Indianapolis, Indiana – For four days in early June, Indiana University emerged as a focal point of international attention in the world of entrepreneurship. As more than 5,000 innovators and business leaders from around the world gathered at the 2025 Global Entrepreneurship Congress at the Indiana Convention Center, IU students, faculty, and alumni took center stage to highlight the university’s growing role in fostering innovation and launching new ventures.
Held from June 2 to 5 in downtown Indianapolis, this year’s congress marked a rare opportunity for Indiana and IU to host such a prestigious international event. The event was only the second time the Global Entrepreneurship Congress had been held in North America since its inception in 2009. The congress brought together speakers, panelists, and entrepreneurs from over 200 countries, all united by a shared interest in encouraging startup culture and economic growth through innovation.
Among the prominent sponsors of this year’s event was Indiana University, which sent a delegation of more than 50 representatives from campuses across the state—including IU Bloomington, IU Indianapolis, IU East, and IU Northwest. This robust presence was led by IU Innovates, the university’s recently launched initiative to centralize support for student-led ventures and innovation.
“This year’s event was a chance to show off IU and its efforts supporting IU entrepreneurs on a large global stage,” said Julie Heath, the inaugural executive director of IU Innovates. “It was important because of its rarity—this is only the second time the congress has come to North America since its creation in 2009—and also because it came at a time that IU is entering a new chapter in its support and recognition of entrepreneurship and innovation as drivers of economic health and community well-being.”
Founded in the fall of 2023, IU Innovates has quickly become a cornerstone of the university’s efforts to elevate entrepreneurship. It serves as a hub for students, faculty, and alumni to access resources, network with mentors, and develop ventures aimed at solving real-world problems. With a focus on inclusivity and hands-on learning, the initiative has already begun nurturing a new generation of Hoosier entrepreneurs.
A key feature of IU’s presence at the congress was its interactive booth located in GEN Village, a large exhibition area showcasing startups and innovation organizations from around the world. Over a dozen IU-affiliated startups presented their work there, giving student founders the chance to share their ideas and products with a truly global audience.
“It’s an incredible opportunity for IU startups to engage with entrepreneurship experts from around the world,” said Rosemarie Lerma, a project manager with IU Innovates who coordinated the participation of student and faculty founders. “This kind of exposure can be life-changing.”
Among those startups was PetsAloud, co-founded by Kaitlin Pet, a Ph.D. student in music informatics at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering. Kaitlin founded the company with her sister, Nikki Pet, a classical clarinetist and Doctorate of Musical Arts candidate at Yale. PetsAloud’s technology synchronizes animation and visual media with live musical performances, making classical concerts more engaging—especially for younger audiences.
Read also: Woman from Malone charged with third-degree burglary after being caught stealing from local Walmart
“When you add synchronized visuals to a live performance, it completely transforms the experience,” Kaitlin Pet said. “It draws people in, especially younger audiences, and makes classical music feel fresh, exciting and emotionally connected.”
The startup originated from Kaitlin’s Ph.D. research, under the guidance of Luddy School professor Christopher Raphael. Their platform allows performers to augment their music with synchronized video content, using machine learning to ensure timing and motion align precisely with the music. Though it uses AI for synchronization, the visual content itself is typically created by human artists.
“The Global Entrepreneurship Congress was a special chance to connect with people from all over the world who are passionate about innovation,” Pet added. “I was excited to share our work and learn how PetsAloud could resonate in different cultural and artistic contexts.”
Another standout was Capshock, a startup led by undergraduate student Alex Kaluzna, also from the Luddy School. Kaluzna co-founded the venture with West Virginia University student Ben Landolina. Their product is a color-changing mouthguard designed to indicate, in real time, when an athlete may have suffered a hit strong enough to cause a concussion.
“Before joining IU, I didn’t have much interest in entrepreneurship,” said Kaluzna, who now minors in entrepreneurship and business management at the IU Kelley School of Business. “But once I started, I fell in love with the journey—the idea of working for myself and building something from the ground up.”
The Capshock mouthguard contains a simple yet effective dye capsule that changes color when significant impact occurs. The aim is not to diagnose concussions, but to provide a visible warning to coaches and trainers that a player may need further evaluation.
“We’re not diagnosing concussions, but we’re creating a safety net that says, ‘You got hit hard enough to be checked out before going back in,’” Kaluzna said.
The startup recently earned $20,000 in funding from the Clapp IDEA Competition at IU’s Kelley School of Business, allowing Kaluzna and Landolina to refine their prototype. By using affordable components and open-source designs, they hope to bring a product to market that costs just $50—significantly less than competing smart mouthguards, which can cost upwards of $300.
Beyond PetsAloud and Capshock, other student-led ventures at the congress included High-Octane Brain, which promotes cognitive wellness through “brain fitness”; Everewear, a fashion brand focused on upcycling and sustainable clothing; and Relate XR, a VR-driven platform to support those in addiction recovery.
IU President Pamela Whitten also took part in the event, participating in a “fireside chat” session and emphasizing the university’s evolving role as a hub for entrepreneurship in the Midwest.
The event featured several IU alumni as guest speakers, including Mark Cuban, a billionaire entrepreneur and IU alumnus known for his investments on the TV show “Shark Tank.” Cuban, who has consistently supported education and entrepreneurship initiatives, offered insights into the mindset required to launch and grow successful businesses in today’s rapidly evolving economy.
For Heath and her team at IU Innovates, the event represented more than a chance to display new ideas—it was a statement of intent.
“This event was the perfect opportunity to showcase our student talent, and IU’s dedication to entrepreneurship,” Heath said. “At IU, we’re not just supporting startups; we’re building a culture where entrepreneurship is part of how we think, how we create professional opportunities, and how we serve our communities.”
As the 2025 Global Entrepreneurship Congress came to a close, it left IU students energized and better connected to the global entrepreneurial ecosystem. It also sent a strong message: that Indiana University is ready not only to educate future innovators but also to lead them into a new era of innovation-driven impact.
And for students like Kaitlin Pet and Alex Kaluzna, the experience was a launchpad—not just for their startups, but for their confidence, ideas, and future.
