tool can change the entire course and impact of your day.”
With “connection and play” being integral parts of the conference, IDEA Week has become known as a regional networking destination. Groups from Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Chicago and Michigan have already signed up to attend, giving a broader Midwest appeal to the event.
“The ability to network, to meet like-minded individuals, meet your next business partner, a potential investor, that’s a huge part of what we’re trying to do here,” Mechtenberg said. “I want our region to be known for its incredibly strong sense of connection and communication, and I think IDEA Week is one way to make that happen.”
While the event could cost north of $400,000, Mechtenberg said his team is keeping a close eye on the budget and making the most of funds from sponsors and community partners.
“We’ve had really great support from the community to make this happen,” he added. “Our sponsors see what we’re doing, they see the energy and the focus it’s bringing to the region. They care about the region too because they’re growing and building here.”
Prior to taking control of IDEA Week, the regional partnership hosted Founder’s Factory, a similar one-day event to mark Global Entrepreneurship Week. With the takeover, folks can expect a smaller IDEA Week-branded event to celebrate entrepreneurship in November.
“IDEA Week is just one week,” Mechtenberg said. “So we’re thinking really hard about how we can extend the brand throughout the year, something that would keep the energy and the conversation moving.”