Google, Facebook and Prometheus: A week in tech news

Google announces $1M Impact Challenge for Iowa nonprofits

Nonprofits in Iowa will collectively receive $1 million through Google’s new Impact Challenge Iowa, Google announced Monday as part of the company’s Grow with Google initiative at Central Library.

Google.org first launched its Impact Challenge in Illinois, but Iowa will be the second state nationwide granted $1 million for local nonprofits, said Dan Harbeke, head of public policy and external affairs at Google’s Council Bluffs data center.

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Facebook pays $11M for data center land, pulls development agreement from Altoona Council agenda

Facebook Inc. asked to pull a proposed development agreement from Monday’s Altoona City Council agenda as the city continues to work out details of local incentives for an anticipated 1 million-square-foot, $250 million data center addition.

Altoona City Administrator Jeff Mark said the agreement could on the May 6 agenda.

“We are still working on the documents,” Mark said.

Facebook, operating as Siculus Inc., paid $11.4 million on April 5 for 210 acres on the north side of company’s campus north of Interstate 80 and east of U.S. Highway 65 in the city.

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Prometheus winners: Des Moines, Dwolla, Vermeer and more

“If you cut me open, I bleed technology,” proclaimed Jim Masterson, CEO of LightEdge Solutions.

Masterson, who was accepting a Prometheus Award for CEO of the Year, seemed to be speaking for everyone in the sold-out crowd on April 11. Almost 1,000 audience members representing companies in computer science, bioscience, agritechnology, fintech and other fields attended the 2019 Prometheus Awards, presented by LWBJ and the Technology Association of Iowa.

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