IoT Lab Progressing in Fishers

The Indiana IoT Lab in Fishers will hold its grand opening in the first quarter of next year. The lab, unveiled in February, is located in the city’s state-certified tech park, which includes the Nickel Plate District — home of Launch Fishers — and North East Commerce Park. Launch Fishers founder John Wechsler says it will be home to "in-resident" companies, innovation teams from larger corporations and "backpack-and-an-idea" entrepreneurs. In an interview with Inside INdiana Business, Wechsler said the lab could grow to include hundreds of stakeholders, as statewide interest could reach into the thousands of individuals and companies in the coming years.

He described the players expected to be involved in the lab. "It’s going to be heavily Indiana-based, but we will have some national players, as well as national and international service providers" occupying the first-of-its-kind-in-Indiana space, Wechsler says. The first tenants are already moving in.

Wechsler calls the lab, established in association with founding members ClearObject and Indiana University, "a natural outgrowth of the entrepreneurial ecosystem" at Launch Fishers and throughout the state. He adds it will build on Indiana’s strengths in manufacturing, medical device, logistics and agriculture. "We’re going to basically build the infrastructure to help those companies innovate and prepare for the future." That future involves autonomous vehicles, voice-activated home controls and industrial automation, all of which Wechsler believes could be technologies IoT Lab participants hold lead positions in.

At the time of publication, director and operations manager positions are posted on the lab’s website.