Ansley Fender, Founder and CEO of Atlas Solutions, is no stranger to risk. She’s been a homeless teenager, a classically trained violinist, a pregnant grad student, a small business owner, and now she’s a non-technical founder of a software as a service (SaaS) company that streamlines grant management. All of these experiences have shaped who she is today, she says, and prepared her to compete in an arena where women are underrepresented and underfunded.
Fender’s tech startup, Atlas Solutions, provides end-to-end management of the grant and government contract funding cycle for that 2 trillion–dollar market. In October of 2020, Atlas received $20,000 in pre-seed investment from Elevate Ventures’ Community Ideation Fund and is currently running a pilot with MVP software developed with those funds.
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In a continued effort to safely advance economic vitality and quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Bloomington will again create pedestrian-only spaces on three blocks of Kirkwood Avenue, beginning March 25, 2021 and running through June 30, 2021. This timeline may be modified due to the status of the state of emergency and/or COVID-related health department guidelines should the need arise.
These closures will be for the following sections of Kirkwood Avenue:
In the service of improving public safety, Mayor John Hamilton today introduced the details of a pilot program announced last fall designed to help retain and recruit police officers and deepen the Bloomington Police Department’s (BPD) connections in the community. The pilot program includes support for housing and for take-home cars focused on BPD officers living in the city. In combination with other enhancements, such as increased numbers of social workers and neighborhood specialists, resident-based reviews of racial equity and the future of policing, and continual review of best practices through the Board of Public Safety, these changes are designed to continue to improve BPD’s effectiveness in protecting public safety and sustaining public confidence in and relationships with the BPD.
Augmented Reality included in this book. What does that mean? Added value with the purchase of this book. A private message from me while you read this Amazon best seller, Hope Loss enCourage. Author Ann uses her viral campaign slogan, “I won’t steal, and I can count” and her two years of campaign experiences in her book Hope Loss enCourage, to illustrate how she turned what seemed to be a major loss into her biggest internal victory! Her book has practices as well as methods about progressing in life, even when you don’t think you have the strength.
Free Virtual Financial Literacy series offered by United Way of Monroe County Bank on Bloomington Partnerships!
Bank On Bloomington, a partnership of United Way of Monroe County, will offer a free monthly virtual financial literacy series starting March 18th. Classes will cover banking basics, budgeting, preparing for big purchases, and how to wisely handle credit and debt. Instructors from Fifth-Third Bank and Apprisen, a nonprofit financial coaching organization, will lead the courses. Classes will be held via Zoom from 6-7pm and participant will receive the link after registering. This month, on March 18th from 6-7pm, Matthew Humphrey of Fifth Third Bank and will cover the basics about banking, as well as strategies for better budgeting. Participants are encouraged to come with questions about other topics as well! More information and registration at www.monroeunitedway.org/bob. Matrix Integration's “MiConnection” Provides Sophisticated Telephony with Concierge-Level Service Telephony and communication systems have been stretched to the brink this past year with the increasing reliance on remote communications. Matrix Integration, an IT solutions and managed service provider for more than 1,000 businesses and schools in Indiana, Kentucky and beyond, has developed MiConnection, a best-in-class, cloud-based, hosted PBX telephony solution that provides enterprise-level features for any size business. Because MiConnection is implemented and managed by Matrix Integration, businesses can expect flat monthly costs that are often lower than their current costs.
“With very little hardware, it’s easy to scale the system to handle as much or little as your business requires,” said Rob Wildman, vice president of professional services at Matrix Integration. “Our customers can operate a seamless, reliable phone system that handles everything from simple calls to complex, video-based collaboration projects.” This month, the City of Bloomington will ask residents to participate in the 2021 Bloomington Community Survey. This is the third community-wide, scientific survey of Bloomington residents, and is again being administered by National Research Center, Inc. (NRC). Like the first two surveys, conducted in 2017 and 2019, this survey will gauge residents’ perceptions of the quality and value of City services and current conditions in the community. Against previous years’ results, the new results will provide data for use in comparison with peer cities, help inform decision-making, and help identify relevant shifts in public perceptions of city services and conditions. This year’s survey is updated with several questions informed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A new network for cybersecurity in southern Indiana held its first meeting on March 9. The Cybersecurity Exchange (CSX) is the brain child of The Mill, a nonprofit center for entrepreneurship based in Bloomington.
“The Innovation Corridor that runs from Crane through Bloomington and on to Columbus and Muscatatuck is uniquely positioned to become a global leader in cybersecurity,” noted Executive Director Pat East. “Cybersecurity is a rapidly growing, multi-billion-dollar industry that has the potential to transform our regional economy. We have world-class higher ed programs, the third-largest naval installation in the world, a globally unique city for urban training, and companies who are already major players in the industry.” The Mill, Bloomington’s nonprofit center for entrepreneurship, has launched ReBoot, a new entrepreneurial development program for the formerly incarcerated. “Entrepreneurship presents powerful opportunities for individuals and communities,” said Andy Lehman, Head of Accelerator Programming. “So we want to grow our startup ecosystem and create access for more people. And that means we not only open the door to the ecosystem wider, but also step outside and invite more folks in.”
Participants in the six-week program learn how to focus their business ideas, get customer validation, and present their business to potential investors. At the end of the program, participants become members of The Mill, where they can take advantage of additional free programs to grow their businesses and connect to an extensive network of mentors and investors. This new philanthropic program was inspired in 2020, when The Mill sponsored a pitch night for REDi, the ReEntry Entrepreneurship Development Initiative run by the Indy Chamber. The winner of that pitch night won a spot to pitch at The Mill’s Crossroads Pitch Competition. “I was really impressed with the winner’s story and her scrappiness,” Lehman said. “She had everything you want to see in someone starting a business.” The City invites members of the public to apply for an upcoming vacancy on the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission (RDC). The RDC oversees housing and neighborhood development, and has the power to investigate opportunities for economic development and redevelopment in the City of Bloomington and the power to create economic development areas, areas needing redevelopment, and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts. The RDC meets twice a month on Mondays at 5 p.m., currently via video conferencing. A list of current members and the start and end dates of their terms can be found on the RDC web page at https://bloomington.in.gov/boards/redevelopment.
Prospective RDC members may apply for consideration at https://bloomington.in.gov/onboard/applicants/apply?committee_id=28. RDC members must reside within the City limits during the entire term and be at least 18 years of age. Service requires an estimated commitment of four to five hours per month. Members receive no compensation for serving on the RDC. |
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