The 10th annual Iowa Rural Summit, scheduled for April 9-10 in Dubuque, is now open for registration. The Rural Summit celebrates rural innovation, best practices and case studies. Keynote speakers will include Dr. Jeffrey Stamp, inventor of Baked Lays. He is a professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Minnesota…
The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Mel Essex Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Nominations must be submitted by March 2 at 5 p.m. Presented annually at the Athene Beyond Boundaries Business Summit, the Mel Essex Entrepreneur of the Year Award honors the…
By Hailey Evans The Des Moines Home + Garden Show is coming to the Iowa Events Center Feb. 12-15. Visitors can tour pop-up gardens created by local landscapers, meet project experts, shop the annual plant sale, enjoy educational sessions and peruse the Made in Iowa Market for home goods and…
When Beth Lipman, an artist from Sheboygan Falls, Wis., was researching for her sculpture Hive Mind, she spent time with several faculty members at Iowa State University. “I had no idea how significant of a university it was,” Lipman said. “I really came in knowing very little about Iowa State…
The Iowa Center for Economic Success will expand investment in outreach and services for rural and micropolitan communities with a $250,000 grant from JPMorganChase. Outreach will focus on the micropolitan areas of Carroll, Fort Dodge, Marshalltown, Grinnell and Oskaloosa, as well as the surrounding rural communities. “The Iowa Center team…
Novy, a Midwest-based venture studio focused on building and scaling health care software companies, announced it is opening a third ideation cycle for innovators and entrepreneurs to submit early-stage venture ideas. This new ideation cycle comes as Novy is actively in creation of a company born out of its most…
Fareway is preparing to coach its next cohort of food entrepreneurs who dream of placing their retail products on grocery shelves, with plans to launch by late spring or summer, company executives said. The program is a partnership with the Iowa Center for Economic Success, a nonprofit providing small businesses…
Pi515, a nonprofit teaching technology skills to underserved youth, is set to receive a $50,000 contribution from Google to expand its youth-led AI education initiatives. The funding will support two programs: the AI Navigator Fellowship and the Educator Learning Cohort, positioning students and teachers as leaders in responsible AI integration….
Radicle Growth, a food- and ag-focused venture capital firm, announced the launch of the Radicle Corn Challenge sponsored by US Corn Farmers, a global call for startups developing technologies that create new, durable demand for corn through innovative products, materials and value chains. The challenge will invest a total of…
The Iowa Economic Development Authority board approved assistance for six startups located in Ames, Ankeny, Boone and Des Moines at its meeting on Jan. 16. Ames-based agtech company Hermes Biomaterials develops tools that help researchers create stronger, higher-yielding crops. Its FGB device enables the precise delivery of genetic material into…