Invanti, a startup generator in South Bend, Indiana, sees being different as a competitive advantage Launching a technology incubator in a mid-size Indiana city might strike some as a challenge. It can be hard, after all, to compete with the talent, investor pool, and innovation potential of the Bay Area and other big cities. But one of the founders of Invanti, a unique startup generator in South Bend, Indiana, believes the atypical location is an asset.
Putting people, and the problem, first?entrepreneurs in the program spend months researching an issue before putting together a business plan?Invanti aims to flip the script on the traditional venture capital formula behind the country?s entrepreneurship ecosystem, says co-founder Dustin Mix. And instead of trying to create a mini Bay Area in the Midwest, Mix and cofounder Maria Gibbs believe Invanti?s location is its strength. ?Our competitive advantage is being something different,? says Mix. ?And to be frank, a lot more of the country looks like South Bend than like San Francisco. There are a lot more places eager to adopt solutions and ideas that we create here, for places like here.?

Courtesy Invanti
Maria Gibbs and Dustin Mix, Invanti co-founders

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