Indy Ignite

What Indy Ignite does

Indy Ignite is a professional women's volleyball franchise competing in Major League Volleyball (MLV) and based in Fishers, Indiana, where it plays home matches at the Fishers Event Center. Founded in 2024 as one of MLV's charter franchises, the team serves Central Indiana sports fans and volleyball enthusiasts who previously had limited access to elite professional women's volleyball in the Midwest. Under President and General Manager Mary Kay Huse — a former ExactTarget/Salesforce executive and ex-CEO of music streaming startup Mandolin — and Head Coach Lauren Bertolacci, the franchise achieved back-to-back playoff appearances in its 2025 inaugural season and 2026 follow-up, including a record-setting 23-5 regular season and the league's top seed in 2026, before being eliminated by Omaha Supernovas in the championship semifinal.

The team's product surface is event-driven live sports entertainment, distributed through Ticketmaster for season tickets, single-game tickets, group experiences, and premium hospitality at the Fishers Event Center, supplemented by merchandise and youth engagement programs such as Pepper's Kids Club presented by Raising Canes. Revenue is generated across three streams: ticket sales (transaction-fee model), sponsorship and corporate partnerships (advertising model — including league-level partners Franklin Sports, REN Athletics, Spalding, USA Volleyball, and iHeartMedia, plus local partner Raising Canes), and merchandise and kids-club programs (hardware sales model). The franchise is privately owned by Jim Schumacher and Don Hutchinson, employs 11–50 staff, and is set to enter its third season in January 2027 as MLV expands to a 12-team league.

Commercially, Indy Ignite operates with minimal proprietary technology — relying on Ticketmaster for ticketing and MLV's centralized digital infrastructure (provolleyball.com website, league-wide social accounts across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, plus an email newsletter called "Join the Firestorm") for fan acquisition and engagement. There are no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, patents, or proprietary software products. The franchise's principal customer segments are long-tail individual sports fans (primary) and corporate sponsors seeking brand association with professional women's volleyball (secondary), with no disclosed revenue figures, funding rounds, or financial benchmarks in the public source material.

Name

Indy Ignite

Legal name

Indy Ignite

Website

https://provolleyball.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Indy Ignite is a privately owned professional women's volleyball franchise competing in Major League Volleyball, serving Central Indiana sports fans through live matches at the Fishers Event Center, ticketing, sponsorships, merchandise, and youth programs like Pepper's Kids Club.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fishers

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from match attendance including season tickets, single game tickets, and group tickets sold through Ticketmaster for home games at Fishers Event Center.
2. Sponsorship and Corporate Partnerships: Revenue from corporate sponsors and partners associated with the team and Major League Volleyball, including league-level partners like Franklin Sports, REN Athletics, Spalding, and USA Volleyball.
3. Merchandise and Kids Club: Revenue from team merchandise sales and exclusive kids club programs like Pepper's Kids Club presented by Raising Canes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Indy Ignite is a professional women's volleyball franchise that competes in Major League Volleyball, delivering live match-day entertainment at the Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Indiana. The team sells season tickets, single game tickets, and group ticket packages through Ticketmaster, and generates additional revenue through corporate sponsorships and team merchandise. Community-facing programs such as Pepper's Kids Club presented by Raising Canes extend fan engagement beyond match days.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Record-setting 23-5 regular season record in 2026
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Major League Volleyball (League)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndy Ignite competes in Major League Volleyball as one of the founding/franchise teams. MLV is the longest-running formal professional volleyball league in the United States, entering its fourth season in 2027 with 12 teams. The league is aligned with USA Volleyball and committed to Olympic development.
• Franklin SportsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner of Major League Volleyball. Founded in 1946 by brothers Sydney and Irving Franklin on the principle that sports make life better.
• REN AthleticsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner of Major League Volleyball. Sees a future where volleyball is a lifestyle, redefining volleyball style with fashion-forward, trendsetting and innovative apparel designed by volleyball professionals.
• SpaldingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner of Major League Volleyball. Since 1876, Spalding has been true to the game, igniting inner confidence in athletes of all levels across the globe.
• USA VolleyballcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner and National Governing Body for volleyball in the United States. Recognized by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
• iHeartMediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner of Major League Volleyball. The #1 audio company in the United States reaching 9 out of 10 Americans every month with 250 million monthly listeners.
• Raising CanesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of Pepper's Kids Club for Indy Ignite, providing exclusive perks, special events, and fun experiences for youth fans throughout the 2027 season.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Omaha Supernovas: Same MLV league franchise that defeated Indy Ignite in the 2026 championship semifinal. Direct peer in product, customer base (live volleyball spectators), sponsorship model, and revenue mix.
• Atlanta Vibe: MLV founding franchise; same league, comparable women's pro volleyball product and ticketing/sponsorship business model.
• Grand Rapids Rise: MLV founding franchise based in Michigan. Direct peer sharing league economics, women's pro volleyball audience, and Midwest regional dynamics.
• Columbus Fury: MLV founding franchise in Ohio. Comparable women's pro volleyball team with similar ticket, sponsorship, and venue-driven revenue structure.
• Orlando Valkyries: MLV franchise referenced as ticket pricing benchmark in Indy Ignite's data. Same league, same women's pro volleyball product and customer base.
• San Diego Mojo: MLV West Coast franchise with comparable women's pro volleyball operations, ticketing model, and corporate partnership structure.
• Dallas Pulse: MLV franchise that won the 2026 'Match for a Million' title. Direct peer sharing league product, audience, and live event monetization.

Regional players

• Indiana Fever: WNBA franchise based in Indianapolis, the dominant women's pro sports property in the same Central Indiana market. Comparable on women's sports sponsorship dynamics and regional fan base, though operating in a larger, more established league.

Broad incumbents

• Athletes Unlimited Volleyball: Independent women's professional volleyball league in the U.S., sharing the same athlete talent pool and competing for the same fans and corporate sponsorships. Not franchise-based, but directly comparable on the women's pro volleyball entertainment category.
• Unrivaled: U.S. women's professional 3x3 basketball league launched in 2025. Comparable as an emerging women's pro sports league with similar ticket- and sponsorship-driven economics, despite operating in basketball rather than volleyball.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IndyIgniteVB
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@majorleaguevolley
• Facebookfacebook.com/people/Major-League-Volleyball/100087131632128
• Instagraminstagram.com/mlv
• TikToktiktok.com/@majorleaguevolley
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/majorleaguevolleyball

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Indy Ignite