A Carmel tech startup is dragging Indiana’s top economic development agency into court, accusing state-connected players of grabbing its vehicle performance prediction technology and using public money to spin it into their own commercial venture. The lawsuit names a mix of private contractors and high-profile local figures and asks for punitive damages plus a deep dive into years of Indiana Economic Development Corp. contracts. Filed last Thursday in Marion County, the case turns up the heat on how Indiana’s economic development machine and donor networks intersect with the state’s tech scene.
Barbara Bessolo, founder and CEO of Carmel-based DynamoEdge, filed the complaint against the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and named defendants including Michael Andretti, Paul Mitchell, David Roberts and contractor 9-12, as reported by the Indianapolis Star. The suit, filed March 5 in Marion County, alleges the defendants used Bessolo’s patented and in-progress technology without permission and asks the court for exemplary and punitive damages, along with an accounting of IEDC contracts dating back to 2016.
DynamoEdge describes itself as a real-time edge AI company that builds telemetry and vehicle performance prediction tools and says it has worked in both motorsports and commercial pilots, according to DynamoEdge. The firm lists Bessolo as its CEO, and business records show DynamoEdge is based in Carmel, per the Better Business Bureau.
The lawsuit lands in the shadow of a 2025 forensic review of the Indiana Economic Development Corp. that flagged weak management, possible conflicts of interest and concerns that donor relationships helped steer public funds to favored players. The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported that donors to the Indiana Economic Development Foundation were linked to hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits and other benefits.
According to the complaint, DynamoEdge held a subcontract with NineTwelve (also written as 9-12) that was terminated in September 2021, and Bessolo alleges that later projects went on to use technology her company developed. The filing also claims that an Andretti-branded AI initiative leaned on DynamoEdge’s vehicle prediction work and even adopted the slogan “predicting the unpredictable,” details outlined in the lawsuit and reviewed by the Indianapolis Star.
Inside the Lawsuit and What Bessolo Wants
The complaint centers on claims tied to alleged intellectual property misappropriation, along with related contract and tort theories. It asks the court to award exemplary and punitive damages and to order a full accounting of IEDC contracts involving the defendants going back to 2016. Bessolo’s attorneys argue that tracing those deals is essential to determining whether public dollars improperly supported companies that deployed her technology. The case is pending in Marion County civil court and will move into discovery unless the parties reach a settlement or the court disposes of the claims earlier.
Why Indiana’s Tech Scene and Taxpayers Care
Indiana’s economic development programs are a key tool for luring investment, and the suit raises pointed questions about oversight and where the line sits between public support and private gain. Last year’s forensic review already pushed lawmakers and watchdogs to scrutinize IEDC operations, and this new litigation adds a legal front that could influence future policy and contracting reforms. Local startups, investors and policymakers will be watching to see whether the case pressures the state to tighten how it handles intellectual property that originates with small businesses.
