By Michelle Williams
In business for only five months, one Indianapolis-based firm is making big waves in the national architecture scene. DELV Design recently won the 2015 Architecture Business Plan Competition, put on by Charrette Venture Group. The firm’s partners are Cara Weber and Chris Lake of Zionsville and Amanda and Jeremy Welu of Fishers.
The team presented its business plan to a panel of judges on May 13 in Atlanta preceding the American Institute of Architects’ national convention. The firm took home a prize of $10,000 that they plan to use to accelerate the execution of their business plan.
“It felt really good to win the competition, and it was a lot of fun to push ourselves harder than we would have to craft a really good business plan at this early stage,” Weber said. “The benefits of doing it would have been realized whether we won or not just from having focused on our business plan at this stage in the company.”
“The judges were shocked by how new we are,” Amanda Welu said. “They were really impressed with the way the plan was put together. The format and look of it made it feel like we have been around a lot longer than we have. They saw our non-traditional model as innovation in the industry.”
DELV Design strategically focuses on delivering technology solutions that many small firms struggle to implement. This innovative technology foundation strengthens the firm’s capabilities in architecture, interior design and branding services.
The team dynamics contribute to a variety of complementary skill sets including marketing and branding, strategic operations, technology and efficiency and design excellence. Three of the partners are architects and the other is an MBA.
“It’s a great synergy, because all of the pieces are really key to our business model,” Weber said. “Without any one of us, it wouldn’t be nearly as strong.”
For more information visit www.DELVdesign.com.
