INDIANAPOLIS, IN DELV Design, an architecture, interior design and branding  firm, won the top prize in the 2015 Architecture Business Plan Competition. The competition, hosted by Charrette Venture Group, promotes entrepreneurism and best practices in the architecture and design industry. More than 100 firms from 29 states and three Canadian provinces entered the contest.

"The level of innovation and visioning was impressive," said Todd L. Reding, Charrette's Chief Operations Officer and Vice President for Investments.

DELV's business plan caught the attention of judges because of its nontraditional strategies. Those strategies include the creation of an innovation lab that powers not only DELV but a network of other small architecture firms through the use of shared design tools. The lab becomes a place where new ideas that will propel small practices forward can be imagined and tested. In addition, DELV is creating a physical space for local organizations to use, embedded within their downtown Indianapolis location.

"We know from our own experiences that break-through ideas don't happen in a sterile conference room. We want to offer up an environment that helps foster creativity," said Amanda Welu, one of the four DELV Design partners. 

Winning the competition will help propel the firm's growth. 

"Our plan's heartbeat is one that will elevate not just our practice, but the architectural profession as a whole through the use of strategies that are historically nontraditional for our industry," Architect and Partner Jeremy Welu said. 

DELV was founded by three Indianapolis architects: Chris Lake, Cara Weber and Welu, and a brand storyteller, Amanda Welu. The group offers architecture, interior design and branding.

"As a hybrid of strategists and creatives, we found a sweet spot of our talents and passions, and DELV was born," Weber said.

Officially launched in January, the firm was the newest among the five selected for the finals where each of the five companies presented their plans to a live jury before the American Institute of Architects' annual convention in Atlanta. The other four finalist firms were located in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and New Hampshire. 

First prize for the Architecture Business Plan Competition was $10,000. Two other prizes in the amount of $2,500 were awarded for honorable mention. 

"DELV at its core is all about helping organizations live out great stories and with this win, we'll be able to do more of that," Lake said.  "Of course, it's also a fun page for our own story."