Iowa Startup Week is accepting applications for its Best of the Midwest Pitch competition, which brings founders to one stage to share their innovations. The deadline to apply is July 6. Iowa Startup Week is a four-day event in Des Moines designed to spotlight and celebrate entrepreneurship in Iowa. The event is scheduled from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1. Three finalists will compete on Oct. 1 at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines for a non-dilutive cash prize. According to the website, founders from Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Illinois, Missouri or Nebraska who founded their company in 2021 or later are eligible to apply. Applicants should also have an annual revenue under $1 million that are building in one of six focus verticals: agtech and food innovation; cleantech and energy; healthtech, medtech and therapeutics; industrial and supply chain tech; fintech and insurtech; or enterprise software.
