TechPoint, Indiana's tech growth initiative, sets out policy priorities that would help our state nurture its critical tech ecosystem. We call on the Pence Administration and the 119th Indiana General Assembly to adopt the progressive, transformational public policies necessary to achieve our common goal of making Indiana a global leader in entrepreneur-driven, technology-based economic development that will create high-wage jobs.

1. Talent Attraction and Development + “Placemaking”
and Place Marketing
Venture Capital Investment + Startup Acceleration
Digital Economy
Digital Infrastructure
2015
Technology Agenda
for a vibrant Indiana

2. TechPoint is a non-partisan,
private non-profit with a
mission to create an
ecosystem in Indiana where
technology companies,
entrepreneurs, employees
and innovation thrive.

3. This mission is critical for the state’s job and
wealth creation because, per Kauffman
Foundation research, net new job creation
comes not from large companies but from
startups, which are bringing new technology
and business models to market and growing
quickly.
This rapid growth and innovation is often funded
by venture capital investment, and half of all
venture capital investment nationwide goes into
information technology companies, far surpassing
other industries.

4. Even large companies are
increasingly dependent on
computer technology to
grow and compete,
Jobs created by startups to build new technology
and those employed by existing companies to
service technology are high-skill, high-wage jobs,
which Indiana needs more of. Thus, a thriving
technology ecosystem is critical for our state.

5. Here are the policy priorities
that would help our state
nurture this critical ecosystem.
TechPoint calls on the Pence Administration and
the 119th Indiana General Assembly to adopt the
progressive, transformational public policies
necessary to achieve our common goal of making
Indiana a global leader in entrepreneur-driven,
technology-based economic development that
will create high-wage jobs.

6. Talent Attraction and
Development + “Placemaking”
and Place Marketing
Become the destination for a highly skilled
workforce.

7. PRIORITY: Increase Efforts to Attract, Develop
and Retain Talent
Increasingly, technology skills are becoming
important to every company, and all over the
country companies are experiencing a critical
shortage of tech-skilled talent for high-wage jobs.
We need more computer programming and
teacher proficiency in the K-12 system and greater
connectivity between our universities and our tech
companies. Consider economic development
incentives to attract, retain and repatriate students,
tech workers, and successful entrepreneurs.
Talent Attraction & Development

8. SUPPORT: Support Efforts that Focus on
Regional City “Placemaking” and Place
Marketing
Regional city development and marketing are
critical to attracting resources in a tech company,
and tech workers are increasingly clustering in
metro areas. We need to ensure that our metro
areas have the amenities to be competitive against
other cities in attracting talent and can have
sufficient funds to market those virtues to both
company execs and employees.
Talent Attraction & Development

9. Venture Capital Investment +
Startup Acceleration
Become the destination for a highly skilled
workforce.

10. PRIORITY: Make the Venture Capital Tax Credit
Transferrable
Less than 0.01% of venture capital nationally
flowed into Indiana companies in 2013, while 70%
flowed into CA, MA and NY alone. Capital
investment is often a requirement for startups’
growth, and the Indiana Venture Capital Tax Credit
is an important instrument for steering the flow of
private investment dollars from outside the state
into Indiana companies. (more ... )
Venture Capital Investment

11. (Priority Continued ... )
Also, we encourage increasing the Venture Capital
Tax Credit or otherwise incentivizing the flow of
capital to startups in Indiana instead of other states
or alternative investment vehicles.
SUPPORT: Streamline Elevate Venture’s approval
process and mitigate conflicts of interest for
Entrepreneurs in Residence
Venture Capital Investment

12. Digital Economy
Sustain and nurture tax policies to grow
our economy.

13. PRIORITY: Oppose Attempts to Apply Indiana’s
Sales Tax to Computing Services
Increasingly, technology companies are delivering
their products to customers as a service via the
internet (Software as a Service or SaaS model),
enabling customers to subscribe instead of
shipping a physical product.
Also, tech companies are increasingly serving
customers all around the world, not just in Indiana.
Thus, their competitors can be anywhere in the
world as well.
Digital Economy

14. A sales tax on services could
make Indiana-based tech
products more costly, less
competitive, and create an
undue administrative and
compliance burden for
young companies.
Digital Economy

15. Digital Infrastructure
Deliver innovative public and private services on
blazing fast networks.

16. SUPPORT: Encourage and Enable Local
Governments to Utilize Open Data
Open data is the idea that certain data should be
freely available for everyone to use and republish
as they wish. The philosophy behind open data
has been long established, but the term itself is
relatively new and it is gaining popularity. Just as
opening up federal government weather and GPS
data created significant value and commercial
enterprises, opening standardizing access to state
and local data could as well.
Digital Infrastructure

17. SUPPORT: Streamline Approvals Needed to Build
Fiber and Wireless Broadband
The speed, reliability and affordability of our
Internet infrastructure is as critical as roads for
competitive advantage. For attracting and growing
Internet-dependent businesses and making a
national statement about Indiana's innovativeness,
we need high-speed fiber-based wired and 4G
wireless infrastructure readily accessible and
nationally cost-competitive where tech companies
and tech workers are starting and living.
Digital Infrastructure

18. For More Information Contact:
Mr. Mike Langellier
President & CEO | TechPoint
111 Monument Circle
suite 1800
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 275-2083
mike@techpoint.org
Mark I. Shublak Esq.
Partner | Ice Miller LLP
One American Square
suite 2900
Indianapolis, IN 46282-0200
(317) 236-5981
Shublak@icemiller.com
techpoint.org