Merrillville-based FiberX won a 2026 Mira Award for its use of corn stover, the remnants of corn production.
TechPoint presented 17 awards to Indiana companies during the 2026 awards, often called the “Oscars of Indiana tech.” FiberX earned the AgriNovus Indiana AgBioscience Innovation Award.
“Being named a Mira Award finalist is an honor, but it’s not the goal,” said a statement on the FiberX website. “The goal is to scale this operation, to put more Indiana farmers in a position to benefit from stover harvest, to give manufacturers better material options, and to prove that sustainable chemistry can compete and win in the marketplace.”
Judges said the company's research relationships, industry understanding and environmental concerns earned it a 2026 Mira Award.
“With the potential to transform multiple markets, FiberX stands out as a powerful example of Indiana-rooted innovation shaping the future of sustainable materials,” judges said.
Purdue University President Mung Chiang also was named the 2026 Trailblazer. Chiang became Purdue University’s 13th president in 2023.
“Indiana’s future as a national leader in hard tech and artificial intelligence is driven by our ability to develop talent, translate research, scale innovation and access to capital,” said Eric Christopher, president and CEO of TechPoint, in a press release. “President Chiang is doing all of those and beyond, by building a pipeline of homegrown talent and positioning Purdue, and our state, at the center of the global AI and semiconductor economy.”
Christopher was named president of TechPoint effective April 7.
The Mira Awards were started in 1999, with 386 awards so far.
“The achievements of this year’s winners reflect how central technology has become to Indiana’s economic growth and prosperity,” said Melina Kennedy, CEO of the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership. “The alignment of talent, industry and innovation is strengthening key industries, expanding opportunity in every region of our state, and building momentum for the future.”
Other 2026 Mira Award winners include:
- AnalytiXIN AI Transformation Award: Indiana University (Bloomington)
- Ascend Indiana Talent Innovation Award: Eli Lilly and Company (Indianapolis), Ivy Tech Community College (Indianapolis, Bloomington, and Lafayette Campuses), Purdue University (West Lafayette and Indianapolis)
- BioCrossroads Life Sciences Innovation Award: Syra Health Corp. (Carmel)
- Community Impact Award: P30 (Indianapolis)
- Conexus Indiana Manufacturing Innovation Award: MSP Manufacturing (Bloomington)
- Deal of the Year: BiomEdit’s $18.6 million Series B
- Emerging Tech Leader Award: Jonathon Brack, V2X (Fishers)
- Innovation of the Year: Syra Health (Carmel)
- Innovation Service Partner of the Year: Purdue Innovates (West Lafayette)
- Nextech Computer Science Teacher of the Year: Carissa Domrase, Franklin Central High School (Indianapolis)
- Resilience Award: Alicia Mckoy, Peak Mind (Indianapolis)
- Rising Entrepreneur of the Year: Kyle Armstrong, RefReps (Indianapolis)
- Startup of the Year: Ekkobar (Indianapolis)
- Tech Company of the Year: V2X (Indianapolis)
Learn more about this year's winners here.
