SOUTH BEND, Ind. (November 25, 2024) – The South Bend – Elkhart region welcomed entrepreneur, investor, and creator Caterina Fake to speak to a crowd of nearly 200 entrepreneurs, investors, enthusiasts and students at Founder Factory, held at the South Bend City Church on Nov. 20. Fake was joined in the conversation by Amish Shah, president and CEO of Elkhart-based global logistics company Kem Krest. Hosted by Startup South Bend – Elkhart, this startup summit for the South Bend – Elkhart region brought together the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem for an evening of inspiration, knowledge-sharing and networking.

“Founder Factory was an incredible celebration of entrepreneurial spirit and innovation,” said Marty Mechtenberg, senior director of entrepreneurship and innovation at the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership. “The energy in the room was inspiring, and the connections made here will undoubtedly lead to amazing collaborations and new ventures.”

This was the fourth and final year for Founder Factory. The South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership is retiring the event, as the organization takes the lead on the planning and execution of IDEA Week 2025. The Regional Partnership will continue to hold an event in November in celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), held this year from Nov. 18-24. Founder Factory was the South Bend – Elkhart region’s only official GEW event. The week involves more than 40,000 events held in 200 countries.

The event kicked off with an invite-only roundtable with Fake for women entrepreneurs. The exclusive session allowed an opportunity for the small business founders to join in discussion of issues facing female entrepreneurs and learn from Fake’s experience as a woman in tech as the co-founder of Flickr, and former board chair of Etsy.

All proceeds from Founder Factory ticket sales went to the South Bend Awesome Fund. The Awesome Fund awards microgrants to a variety of local organizations, businesses and individuals presenting ideas to make the region even more awesome. The three winners were selected on Nov. 19 – Cory Pringle of Eat This Page, Miranda Bueno of M.E.X. Snack Cart, and Rachel and Nathan Kain of Stockroom East – and were recognized on stage at Founder Factory.

Founder Factory concluded with a Startup Happy Hour, featuring food and beverage from local small businesses A Bite with Mee, Bululu Tropical, Chicory Café and Graze by Erica.

###

About Startup South Bend – Elkhart

The mission of Startup South Bend – Elkhart, a non-profit initiative of the South Bend Elkhart Regional Partnership, is to promote and foster the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the South Bend – Elkhart region. Startup South Bend – Elkhart works to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit and culture in the regional community, identify and nurture new business startups, and support the growth of existing high potential businesses. For more information about Startup South Bend – Elkhart, visit StartupSouthBendElkhart.com.

About South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership

The South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership seeks to unify and collaborate so that together, the communities across the region work together to achieve what cannot be done individually. For more information about the Regional Partnership, visit SouthBendElkhart.org.