Central Indiana SBDC

NinjaZone (Indianapolis), founded by Casey Wright in 2014, offers a sports-focused children’s activity curriculum fusing martial arts, gymnastics, obstacle training and freestyle movement to fuel the athletic and character development of boys and girls ages 18 months to 13 years old. The company, which licenses its curriculum to more than 300 gyms and serves over … more »

Bitchstix (Indianapolis), founded by Indianapolis-native Emily Kennerk in 2016, is a face and skin care company selling lip balms and skin products made with organic, environmentally-friendly ingredients. To support its growth, Kennerk worked with the Indiana SBDC on an exporting strategy, which allowed her to expand into Canadian and European markets. Sales have doubled each … more »

Hotel Tango Artisan Distillery (Indianapolis) is the first combat-disabled, veteran-owned distillery in the nation and the first artisan distillery in Indianapolis since Prohibition. The company’s name was inspired by owner Travis Barnes’ military background, which included three tours in Iraq with the U.S. Marines. After launching, Barnes, along with his wife, Hilary, utilized the Indiana … more »