Four Iowa cities were ranked in Midwest Startups’ Startup City Rankings. In Central Iowa, Des Moines ranked No. 27, up one spot from last year, and Ames ranked No. 33, moving up two spots. On the eastern side of the state, Iowa City came in at No. 44, dropping four spots, although several area companies saw larger fundraising rounds, according to Midwest Startups’ analysis of the rankings. Cedar Rapids placed No. 51, up one place from 2022, and the Quad Cities ranked No. 62, four spots lower than last year. Des Moines’ highest ranking since 2017 was in 2020, when it ranked No. 18. According to the analysis, other highlights from Iowa were Ben Milne raising $11 million for stablecoin startup Brale, and Charise Flynn raising $1 million for Hummingbirds. The rankings are calculated based on startup activity, access to resources and business climate. To learn more about the methodology and explore the current and historical rankings, visit midweststartups.com.
