The Bee Corp. Relocating to Indy
(photo courtesy The Bee Corp.)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowBloomington-based ag-tech startup The Bee Corp. has announced plans to relocate its headquarters to Indianapolis. The company, which specializes in infrared imaging software to help growers who rent beehives for pollination, says it is currently in the process of evaluating potential office space.
Chief Executive Officer Ellie Symes says the decision to relocate ultimately came down to talent. "The university offers an excellent pipeline for hiring interns and entry-level roles, but the pool of experienced developers is more mature in Indianapolis."
Symes and Chief Marketing Officer Wyatt Wells launched the company in Bloomington after winning a business competition at Indiana University in 2016. The company has been operating out of The Mill, a coworking space and business incubator in Bloomington, and will be the first company to graduate out of the space.
"Bloomington is an excellent place to launch a startup, build early traction, raise capital and access key resources," said Wells. "We were able to gain a head start with support from organizations like BEDC and the city’s Department of Economic & Sustainable Development, events like Combine and Crossroads pitch competition, the many local entrepreneurs who have advised us for years, plus emerging initiatives like Velocities."
Symes says the company plans to continue hosting its bi-monthly board meetings at The Mill.
The decision to relocate comes a little more than a month after The Bee Corp. announced a change in its business direction by shifting its focus from preventing hive loss to determining beehive strength. The company launched a new technology called Verifli, which uses infrared image analysis to map out the heat signature given off by bees and determine the strength of the hive.
Symes will be a guest this weekend on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick to talk about the new technology and the relocation.