Indy Software Startup Wins New Venture Competition
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An Indianapolis-based startup took home the $50,000 grand prize in the McCloskey New Venture Competition at the University of Notre Dame. Chuqlab Inc. has developed CrimeMiner, a software platform that transcribes audio and video files relevant to criminal investigations, such as jail phone calls and body cam footage.
Chuqlab was co-founded in 2019 by Cornelius George and Blaine Dirker. George told our partners at the Indianapolis Business Journal in January that the company’s platform was in use by more than a dozen organizations across the country.
In late 2021, the company received $800,000 in tax credits from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. for its plans to add 50 employees by the end of 2025. George told the IBJ hoped to have close to 20 employees by the end of this year.
The competition returned to an in-person event at the IDEA Center at Notre Dame for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
“We were thrilled to be back in person for the 22nd Annual McCloskey New Venture Competition! After two years of virtual competition, you could feel the excitement and energy in the room, from competitors, judges and spectators,” Patti Reinhardt, director of student engagement, competition and events at the IDEA Center. “I see the resilience in the entrepreneurial spirit that is so prevalent here at the IDEA Center and I am excited to continue the growth of this program that serves the hungry and humble entrepreneurs of the University of Notre Dame.”
The McCloskey New Venture Competition awarded a total of $600,000 in cash and in-kind/pitch for investment prizes this year. You can view the full results by clicking here.