Indiana is stepping up to create an environment that supports the startup, growth, and sustainability of Black Founders. Elevate Ventures/InnoPower Origins initiative aims to discover and develop early-stage startups by teaching them the skills and intelligent strategies to build big businesses with limited capital. Skilled entrepreneurs are the foundation of the free market. We aim to unleash the untapped potential of Black communities in Indiana and across America.

The first stage of a company is commonly called Ideation. This is where the founders create new ideas for startups and develop their ideas. The ORIGINS initiative focuses on supporting Black Founders in this stage.

Origins will prepare the Founders for their “pre-seed funding,” often sourced from the friends and family of the founding entrepreneurs who are betting on the leader at this stage more than the idea. When a Founder doesn’t have wealthy friends and family, they can bootstrap and pursue grants and other early-stage funding.