Yeah I'm familiar with the area (about to move from South Bend to Chicago). There's a lot of effort going into building a startup scene in South Bend, both around the Innovation and Ignition Park developments and at Notre Dame. At least a few of the companies that I'm familiar with (Vennli, Carextech) have gotten traction; the existing economy there is pretty manufacturing-heavy, especially around auto, appliances (Whirlpool) and medical devices (J&J has pretty big presence in Warsaw).
I might try and work through the area colleges (St. Mary's, Notre Dame, IU South Bend) if you're looking to recruit there.
awesome. just curious, are you moving to chicago because south bend didn't offer what you wanted or just a great opportunity in chicago?
familiar with vennli and other startups/folks working in the innovation space and we're set to get a small office at innovation park actually. we're making a bit that the area will continue to grow and we're happy to test hiring more of our team there who will be in close touch with palo alto hq. we're hitting up notre dame alumni to fill a lead engineer role, but we'll take a look at surrounding schools as well.
I might try and work through the area colleges (St. Mary's, Notre Dame, IU South Bend) if you're looking to recruit there.