Dimension Mill

Black Friday is a good time to slow down, stay close, and support the people building this community every day.

Bloomington now has a Shop Local card, created by the City with Yiftee, designed to make it easier to support local businesses. It’s digital, flexible, and keeps dollars circulating where they matter. Link in Bio.

If you’re picking up gifts, looking for good deals, grabbing food, or just exploring town, consider choosing local. It all adds up.

Some people lift a community just by the way they show up. Eli Serrano is one of them.

As Community Manager at IU Innovates, Eli has mentored hundreds of IU students as they turn early ideas into real ventures. At The Mill, he helped shape this year’s Startup Summer program and continues to support founders through thoughtful, hands-on ecosystem building.

And this week, Eli and his co-founder took a big step forward of their own. Their startup, V Codinator, won the $150K Honors Fund Virtual Startup Competition.

V Codinator helps non-technical founders build their first product by combining AI, guided learning, and no-code tools. Nearly 500 users have already begun learning through the platform.

Eli leads with curiosity, kindness, and the belief that anyone can build something meaningful with the right support.

We’re proud he’s helping shape Bloomington’s next generation of founders—and building his own venture here too.

Read the full story: https://bit.ly/4ieEGUd

That's a wrap on Demo Day 2025! ☀️🚀

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out, supported, and celebrated the incredible student founders from Startup Summer.

This cohort truly brought their A-game; impressive pitches, big ideas, and amazing energy all around. Bloomington's startup future is bright.

Missed it or want to learn more about these inspiring entrepreneurs? Check out the link in our bio for all the details!