Des Moines-based Rocket Referrals is on the 2019 Inc. 5000 annual list of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S., the company announced this week. Rocket Referrals, an insuretech startup automating the referral process for insurance agencies, was named at the 481 spot. It ranked 62 among all software companies in the U.S. and was the fastest-growing software […]

Hy-Vee Inc. is investigating unauthorized activity that may have affected payment transactions at fuel pumps, drive-thru coffee shops, and restaurants, including Market Grilles, Market Grille Expresses and Wahlburgers, the company announced this afternoon. The company, which operates more than 260 stores across eight states, says it has contracted with unnamed cybersecurity firms and notified federal law […]

The aftermath of last weekend’s deadly El Paso mass shooting sparked a battle by tech platforms to drop 8chan, as the Washington Post initially reported. On Tuesday, the situation grew even more dire for 8chan after owner Jim Watkins was called to testify to Congress, Reuters reports. After the extremist message board was dropped by internet service provider […]

The Des Moines coding education nonprofit Pi515 received more than $62,000 in corporate grants and donations in the last year, the group announced this week. Pi515 received $22,000 from AT&T toward operations, a $30,000 grant from Coca-Cola and $10,000 in student scholarships from Dwolla’s 2019 Monetery Tech Summit. Through the Coca-Cola grant, Pi515 hired 14 […]

1000 Friends of Iowa led legislators and industry influencers on a tour of solar energy operations through Urbandale, Clive, Waukee and West Des Moines on Wednesday as a fact-finding tour before the 2020 legislative session opens. 1000 Friends of Iowa announced the individuals who would tour, including Sen. Claire Celsi (West Des Moines), Rep. John […]

Ames Seed Capital announced a $100,000 investment into the veterinary startup VetMeasure, Inc. VetMeasure, based in Ames, created the animal heart monitoring device MeasureON! Harness, allowing veterinarians to monitor a pet’s health remotely. The harness sends collected data to a mobile and web application available for the vets to view; when the dog’s metrics reach […]

More than 150 Iowa State University entrepreneurs will pitch their ideas to visitors at the ISU exhibit during the Iowa State Fair, ISU announced. The Great Iowa State Pitch Off: STANDING InnOVATION will be in the Varied Industries building from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 8-15. There will be two pitches every hour each […]

Iowa City agtech startup Rantizo is the first company approved for agricultural drone spraying in Wisconsin, Rantizo announced this week. Rantizo said the approval from Federal Aviation Administration and the state of Wisconsin is aiding the startup in expanding state-by-state, and continuing partnerships with neighboring Departments of Agriculture. Earlier in July, Rantizo became the first […]

Predictive Health Partners, a Des Moines-based insurtech startup focused on reducing wasteful healthcare spending for companies and employees, will join the Minneapolis-based gener8tor 2019 accelerator class, the company announced this week. Predictive Health Partners uses a dual platform to analyze variations in a company’s overall anonymous medical and prescription claims, while offering location-specific price comparison […]