The Mill

?? Exciting News! ?? We are thrilled to share that Taptic has won $10,000 in the Crossroads Pitch Competition hosted by The Mill in Bloomington! This incredible opportunity, including an investment from the Flywheel Fund, marks a significant milestone for our mission to create innovative solutions for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. A huge thank you to IU Innovates, The Mill, the judges, and everyone who made this competition such a memorable experience. Your belief in our vision fuels our drive to make a real impact. Shoutout to the amazing fellow participants—we were truly inspired by your creativity and passion. It’s an honor to be part of such a dynamic and supportive entrepreneurial community. ?? Here’s to more milestones, growth, and innovation ahead. Let’s keep making waves! ???? #Taptic #DeafTech #SocialImpact #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #FlywheelFund #TheMill #IUBusiness #Startups

? Day 4 Recap: Innovation Week Highlights! ? ?? Best Places to Work Bloomington: We celebrated incredible local companies making Bloomington a great place to work with the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce! ?? Crossroads Idea Pitch Competition: Big ideas took center stage, with aspiring entrepreneurs sharing their visions and receiving expert feedback. ?? Remote Worker Friendsgiving: A festive gathering of remote workers with delicious food, networking, and holiday vibes! ?? Partner Events: We explored innovation with the Phoenix Closures Site Tour and dove into food business strategies with Entrepreneur This! Culinary Entrepreneurship. ?? Crossroads Finals & Happy Hour: Startups pitched their way to success, and we wrapped up the day with celebratory networking at After the Pitch! #InnovationWeek #TheMill #Bloomington #CrossroadsPitch #Entrepreneurship #CommunityConnection

We are all in on Hoosier entrepreneurs! No. 1 Indiana has double the activities of the second-place state during #GlobalEntrepreneurshipWeek! Congratulations to Bloomington and Muncie for making the list of cities with the most activities! And cheers, The Mill and the Innovation Connector, Inc. on making Global Entrepreneurship Network's list of partners with the most activities! See the #GEW2024 rankings here: https://lnkd.in/gN27-YnU Indiana Small Business Development Center (Indiana SBDC) Bloomington Economic Development Corporation East Central Indiana Regional Partnership #indiana #entrepreneurs #entrepreneurship

Golden hour at The Mill ??? A perfect reflection of the creativity and brilliance shining during Innovation Week. Here's to the ideas, connections, and breakthroughs lighting up our community! ?? #InnovationWeek #TheMill #Bloomington #WhereInnovationHappens #SunsetViews #Inspiration

Day 3 of Innovation Week was a whirlwind of innovation and inspiration! ??? ?? Crossroads Semi-Finals: Top startups pitched game-changing ideas live at The Mill—what a showcase of the future of business! ?? COLLIDE Founders Meetup: Founders connected, shared insights, and fueled each other’s entrepreneurial journeys. ?? Morgenstern Books Author Event: Morgan Miller inspired us with her story, From Startup to Standout. #InnovationWeek #CrossroadsPitch #Entrepreneurship #StartupLife #TheMill #Community

? Innovation Week Day 2 Recap! ? What an incredible day celebrating innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration in the heart of the Trades District! Here's what went down: ??? Mayoral Proclamation: We officially declared The Forge as a hub for creativity and growth! A huge moment for Bloomington’s entrepreneurial community. ?? Collegiate Founders Summit: Panels, workshops, and networking with Indiana’s brightest student founders—igniting the next wave of innovation. ?? TechStars Lunch + Learn: Insider tips on accelerators with Vance Dekker from Techstars NYC. Game-changing advice for startups! ?? Elevate Ventures Demo Day: Collegiate founders pitched their ideas to top VCs, gaining invaluable feedback and connections. ?? PROPELS Meet the Tech Happy Hour: Drinks, networking, and inspiration with tech enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. ?? Paragraph Launch Party + Kiln Sneak Peek: We celebrated new beginnings and a bold vision for the future of tech! ? The energy is electric, and we’re just getting started! Stay tuned for more events all week long. #InnovationWeek #TheForge #TradesDistrict #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship #NetworkingEvent #FutureOfTech

5(ish) years ago Pat East was buying a cold-pressed juice from my Bloomington restaurant inBloom Eats + Juice and started telling me about a startup hub they were building in Bloomington called the Mill. Fast forward 5 years (after getting out of the daily operations of a restaurant), I've been a The Mill member for 4+ years, launched 2 more startups, fundraised from Indiana VCs, employed 200+ Hoosiers, and loving (almost) every second of it. This week is #InnovationWeek at The Mill: a time to recognize that Bloomington is a magical place -- a place that creates thriving businesses, jobs, and opportunity for those problem solvers & dreamers. Feeling grateful for being a small part of it all. Big Shoutout all of those that have put in the work to make this week a great one! Pat East John Fernandez Bram Boyd Regan Poarch Aimee Cottle Victoria Crawley Nicholas Faulkenberg Samantha Ginther Bill Dawson, MBA, MSEI Austin Francalancia Andrew Lehman Haley Pritchett Amaiya Hawkins Abigail Resnick Eli Serrano Martina Fausto and anyone else who’s had a hand in this week.

?? Big news from The Forge this morning! ?? Mayor Kerry Thompson officially declared?today as Innovation Day?in Bloomington! ???? We’re kicking off Innovation Week with a celebration of creativity, entrepreneurship, and the power of big ideas to transform our community. Let’s make the most of this special day—stop by The Forge and join in the excitement all week long! ?? City of Bloomington, IN Kerry Thomson The Mill #InnovationDay #InnovationWeek #Bloomington #TheForge #BigIdeasHappeningHere

Guess what? We’ve been holding onto this one because it’s BIG: Indiana University is officially a lead sponsor for Innovation Week 2024! ?? Their generous support is paving the way for an unforgettable week of inspiring events, creative connections, and entrepreneurial energy. IU, you’re truly making this celebration of innovation shine even brighter! Let’s hear it for IU! ???? Indiana University Bloomington IU Ventures IU Innovates #InnovationWeek #IUInnovation #CelebrateInnovation #BloomingtonIN

Innovation Week Recap: Day 1! In partnership with NSWC Crane, we're launching the PROPELS Sprint Week— an exclusive opportunity to dive into cutting-edge technologies developed at NSWC Crane! ??? This is your chance to explore, test, and assess if these innovative solutions have real-world commercial potential. Are you ready to be part of the future of tech? ?? Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) #InnovationWeek2024 #DesignSprint #NSWCCrane #TechForGood #FutureOfTech #Commercialization