The Iowa Biotechnology Association named the recipient of the 2025 Biotech Leader Award and the winners of the Showcase Pitch Competition at its Iowa Biotech Showcase and Conference held last week.
Joel Harris, co-founder and CEO of animal health startup Genvax Technologies and executive director of the Ag Startup Engine, is the recipient of the 2025 Biotech Leader Award.
“Joel Harris has been a trailblazer in the biotech field, advocating for the industry both nationally and globally. His innovative leadership in animal health and dedication to combatting the most economically significant livestock diseases have placed Iowa at the forefront of agricultural biotechnology,” Jessica Hyland, executive director of IowaBio, said in a prepared statement.
The Biotech Leader Award is awarded to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership within their organization and the industry, successfully brought innovative biotech products and services to market and advocated for Iowa’s life science sectors, the release said.
Harris played a pivotal role in the success of Harrisvaccines, a pioneering company focused on developing mRNA vaccines for livestock, which was founded by his father, Hank Harris, IowaBio said in a press release.
Joel Harris started Genvax Technologies in 2021 with a goal to scale precision animal vaccines for a global market, including a novel avian influenza vaccine to address the ongoing bird flu outbreak.
TRI Medical, a Des Moines-based medical equipment supplier, was named the winner of IowaBio’s 2025 Showcase Pitch Competition and received $10,000. The company is known for its TRI Spine model, a patent-pending medical simulation device designed to enhance the diagnostic accuracy, manual skills and knowledge of health care professional students in spinal treatment and diagnosis, the release said.
New this year, Ag Startup Engine chose one company participating in the pitch competition that will have the opportunity to pitch to the fund’s member companies. The Ames-based fund selected Hermes Biomaterials, which aims to advance technology to optimize gene editing and transforming plant cells.