ACMI awards $3M to five startups at IU pitch; winners to join southern Indiana manufacturing hub

The American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation (ACMI) announced in a press release datelined Bloomington, IN on 2026-10-22 that it awarded $3 million of non-dilutive funding to five manufacturing startups following its inaugural Horizon Manufacturing Cup, a one-day fast-pitch competition held on Indiana University’s Bloomington campus.

ACMI named the five awardees as Raven Space Systems; Hybron; Supernova; Standard Bots; and Glīd. ACMI said the winners will join its National Security Industrial Hub and Munitions Campus as tenants and gain access to ACMI Federal’s prototyping equipment, industrial infrastructure, technical resources, supply chains, scaling space and talent networks to help move from prototype into production (ACMI press release). ACMI described the hub and munitions campus as a 1,500-plus acre manufacturing ecosystem adjacent to Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane and Crane Army Ammunition Activity in southern Indiana (ACMI press release). Existing tenants listed by ACMI include SPINNER North America, Limitless Aeronautics, iRocket and Prometheus Energetics (ACMI press release). ACMI said the Horizon Manufacturing Cup launched in August 2026 to rapidly identify and scale critical hardware, advanced materials and manufacturing technologies. The inaugural competition drew more than 70 applications, was narrowed to 12 pitch-day contestants and produced five awardees (ACMI press release). According to ACMI’s program page, the Horizon Manufacturing Cup offered $3 million in total prizes and included a $1 million grand prize; eligibility required applicants to operate a U.S.-based business at Seed stage or later (ACMI program page).

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