SOUTH BEND, Ind. (May 10, 2019) The South Bend – Elkhart Region has been named the Elevate Ventures Region of the Year 2018. Awarded to Startup South Bend – Elkhart (SUSBE), a committee of the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership, the Elevate Ventures Region of the Year award recognizes the region with the highest number of Elevate Ventures deals (21 Fund and Indiana Angel Network Fund only) per capita from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2018. Gary Neidig, President of ITAMCO and Chairman of the Startup South Bend – Elkhart board accepted the award during Elevate Ventures’ second annual Kinetic portfolio conference on May 2 in Indianapolis.

“The collaboration by the city, counties, community and universities is outstanding,” said Neidig. “Everyone is putting themselves aside and working together to build a new renaissance in the South Bend – Elkhart Region.”

Over the course of 2018, the South Bend – Elkhart Region distributed $975,000 in angel funds and 21 Fund investments. The 21 Fund is a dedicated investment fund through Elevate Ventures with a maximum investment size of $4 million per company. Elevate Ventures portfolio companies have a market size of over $500 million and demonstrate clear sustainable competitive advantages.

“The South Bend – Elkhart Region has seen a tremendous growth in entrepreneurial and startup activity in recent years and 2018 was no exception,” said Gavin Ferlic, Entrepreneurial Engagement Director for Elevate Ventures.

Elevate Ventures currently has six partnerships with various regions in Indiana, which include Southern, Northeast, Southwest, Northcentral and Southcentral Indiana. These partnerships allow Elevate Ventures and the surrounding regions to create an expansive network of influential leaders and individuals dedicated to and engaged in entrepreneurial growth, support and investment.

“We are extremely grateful for our partnership with Elevate Ventures,” said Catlin Bulger, Startup Ecosystem Manager for the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership. “We are working to bring resources spread across the region and the state together and making them more easily leveraged by the entrepreneurs who need them.”

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About Startup South Bend – Elkhart
Startup South Bend – Elkhart was formed by the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership (SBERP) with a mission to promote and foster the creation of an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the South Bend – Elkhart Region by stimulating the entrepreneurial spirit and culture in our citizens, identifying and nurturing new business startups and supporting the growth of existing high potential businesses.

About Elevate Ventures
Elevate Ventures is a private venture development organization that nurtures and develops emerging and existing high-growth businesses into high-performing, Indiana based-companies. Elevate Ventures accomplished this by providing access to capital, rigorous business analysis and robust advisory services that connect companies with the right mix of resources businesses need to succeed long term.