Former Orr Fellow who cofounded and sold his own software company last year is now taking helm at TechPoint, charged with ‘bridging the gaps’ and unifying the tech sector
TechPoint, Indiana’s technology growth initiative, has a new leader – Mike Langellier. The 30-year-old Depauw University graduate and former Orr Fellow cofounded MyJibe, a personal finance and banking software company. He sold the company in November 2011 and has served as vice president of strategic partnerships with MoneyDesktop since then.
TechPoint Chairman Mark Hill and Mark Miles, president and CEO of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (TechPoint’s parent organization), announced the selection today and charged Langellier with building on TechPoint’s solid foundation to achieve a broad vision of making Indiana “the best sandbox for technology and entrepreneurship.”
Mark Miles said the time is right for thinking big and jockeying for recognition as a national leader in technology and entrepreneurship. Governor Daniels declared the “arrival” of Indiana’s tech sector earlier this year because technology firms significantly outperformed his administration’s expectations in terms of job creation and investment. (See Indiana’s Tech Sector Success.)
This growth, together with two very high-profile tech firm IPOs – Angie’s List (NASDAQ: ANGI) and ExactTarget (NYSE: ET), continued excellence from our nationally-ranked universities, and the unbridled passion exhibited by pockets of startup communities throughout the state further support the vision for TechPoint to push Indiana’s leadership position.
“Mike is a proven entrepreneur whose passion for innovation and technology have contributed to Indiana’s thriving technology economy,” said Scott Dorsey, CEO and Cofounder of ExactTarget. “As a graduate of the Orr Fellowship and a successful business leader, Mike is an exceptional choice to lead the next chapter of growth for our technology community.”
“Mike’s personal success story includes critical experiences that have shaped an ideal leader for TechPoint at a time of great change and opportunity,” Mark Hill said. “I had the pleasure of working with Mike during his Orr Fellowship at Baker Hill and have proudly watched his progress as he proved the Orr Fellowship concept by using the program as a springboard to creating his own tech firm from the ground up, attracting venture capital, and bringing the business full circle to a liquidation event.”
According to Hill, Langellier’s experience building a software-as-a-service company here in Indiana is as much of an asset for TechPoint as his relative youth and connection to Central Indiana’s thriving startup community. “Mike recognizes it is imperative to bridge the gaps between startup communities, universities, emerging businesses and established technology industry across the state,” Hill said. There is a natural role for TechPoint to serve as a unifying force for different groups and constituencies feeding into the voice of authority on technology and entrepreneurship in Indiana.
Langellier highlighted recent media coverage where only five other metro areas produced more “Inc. 500 Companies” than Indianapolis during the past decade, and Indianapolis is the only Midwestern metro at the top of the list. “We have those successes and many others statewide to celebrate and to build upon, and we have a burgeoning group of bold entrepreneurs to invest in,” Langellier said. “The negative ‘flyover state’ moniker is a thing of the past.”
“We have top-notch research universities producing the greatest young talent, and we have a very successful model in the Orr Fellowship for how to engage the best and brightest graduates with the most promising high-growth companies and bring them together into a unique experience that accelerates the next generation of businesses and business leaders,” Langellier said. “I’m living proof. I’m not originally from Indiana. I’m here because of DePauw University and the Orr Fellowship, which changed my life. I chose to stay here and start both a business and family here because of this community and the opportunity if affords. If you’re a ‘builder,’ very few places offer the kind of platform and opportunity that we have here to make an impact.”
Prior to starting MyJibe and joining MoneyDesktop through the acquisition, Langellier was director of account management for Experian (formerly Baker Hill), where he managed multi-million dollar bank and credit union relationships, enterprise software installations and key alliance partnerships. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife, Carrie (Strong) Langellier – who was also an Orr Fellow – and their two sons.
About TechPoint
TechPoint is Indiana’s statewide technology initiative focused on growing Indiana’s tech sector by promoting the successes of technology companies and professionals; supporting the formation, expansion, and attraction of technology companies; and advocating appropriate public policy. For more information, please visit www.techpoint.org.