Entrepreneur and WLKY Host Angie Fenton to Keynote “The Next Big Thing” Pitch Competition at IU Southeast

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: Don Lopp: dlopp@beaconstreetconsulting.org: (812)725.6984

Extol CEO and two-year cancer survivor will open Global Entrepreneurship Week’s marquee pitch night, where Southern Indiana founders compete for grant funding, with first-place prizes of up to $4,000

NEW ALBANY, Ind. — November 6, 2026 — Entrepreneur, broadcaster, and storyteller Angie Fenton will deliver the keynote address at The Next Big Thing Pitch Competition, the signature evening event of Global Entrepreneurship Week Southern Indiana. The competition takes place Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Hoosier Room of University Center North at Indiana University Southeast. The event is free and open to the public.

Fenton is CEO and co-founder of Extol, a Southern Indiana media production and marketing company that began as a print magazine in 2014. Extol has since grown into a multimedia company producing original content, video, television, and live programming, while helping businesses and organizations tell their stories. Each week, she hosts WLKY’s “This Is Southern Indiana,” spotlighting the people, businesses, and nonprofits that shape the region.

For more than 20 years, Fenton has taken the stage as a keynote speaker, emcee, and storyteller. She is known for pairing humor and candor with lessons learned the hard way, and for talking as openly about setbacks as about wins. Her own path as a founder has included successes, failures, calculated risks, and more reinventions than she can count.

“Last year’s keynote speaker was John Neace, an incredibly successful businessman who was also the first person to give my Extol co-founder, Jason Applegate, and me the opportunity to pitch our business idea. John believed in us enough to invest, and shortly thereafter, a second investor came along who believed in our dream, too. That connection makes this opportunity especially meaningful,” Angie Fenton said. “While Jason and I have owned Extol Media outright for years, we wouldn’t be celebrating 12 years in business without the people who took chances on us and supported us along the way. I look forward to sharing the highs, the lows, and the lessons learned, with the hope that our story encourages someone else to take a chance on their own dream. It’s an honor to be part of this event.”

Fenton’s perspective is shaped by experience beyond the boardroom. She is a cancer fighter and proudly two years cancer-free, an experience that changed how she approaches work, leadership, and time. Raised by a fiercely independent single mother in rural Michigan, she learned early lessons in resilience and resourcefulness. Today she is a Hoosier by Choice who calls New Albany home, where she is raising her 10-year-old daughter, Olive, a budding entrepreneur herself.

The competition

Founders will pitch before a panel of judges, mentors, and industry veterans in two tracks. All prizes are grant funding.

• Fast Pitch ($2,000 first place): For early founders who have identified a problem, done market research, and have a rough plan but have not yet finalized a product. Businesses must be operating six months or fewer.
• Pitch Tank ($4,000 first place): For founders with a completed business plan and a specific minimum viable product or service to offer.

The competition is open to Indiana residents and businesses. The application deadline is Nov. 4, 2026. A food buffet and beverages are included for attendees.

Event details

• What: The Next Big Thing Pitch Competition, keynote by Angie Fenton
• When: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026, 6–8:30 p.m.
• Where: IU Southeast, Hoosier Room, University Center North
• Cost: Free and open to the public
• Apply / full schedule: maker13.com

The event is made possible by silver sponsors First Harrison Bank and Indiana University Southeast.

About Global Entrepreneurship Week Southern Indiana

Global Entrepreneurship Week Southern Indiana, held Nov. 16–20, 2026, is part of the worldwide Global Entrepreneurship Week celebration of founders and innovators. The local week is organized by the Indiana SBDC, IU Southeast, Ivy Tech Community College, Maker13, Floyd County Library, Founder 45, Beacon Street Consulting, and The Root. Full schedule and details are at maker13.com.

A high-resolution version of this headshot is available on request.

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