How a Tech Entrepreneur Reshaped Indianapolis' Live Music Scene | Scott Kraege, Forty5, The Vogue, and Rock the Ruins

On today's show I sat down with Indianapolis entrepreneur and entertainment operator Scott Kraege, who shares his 18-year "overnight success" journey and today is a managing partner at Ivy Ventures, Forty5 partner, and co-owner of The Vogue Theatre, a concert venue in Broad Ripple.

Kraege's journey started with him selling cell phones out of his car in 1999 to founding the enterprise device-management software company MOBI (later Tangoe), growing it to 350 employees, and selling in 2018.

He explains his approach to investing and mentorship, emphasizing that founders and people matter most and that startups often evolve far from their original idea. He describes post-exit life, joining The Heritage Group's venture program, and later buying The Vogue in 2019 with partners, then navigating COVID shutdowns, staffing losses, and creative pivots.

He also details how Forty5 expanded into multiple venues and outdoor series like Rock the Ruins, plus launching Opendate software, and discusses sponsorships, public-private partnerships, and future concert infrastructure needs in Indianapolis.

If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast.

You are going to learn about:
- Scott Kraege's Journey from Cell Phones to Indianapolis' Live Entertainment Scene
- The Origin of Rock the Ruins and How Park Concerts Work
- Indy's Future with Live Music

Thank you to our partners:
Keller & Keller

Check out these great clips from the show:
00:00 Ten-Year Success Myth
01:30 Guest Introduction: Scott Kraege, Forty5, The Vogue, and Rock the Ruins
02:56 First Startup Cell Phones
04:45 Inc 500 Growth Lessons
05:18 Building MOBI To Exit
07:17 Ten-Year Founder Mindset
09:20 Mentors Indy Culture
14:20 Post-Exit Identity Reset
17:10 Venture Investing
19:30 How VCs Pick Founders
21:45 Buying The Vogue
23:03 Vogue History Legends
26:48 COVID Shutdown Survival
30:34 Forty5 Opendate Launch
33:15 Rock The Ruins Origin
37:19 Turntable Venue Pipeline
38:45 Making Park Concerts Work
40:39 Rock the Ruins Vibe
41:20 Big Venues vs Easy Shows
42:05 Final Four Mall Concerts
43:28 How ALM Happened
44:37 Beach Festival Inspiration
45:21 Sponsor Village Strategy
47:04 Why Sponsors Matter
49:44 Broad Ripple Park Shows
52:20 Future of Indy Live Music
54:08 Dream Venues and Infrastructure
57:03 Why Indiana Home
58:39 Concert Memories and Dream Acts
01:05:12 Hidden Gems and Hoosiers

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